If you’ve been to Europe a couple of times, you may think you’ve seen it all. But on a continent that’s roughly the size of the United States, chances are that you’ve only scratched the surface.
Destinations that are household names to many European travelers are barely a blip on the radar for most Americans. Europeans bask on the beach in Cyprus, linger in sidewalk cafes in Tallinn and Dubrovnik, visit spas in Budapest and go horseback riding in the Czech Republic. They eat pastizzi – flaky pastries stuffed with ricotta cheese – in Malta’s sunny capital of Valletta and sample reindeer stew with Laplanders in Finland. This year they’ll be flocking to Istanbul, which will be marking its selection as the 2010 European Capital of Culture with a ballet competition, a youth festival, a new opera house and much more.
Even in wildly popular countries, off-the-beaten-path adventures abound for those who know where to look. So, even if you think you’ve “done” Europe, ask the travel consultants at The Travel Center / American Express for recommendations on intriguing things to see and do this year. They’ll make you see the continent in a whole new light.
Undiscovered Countries
Large swaths of Europe were once hidden behind the Iron Curtain. Now a whole new world awaits curious American travelers:
*The Baltic region: The tiny countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are rich in history. Don’t miss the charmingly preserved central cities of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius, each a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
*Croatia: Gorgeous Dubrovnik, the new building of the Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Adriatic diving sites off the coast of Istria are just three highlights of this Balkan country.
*Hungary: Spend a few days in Budapest, with its lovely baroque and Art Nouveau buildings and famed thermal baths. Then hop a train to Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe, where you can enjoy just about any water sport, from sailing to kite surfing.
*Romania: Top draws include resorts along the Black Sea and sites associated with Dracula in castle-dotted Transylvania.
If new revenue projections hold, there could be steep cuts above those already announced by the Christie administration.The Asbury Park Press obtained an analysis by the Office of Legislative Services saying taxes and other revenue for the budget year that ends June 30 will be $402 million less than expected. (Ingle, Gannett) https://blogs.app.com/politicspatrol/2010/05/25/falling-revenue-could-cause-bigger-cuts/
>6th Annual Wiffle for Cancer Tournament : Have Fun for a Good Cause!
6th Annual Wiffle for Cancer Tournament on Sunday, June 13 The 6th Annual Wiffle for Cancer Tournament takes place on Sunday, June 13, 2010, at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Avenue, Ridgewood, starting at 12:00 noon. There are 3 to 5 players on a team and a $50/team entry fee. For further information about the tournament and sign up go to https://www.wiffleforcancer.org. All proceeds of the tournament will benefit the Nick Currey Fund for Ewing’s Sarcoma Research. The Fund was established in memory of Nick Currey, Ridgewood High School Class of 2004, who lost his 14-month battle against Ewing’s Sarcoma on November 3, 2005. So come out, have some fun and do some good!
>MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE Sponsored by American Legion Post 53
American Legion Post 53 invites everyone to attend the Memorial Day service at 11AM on Monday, May 31 in the park by the monument in Van Neste Square. Bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Also, the Americal Legion will be placing American Flags at the sites of all the veterans buried in Valleau Cemetary. American flags have been placed on sites of veterans at Valleau Cemetary.
May 25 (Bloomberg) — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said the state is “careening our way toward becoming Greece” and can’t afford the cost of benefits and pensions for current workers.
The governor, speaking today to members of the Manhattan Institute, said his state must reduce its tax burden and control government spending. He has proposed a constitutional amendment to cap growth in property taxes, the main source of funding for schools and towns, at 2.5 percent a year.
“Higher taxes are not going to solve the problem,” said Christie, a Republican who took office Jan. 19. “We’ve got to change the course.”
New Jersey’s tax revenue will fall $767 million short of targets over the next 13 months, the state Legislature’s chief budget analyst told lawmakers today. The $29.3 billion spending plan Christie proposed in March for the fiscal year starting July 1 “will have to be modified to respond to this reality,” analyst David Rosen said.
Christie already proposed $10 billion of spending cuts to close a record $10.7 billion budget deficit. He declined to say following his speech how he plans to close the additional gap.
Pensions, Benefits
Greece agreed this month to cut wages for government workers, raise sales, fuel and alcohol taxes and overhaul the state-run pension system in return for 110 billion euros ($136 billion) in emergency loans from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
New Jersey, like Greece, has a high proportion of public workers who have been entitled to benefits such as free health insurance that outstrip taxpayers’ ability to pay for them, Christie said. In the past decade the state added 11,000 public- sector jobs as it lost more than 120,000 private positions, he said.
Politicians in New Jersey have bowed to public unions for too long, failing to cut teacher benefits and enacting civil- service laws that have tied governments’ hands in trimming workforces, Christie said. Over the last decade, municipal spending has grown by 69 percent, and property taxes have climbed by 70 percent, according to the governor’s office.
The average New Jersey household paid $7,281 in property taxes last year, the highest rate in the nation, according to the state Department of Community Affairs.
“Things that used to be considered sacred cows, the third rails of politics, no longer are,” said Christie. “They’ve been replaced by the issue of affordability.”
–Editors: Stacie Servetah, Pete Young
To contact the reporter on this story: Terrence Dopp in Trenton at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Tannenbaum at [email protected]
ROCKY PATEL CIGARS WEEK-LONG PROMOTION Tuesday, May 25th thru Saturday, May 29th
For every 3 Rocky cigars purchased you will receive 1 Rocky cigar FREE!
Get a chance to putt a Rocky golf ball on our putting green. If you make a hole-in-one you get a chance to win a box of Rocky Patel cigars or a Rocky Patel Decade Golf Gift Pack.
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood | 10 Chestnut Street | Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450 Phone: 201-447-2204 | Email: [email protected] Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00AM – 5:30PM and Thursday Night 6:30PM – 8:30PM
>First, I have no connection to the RHS lax team and I would not consider myself a friend or “supporter” of Coach Pounds. But, I am reasonably knowledgeable about lacrosse and the players on the team this year.
Secondly, Coach Pounds does many things that hurt his program. For example, Ridgewood teams have a bizarre tradition of “honoring seniors” by playing them over underclassmen, rather than putting the best players on the field (regardless of their class). Pounds has followed this “tradition” on the lax team. On ANY Varsity team, the best players should be the starters and team leaders, PERIOD! He also doesn’t have definitive cuts at the start of the season, so underclassmen float “in limbo” between the Varsity and JV. This has a negative effect on the moral and spirit of these players and fails to fully develop their skills. The JV program historically has mediocre coaching and a weak schedule, thereby, ineffectively preparing the boys for the Varsity, which plays a very tough schedule. These “limbo players” would be better off getting more playing time on the JV and stepping into leadership roles, in preparation for their time on the Varsity, particularly if the coaching and schedule could be improved.
With that said, I am astounded by the negative comments from people on this blog, who clearly have no idea what they are talking about. Make no mistake. Noah Pounds is the MOST TALENTED lacrosse goalie at RHS. I understand that Pounds did not start him earlier in the season because he was concerned about the negative perception that might be created behind his son’s back (I guess he was right). I am sure that Pounds felt he was helping the team by putting “the best goalie” in the game. As a former college goalie, Pounds is well qualified to evaluate the skills of that position. Unfortunately, by not giving him the necessary preparation on the Varsity throughout the season, he probably did his son and the team a disservice.
The truth about this year’s team is that this senior class is one of the weakest in many years. Perhaps many of these boys tried to balance baseball, soccer and lacrosse every spring as youth players (an impossibility) and they never developed the skills necessary to compete at a top level in lacrosse (or the other sports). Or, maybe they just never dedicated the personal time and effort to improve their skills outside of practice and to develop an understanding of the game’s nuances. Whatever the reason, their lacrosse skills are weak. In general, the best players on the team are Juniors and Sophomores. Furthermore, there is no clear leadership on the team and very few players, in any grade, play with the passion needed to have a great season, let alone win championships. My understanding is that the coaches tried to address this all season, with little success. Unfortunately, that is something that is not easily coached. Generally a player has a burning desire to compete or he doesn’t. In my opinion, it has a lot to due with whether the player is coddled at home as a child or is taught the meaning of commitment and responsibility at an early age and whether he has older brothers, who played sports or not. This team did not demonstrate 100% commitment on or off the field (as evidenced by the drinking issues). These are the reasons why this team had an unsuccessful season this year…plain and simple. Armchair coaches (parents), who never picked up a lacrosse stick in their lives, need to find a scapegoat to explain their son’s frustration (the blame could never lie with their son). But, this is the reality.
Anyone, who suggests that a coach would intentionally lose a game to end the season early or punish players, has never played on a truly competitive team in any sport in his or her life. No coach would ever do this. Besides, while the coach may take the responsibility, it is generally the players, who determine the outcome of a game, not the coach. Grow up people!
>Statewide NJ Tea Party continues to challenge incumbents
Facing three Tea Partiers, Lance campaign front-ends Christie’s support
An establishment Republican congressman facing Tea Party challengers is specifically burnishing support from Gov. Chris Christie as evidence that he has a strong conservative Republican on his side. Facing no fewer than three Tea Party-affiliated conservatives as he runs for his second term as the 7th Congressional District incumbent, U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Lebanon) turned to Christie for official fortification at a fundraising rally two Fridays ago at the Warren Somerset Hills Hotel. (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
Tea Party candidate challenges Congressman Frelinghuysen
The 11th Congressional District, which starts in Raritan Borough and extends northward to Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties, is so reliably Republican, that the more important election of the year is the GOP primary on June 8. Whoever wins the GOP nomination in the primary is an overwhelming favorite to win a two-year seat in the House of Representatives in the November general election. (Deak, Gannett)
At Preservation New Jersey press conference in Trenton (L-R):
Laurie Howard, Ridgewood Historian Joe Suplicki,
Preservation NJ Programs Director Stephanie Cherry-Farmer,
attorney Stuart Lieberman, Lucy Rieger, Alan Seiden,
with Graydon photos in background
What an awesome couple of weeks!
Tuesday, May 11: The candidates we endorsed won the Council election. We’ve written to you about that already—but the endorphins are still popping.
Tuesday, May 18: Preservation New Jersey (PNJ) accepted our application (submitted last November) to place Graydon Pool on its list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Sites in New Jersey for 2010. PNJ has begun to focus more closely on locations that enhance quality of life, are environmentally sound, and, with proper maintenance and marketing, financially sustainable.
Excerpt from Graydon’s page on PNJ’s website: “As the sustainability movement grows, it seems logical that pools like Graydon, free of the chemical overload required to keep the water in concrete pools clear, be treasured and celebrated as models for sustainable development. Why shouldn’t Ridgewood’s current municipal pool stand as a statewide ‘green’ model?…PNJ encourages Ridgewood’s municipal leaders to recognize the significance of this resource and use this to promote the site….PNJ believes that proper maintenance and care, combined with accurate public education and marketing that promote and celebrate this Ridgewood landmark, could hold the keys to saving Graydon Pool as a viable and historic community resource.”
Preservation New Jersey is an independent nonprofit organization, not a state agency. Its affirmation of the need to preserve Graydon does not endow our pool with formal protection, but will increase awareness. PNJ promises to keep relaying our message and to provide ongoing help.
Ink
Stories about Graydon’s inclusion on the “10 Most Endangered” list quickly appeared in The Record, The Ridgewood News, and Patch.com.
The Record, May 21 Friday, May 21: To our delight, The Record ran a heartfelt editorial supporting not only our goal, but also our group.
Excerpts: “The recession has stalled [the RPP’s proposed concrete replacement project]….At least for now. What a relief….Happily, the good work in Ridgewood has already begun. As one committee planned for the plake’s replacement, another effort emerged to promote and modernize Graydon as it is.” Hey—they get it!
Also on May 21, The Ridgewood News published a letter from Suzanne requesting donations of these items (or the offer to purchase them) wanted for Graydon by Parks & Rec:
• croquet set
• board games with all the pieces, for Borrow a Game
• complete decks of cards
• paperbacks for adults and teens or any kind of children’s books for the Graydon Summer Lending Library
• basketball net
• perennials for planters
A request for more ping-pong tables yielded two. Prepare your backhand!
To donate new or used items or to offer to pay for their purchase, call Nancy Bigos, Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation, at 201-670-5560. Please say the Coalition sent you.
Appropriate decision: RFP held for next Council
Meanwhile, on Thursday, May 20, Councilman Patrick Mancuso, who formed the Council-appointed Graydon Pool Committee last summer, said at a meeting of the committee that he would give the current draft of a Graydon Request for Proposals (RFP) document to the next Council, taking office on July 1; they will decide what, if anything, to do with it. Our position: the RFP should be tabled.
We’re an integral presence in town
Our Coalition is now a proud member of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and the Ridgewood Guild.
We look forward to partnering with both groups to enhance Ridgewood’s downtown, which is geographically close to Graydon, and Village life in general, as Graydon has done for 8 decades.
NEW! Bricks-and-mortar source for Preserve Graydon items
At the first Ridgewood Guild meeting on May 11 (election night!), held at Capital One Bank, Eileen Negrycz and Coalition co-chair Marcia Ringel showed our ice skater note cards to bank vice president and Guild board member John Kiernan. He immediately asked, “Can we sell these?” Bingo—the downtown venue we’d wanted for selling our items was found without having to ask!
As a result, our beautiful note cards and NEW posters (13×19 inches, horizontal) of Dorothy Warren’s “Sunday Skaters” (at Graydon) as well as our car magnets can be purchased at Capital One, 9 E. Ridgewood Ave., near Broad St. (“Keep Graydon Natural” yard signs are available only through our Graydon Store.) Thank you, Pat Hensley, for making the arrangements. And thank you, John.
Hours: M-W, 8:30-6; Th-F, 8:30-7; Sat 9-3. Phone: 201-493-3900.
Joe Suplicki and Peggy Norris answer questions
after their presentation on Ridgewood’s parks
Centennial celebration included a cake
with Graydon’s tree and island
Badge buyers enjoyed a slice of cake while waiting
Saturday, May 22: At the library, Peggy Norris, Local History Librarian, and Ridgewood Historian Joe Suplicki commemorated the centennial of the dedication of Graydon Park (then called Linwood Park) with a slide show and lecture on Ridgewood’s parks. Lucy Rieger supplied a 100th-birthday cake decorated by Marybeth Ehler, owner of Folly, the North Broad Street flower shop.
Nearby, at the Graydon Pool badge office, a long line of badge buyers took advantage of the early-bird prices and enjoyed the rest of the cake.
Summer’s coming
If you haven’t bought your badge yet, you can do so at graydon.ridgewoodnj.net.
See you at Graydon’s opening weekend, June 5 and 6 (free to Ridgewood residents).
Congratulations to all for the Coalition’s many achievements.
>Amazingly few Democrat elected leaders bothered to attend the May 22nd union rally specifically orchestrated to influence the voting public’s perception of Governor Christie’s calls for wage freezes, pension changes, and benefits reforms. “Virtually none” is probably a more accurate account. U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), LD-14 Assemblycrats Linda Greenstein and Wayne DeAngelo, and State Senator Shirley Turner (D-Plainsboro) were reportedly the only Dems of notable rank on hand. Four is hardly a quorum!
Speaker Sheila Oliver (an ideological liberal) and Senate President Sweeney (a backer of Governor Christie’s pension reforms) were also notably absent.
So what the heck happened this weekend, Save Jerseyans? Democrats primarily rely on two groups for GOTV: union thugs and collegiate liberals. Since student opposition to Christie’s cuts hasn’t exactly materialized on a grand scale, the Dems certainly can’t afford to take union muscle for granted. It’s therefore a little difficult to understand why not a single Democrat legislator addressed the crowd.
There’s always the possibility that Democrat leaders and union chieftains concluded their rally would be more effective if it wasn’t perceived as an overtly partisan affair. More likely, Democrats realized that locking arms and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with angry union members demanding pay raises wasn’t the best image to convey to taxpayers heading into another tough election cycle. “Chickening out” definitely seems like the most plausible explanation.
Whatever the reason for their no-show performance, the dearth of Democrat participants suggests trouble ahead for the Garden State’s liberal-labor coalition. A more than ironic result given the rally’s intended effect, Save Jerseyans!
New Jersey’s Tea Party movement soon will have its chance to truly announce its presence in the state’s political landscape. The primary election June 8 offers the Tea Parties — peopled mostly by energized conservatives and others fed up with government — the opportunity to translate their websites and slogans into actual votes. (Baldwin, Gannett)
>Valley Hospital’s neighbors have expressed fears for some time that their property values will decline during Valley’s massive “Renewal” construction project .
It is pointed out on many occasions and particularly by the Concerned Citizens Group that the Village’s own land use and development laws set forth guidelines that should be followed when officials are considering building design and placement. A consultant was even brought in to make recommendations and tone down the project and make it both usable for Valley yet not overwhelm the neighborhood.
As it stands current Village code calls for buildings that “promote a desirable visual environment which is harmonious with the character of existing development and which enhances the character of the surrounding neighborhood and the Village as a whole, and avoids adversely affecting the value of adjacent or nearby properties.”
Neighbors have voiced several main concerns including increased traffic and congestion, a huge construction project near a large middle school and the overwhelming of the neighborhood buy such a huge building not in fitting with the Village of Ridgewood’s character.
To many neighbors its seems obvious that the area will for sometime become a less desirable place to live so when resident Edward Markus asked the board if they were considering whether depressed property values, due to the effects of construction, would entitle residents in the area effected to receive reductions in their property tax assessments. The Board responded with the standard “I know nothing” made famous by Sergent Schultz in the TV series Hogans Hero’s.
That is not good enough. Clearly the neighborhood will be taking the brunt of the “Valley Renewal ” so perhaps its time to consider that, face facts and act accordingly.
>72% Are Not Confident Congress Knows What It’s Doing When It Comes to The Economy
Saturday, May 22, 2010 Even as Congress puts the finishing touches on legislation asserting more government control over the U.S. financial industry, most U.S. voters continue to believe the legislators have little idea what they’re doing when it comes to the economy.
The latest national telephone survey of Likely Voters finds that just 27% are at least somewhat confident that Congress knows what it’s doing when it comes to addressing current economic problems. An overwhelming majority (72%) are not confident in Congress to address these problems. These figures include six percent (6%) who are Very Confident and 43% who are Not at All Confident.
These findings show little change from surveys dating back to late September 2008, just after the Wall Street meltdown that included the collapse of the Lehman Brothers financial firm. Supporters of the new bill say it is intended to prevent another such meltdown.
The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration is offering a special edition T-Shirt to commemorate it’s 100th anniversary. The shirts are imprinted with art work from the cover of the 1910 Ridgewood Independence Day program. These attractive T-Shirts also gain the wearer entrance to the 2010 Evening Entertainment and Fireworks. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will help fund the 100th Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration. The shirts can be purchased from our website, https://www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org/ .
