Luring cases are part of new reality across North Jersey
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2012 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY OCTOBER 20, 2012, 2:13 PM
BY REBECCA D. O’BRIEN AND DEENA YELLIN
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD
At New Milford police headquarters on Friday, after the town became the latest in Bergen County to have an attempted child luring reported, cops got to talking about the way things used to be.
Police in four towns have released sketches based on incidents reported in their jurisdictions. The sketch shown was released by the Westwood Police Department on Thursday.
“We used to ride our bikes to school,” Chief Frank Papapietro said. “We would be in the woods all day long. It was just a different time.”
These days, the streets around schools in New Milford and many other towns in North Jersey — where kids once nonchalantly walked or biked without chaperones — are clogged with cars dropping students at the schools’ doorsteps. Kids are tethered to parents by cellphones and carefully managed schedules. At home and in school, children learn about “stranger danger.”
The concern over the steady stream of luring incidents in recent weeks — New Milford reported a second one on Friday afternoon — highlights the current anxiety over raising kids in Bergen County, known for its safe streets and good schools. With nearly a dozen incidents and four police sketches since mid-September, school districts have posted public alerts. National and international media have picked up the story of a “child abductor” and “North Jersey pervert” on the loose.
No child has been abducted during this string of attempted lurings.
“Which Vision of America Will We Leave to Our Children and Grandchildren?” – Presented by Nick Rago
Election 2012 – A War of Ideologies – October 24 Wednesday Evening, October 24, at 7:30 p.m. 79 Pascack Road, Township of Washington, NJ 07676
Hosted by Knights of Columbus – Mother Seton Council #5427
What is happening in America? Our First Amendment Rights of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion are under attack. Our children’s futures have been mortgaged by unconscionable spending. The Constitution, as well as centuries of Judeo-Christian traditions and mores, have been cast aside in the name of political correctness by a progressive secularism that is eroding the very foundations of our republic.
Members of both political parties have abdicated their roles as stewards of the American Dream. The salvation of this nation, a nation founded under a Divine Providence to forever be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world, rests squarely on the shoulders of you, the citizens of this country.
If we truly believe that “…government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed…” then we must accept the responsibility to engage ourselves in the political issues facing us as a nation.
A Multivitamin a day may reduce cancer risk
October 17, 2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Does a multivitamin a day keep the doctor away? The answer according to a large scale study ,The Physicians Health Study II of almost 15,000 men for 11 years came to the conclusion that ,those who took the pills were 8% less likely to develop cancer of any kind
The “modest” reduction is thought to mirror the benefits of eating a healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables.Multivitamins contain a wide range of nutrients that might be missing from a less than ideal diet.
The AP reports that researcher Howard Sesso, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston said: “Many studies have suggested that eating a nutritious diet may reduce a man’s risk of developing cancer. “Now we know that taking a daily multivitamin, in addition to addressing vitamin and mineral deficiencies, may also be considered in the prevention of cancer in middle-aged and older men.”(https://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/vitamins-may-reduce-cancer-risk-143845025.html )
The Physicians Health Study II (PHS II) trial involved male American doctors who received either a daily multivitamin tablet or an inactive placebo pill.
Over an average 11.2 years, a total of 2,669 cancers were diagnosed, including 1,373 cases of prostate and 210 cases of bowel cancer.
During the follow-up period, 2,757 (18.8%) of the men died, including 859 killed by cancer. Compared with men not taking multivitamins, pill users experienced an 8% reduction in total cancer incidence.Results of the study were presented at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Chicago and also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. ( https://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/vitamins-may-reduce-cancer-risk-143845025.html )
So yes a multivitamin pill a day does seem to reduce a man’s risk of cancer.
‘Amazing Race’ set for this weekend in Ridgewood
Wednesday October 17, 2012, 11:27 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Ridgewood’s next great race will not pass through Veterans Park, nor will it close off any residential streets. All participants, however, will be challenged and likely break a sweat.
Based loosely on the television reality program, the Amazing Ridgewood Race is a scavenger hunt that will take contestants through a combined lesson in shopping and village trivia while leading them on a tour of the Central Business District (CBD).
Several full teams have already signed up, but additional squads and individuals can register through race day on Saturday, Oct. 20, according to Tony Damiano, owner of Mango Jam and president of The Ridgewood Guild.
Sponsored by the Guild, the race is designed to attract consumers to local businesses and promote the various restaurants, shops and professional services that are available in the CBD.
“It’s hard to come up with retail events other than running a sale,” Damiano said, adding that the Guild’s Music in the Night and Movies in the Night programs are “terrific for our restaurants.”
“That’s why it was not hard to get the businesses involved [in the Amazing Race]. We didn’t have to coerce any business into joining. They couldn’t say no to the idea,” he said.
About three dozen Ridgewood businesses have committed to help out in the race, Damiano told The Ridgewood News.
ANOTHER OBAMA FAIRY TALE TURNS TO DUST: CBO CONFIRMS $24 BILLION LOSS ON BAILOUTS
By: John Hayward
10/16/2012 09:22 AM
According to CNS News, Barack Obama is still running around and claiming “we got back every dime we used to rescue the financial system.” Like so many other Obama and Biden statements, that is absolutely false:
The Congressional Budget Office–based on figures from Obama’s own Office of Management and Budget—gives a different assessment.
“The cost to the federal government of the TARP’s transactions (also referred to as the subsidy cost), including grants for mortgage programs that have not yet been made, will amount to $24 billion,” said the CBO report, which was released on the same day Obama spoke.
TARP is the Troubled Asset Relief Program – the formal name of the government’s financial bailout program passed in October 2008.
CBO said that the cost of TARP “stems largely from assistance to American International Group (AIG), aid to the automotive industry, and grant programs aimed at avoiding home mortgage foreclosures,” noting that the losses will be so large they will eclipse the financial gains the government will realize from bailing out other large financial institutions.
In fact, CBO reported that as of now $65 billion in TARP funds remain outstanding.
Additional upgrades for Habernickel Family Park planned
MONDAY OCTOBER 15, 2012, 3:07 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Residents who visit Irene Habernickel Family Park will notice a difference at the former horse farm over the course of the next year.
Changes to the aesthetics and comforts are currently being planned and will likely, village officials hope, come at little or no cost to Ridgewood taxpayers.
Ridgewood officials applied for a Bergen County block grant of $90,000 to help offset the expense of installing proposed ADA accessible restroom facilities.
Village staff had previously prepared preliminary designs for the new restrooms, which will be built at the former horse barn structure. At the least, a basic and rudimentary sketch is required with the application submission, Village Manager Ken Gabbert said, though a more concrete plan will be expected.
The plans also call for new entry ramps leading into the horse barn.
“At this point, we just want to get something into the mix and go forward with the block grant application,” Gabbert said.
Applications for 2013 Community Development Block Grants were to be filed with the county by Oct. 5, according to the Bergen County website.
Craft distillers ask state to repeal Prohibition-era laws
The owner of New Jersey’s largest estate winery would like to do it. So would the mayor of Princeton Township. But so far, the only person to open a distillery in post-Prohibition New Jersey is James Yoakum. The 27-year-old Philadelphia real estate broker is waiting final approval to start legally making his Petty’s Island Rum and other spirits in a former garage in downtown Camden.
As a one-man operation that will at first produce no more than 2,500 gallons of liquor annually, Yoakum’s Cooper River Distillers falls well within the bounds of a “craft distillery,” according to a working definition adopted by The American Distilling Institute (TADI), the nation’s leading proponent for small-batch distilling. (Nurin, NJ Spotlight)
“Stories, Snacks, and Songs” at Ridgewood CRC on October 20
RIDGEWOOD – On October 20th and The third Saturday of each month, Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church on Lincoln Avenue (corner of West End) is providing a free, fun-filled “Stories, Snacks, and Songs” time from 10 a.m. to noon designed for area youngsters of suggested ages 4 – 8.
Leading the story time is the church’s new Pastor, Mary Stegink. Before her clergy career she spent 23 years as a storyteller, speaker, and evaluator of youth fiction for one of the Midwest’s major children’s bookstores, Pooh’s Corner in Grand Rapids MI. The mother of three will draw upon her extensive library of children’s literature and experience in presenting songs as well as stories to children. Stegink sang the past seven seasons with the Opera Grand Rapids Chorus.
Also leading the programs is Joyce Monsma of kidscookingcraft.com, which provides hands-on cooking classes and birthday parties for children in the 4 – 12 age group. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and 11 years of teaching experience.
The All-Time Biggest Student Debt Burdens On Record
October 10th 2012
by Lindsey Gay
https://www.onlinecolleges.org/the-all-time-biggest-student-debt-burdens-on-record/
With student loan debt now topping $1 trillion, it’s clear that student debt is huge, and getting even bigger every year. With some individual student debts topping $200,000, it’s easy to understand how we got to this point. Here, we’ll examine some of the schools with the highest student debt burdens on record, broken into categories to highlight the most expensive college in each particular type of education: medical, law, business, graduate, and undergraduate. Read on to explore some of the craziest student debt burdens in the U.S. and find out what makes them just so expensive.
Medical Schools
Becoming a doctor is hardly cheap, a fact that students at these super-indebted medical schools know firsthand.
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine: Students at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine are in more debt than any other medical school in the country with an average indebtedness of $229,132. Plus, it’s the only public school in the top 10 schools that graduate physicians with the most debt. But West Virginia offers something unique: it’s one of few schools to offer the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree.
University of New England: The University of New England medical school is right on the heels of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with an average indebtedness of $213,088. The University of New England is home to Maine’s only medical school, the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Drexel University College of Medicine: Another medical school with incredibly high average indebtedness is Drexel University, at $205,863 per student. Drexel boasts the nation’s largest enrollment for a private medical school, and was the nation’s first medical school for women. The college of medicine also holds the distinction of being the first U.S. college of homeopathy.
Law Schools
Medical school is easily the most expensive kind of student debt you can get into, but law school isn’t far behind, with average indebtedness reaching more than $153,000 at some top schools.
California Western School of Law: Annual tuition and fees at the California Western School of Law adds up to $42,600, and students at this law school graduate with average indebtedness of $153,145. Commonly known as the private Cal Western, this is the oldest law school in San Diego. The high price of Cal Western might just be worth it: overall bar exam pass rates in California tend to be between 35% and 55%, but at Cal Western, 78% of first time takers pass. Plus, 82% of grads were employed nine months after graduation.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law: Following behind California Western School of Law by just over $100, Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s debt load is practically just as high at $153,006. But Thomas Jefferson students enjoy a similarly high bar pass rate as well, with 60% passing the test for the first time. And Thomas Jefferson Grads edge out Cal Western when it comes to employment: 86.4% of grads were employed within nine months.
American University (Washington): This private law school is an expensive degree, with the average graduate leaving with about $151,318 in debt. But as is the case with Cal Western and Thomas Jefferson, American University’s expensive price also delivers excellent results. An impressive 84% of first timers pass the bar after attending Washington College of Law.
Business School
A great business school degree can open up many doors, but first, these business schools have students opening their wallets with almost $100,000 in average indebtedness.
Duke University: Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business graduates leave school with an average of $96,805 in debt. But for many students, that debt is well worth it, with a history of top 10 rankings for its MBA programs. Fuqua is recognized for its intellectual capital, classroom experience, and exclusivity, and has graduated the likes of Apple CEO Tim Cook and Melinda Gates.
Dartmouth College: A degree from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business is ever so slightly more affordable than Fuqua, with an average indebtedness of $96,346. With this huge debt load comes a rich history, as Tuck is the oldest graduate school of business in the world, and the first institution to offer the MBA. And with the highest percentage of alumni donors of any business school in the world, it’s clear that Tuck graduates have been able to keep up with their heavy debt loads after graduation.
Yale University: Graduates of the Yale School of Management will typically graduate with an incredible sum of debt: $93,723. It’s a high figure to leave school with, but Yale graduates have the potential to wipe out their entire debt with their first post-grad annual salary: in Yale’s class of 2001, the mean base salary was $106,157, and the mean signing bonus was $29,276.
Grad Schools
Once you get past the super-expensive medical, law, and business schools, average total indebtedness gets a little less scary, with the most expensive grad school debt loads hovering around $50,000. But we’re certainly not saying it’s cheap!
Eastern Nazarene College: Most of the grad students at Eastern Nazarene College borrow to pay for school, 87% of them to be exact. And they’re borrowing quite a bit, with an average of $51,336 per student. With this debt load, Eastern Nazarene College graduates typically go on to do great things, with alumni including American Red Cross CEO Richard Schubert and YMCA CEO Neil Nicoll.
Ohio Northern University: Ohio Northern University has a similarly high rate of student borrowing, at 85% of students, who take on an average $48,886 in student debt. We’re willing to bet graduates think it’s worth it, though, with a number two ranking among Midwest colleges in U.S. News and World Report.
Holy Names University: At Holy Names University, borrowing is slightly lower at 79%, but not by much, and students still take on nearly $50,000 in debt with an average total indebtedness of $48,833. This private school delivers a good value for the money, though, with small class sizes and a student to faculty ratio of 17:1, with more than 90% of faculty holding the highest degree in their fields. Despite the high cost, Holy Names University has regularly been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “best value” university.
Undergraduate
Expensive grad schools are one thing, but these undergrad schools regularly graduate students with debt loads of about $50,000.
La Sierra University: La Sierra University in California undergraduates often leave school with a debt load that rivals that of graduate level education at an average of $54,885. Students at this private college enjoy a strong social responsible education, with the school boasting multiple national and world titles in the Students in Free Enterprise competition.
Catawaba College: The bad news is that students at Catawba College often graduate with about $50,193 in debt, but the good news is that with a borrowing rate of just 59%, not as many students have to pay back so much after graduation. Another expensive private school, Catawba College is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and is often recognized in best colleges reviews, including a number 17 ranking in U.S. News and World Report‘s best baccalaureate colleges of the South and consistent recognition as one of the top 10 school theater programs in the nation.
Clark Atlanta University: Clark Atlanta University is one of the best historically black colleges and universities, with a debt load to match: students who graduate from this school typically owe $47,066 in student loans. And nearly all students suffer this fate, with a 94% borrowing rate at the school. But even with a high debt load, there’s no denying Clark Atlanta’s value, especially for students who plan to make research a major part of their career: Clark Atlanta is one of only four historically black colleges and universities to earn a Carnegie classification of “Research University – High Research Activity,” and the university receives annual research grants of more than $17 million.
Principal evaluation mandate will put administrators under microscope
As New Jersey schools begin to rethink how they evaluate their teachers, districts are also getting a getting a crash course in assessing an equally important group of employees: school principals.
Fourteen districts have been chosen to participate in a trial run of a principal evaluation system that the state hopes to put in place next fall.
At the same time, New Jersey’s remaining 500-plus districts are being asked to choose the system they will use next year to evaluate their principals.
The effort involved in this task has led to some concern among school leaders, who are already revamping their teacher evaluation systems under the state’s new tenure law. And those jobs don’t include preparing for new testing and curriculum in the coming years as well. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
DOE follows $1.6 billion in stimulus money…but only so far
When the first round of federal stimulus money was handed out several years ago, New Jersey public schools were scolded by state monitors for not having adequate safeguards in place to ensure that the $1.6 billion was properly spent.
With the money gone and the state’s monitoring completed, the Department of Education this month released the summary findings for the nearly 100 districts getting the bulk of the aid.
Guess what: According to the state at least, safeguards are still not in place in too many places.
New movie based on the 1957 novel; new book by Ayn Rand Institute authors hits best-seller lists; Playboy to reprint Rand interview as e-book
IRVINE, Calif.—October 10 marks the 55th anniversary of the publication of Atlas Shrugged, the Ayn Rand masterpiece that sold more than 445,000 copies last year alone. Rand continues to be a pervasive figure in American culture, as politicos and business leaders regularly cite her works and opening weekend approaches for the second installment of the motion picture series based on the novel.
The book by Ayn Rand Institute executive director Yaron Brook and ARI fellow Don Watkins, Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government, applies Rand’s philosophy to current economic events. The book hit four best-seller lists, including the Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today, and also earned a spot on the Tea Party Patriots’ recommended reading list.
Playboy will republish its 1964 interview with Rand as an Amazon e-book on Oct. 10.
“Millions of individuals have read Rand’s novels, and she has inspired and shaped many people’s thinking,” said Brook. “What’s unique about what’s happening today is that her ideas, and especially herself explicitly, are entering the mainstream debates.”
Ayn Rand’s ideas of limited government and free markets, and her philosophy—particularly her moral philosophy—are what more and more Americans across the political spectrum are looking at more closely,” Brook said.
In addition to Atlas Shrugged, Rand also wrote The Fountainhead, Anthem, and We the Living. ARI’s high school essay contests, which are based on the novels, received more entries this year than ever before, and ARI has distributed more than 2.5 million copies of Rand’s novels to high schools around the country through its Books to Teachers program.
“It is encouraging to see more people talking about Ayn Rand and her ideas,” Brook said. “Even Paul Ryan, who doesn’t agree with all of her ideas, is certainly correct when he says that ‘Ayn Rand, more than anyone else, did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism.’”
Backers of $750 million bond for NJ colleges and universities rally
Supporters of a $750 million bond to fund building and renovation projects at New Jersey’s colleges and universities say the initiative could create as many as 10,000 jobs in the construction trades.
They rallied at Rutgers University in New Brunswick on Monday to support the referendum, which will be at the bottom of a crowded presidential ballot next month.
New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney said he realizes that people are reluctant to approve spending in an off economy but he said the bond, which had overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature, is about jobs as well as much-needed facilities for the schools.
“It’s always easy to vote down spending but this is something we can’t afford not to do,” said Sweeney, D-Gloucester. (Alex, The Record)
Vice Presidential and Presidential Debate
October 11, Thursday – 9:00 pm – Vice Presidential Debate
Hosted by ABC, Martha Raddatz
October 16, Tuesday – 9:00 pm Presidential Debate
Hosted by CNN – Candy Crowley
October 22, Monday – 9:00 pm Presidential Debate
Hosted by CBS – Bob Schieffer
Boteach v Pascrell
Congressional Seat – 9TH District
First debate -Sunday, October 14 – 930 a.m. (MORNING)
Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly
One Engle Street
Tenafly, New Jersey 07670
Phone: (201) 568-3035
Second debate – Monday October 22 – 7pm
Daniel F. Ryan School # 19 – Passaic NJ
320 Highland Ave
Passaic, NJ 07055
973-470-5201
Third Debate – Thursday, October 25 – 630 pm
Gallery 1&9 Ridgefield NJ
1 Remsen Pl
Ridgefield, NJ 07657-2321
(201) 945-8270
*notice which are a.m. and which are p.m. Bergen County Freeholder Debates –
Hermansen(incumbent)/Watkins & Tanelli/Zur
AARP Candidates Forum – Monday, October 8, 2012 – 1:00 pm
Knights of Columbus Hall, 61 Armour Place, Dumont
This is a AARP members only event
The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey’s
Jewish Community Relations Council and The Jewish Standard
Sunday, October 14, 2012 – 9:30 – 11:00 am (MORNING)
Temple Avodat Shalom
385 Howland Avenue
River Edge
The Record
Monday, October 15, 2012 – 7:00pm
The Tech Center at Bergen Community College
Room TBA, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus
The Korean American Civic Empowerment (KACE)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
6:30PM to 7:30PM
The Gallery 1&9, 1 Remsen Pl. #107, Ridgefield
League of Women Voters of Bergen County
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 – 2:00pm
Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus
5th District contenders Garrett, Gussen Square off at Temple Beth Haverim Shir Shalom in Mahwah
October 8, 2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , Democratic challenger Adam Gussen deputy mayor of Teaneck tried Sunday to take advantage of his only face-to-face debate with incumbent Rep. Scott Garrett in voter-rich Bergen County by criticizing Garrett’s votes on economic and government social programs.
While Garrett focused his barbs mainly at President Obama and ignored the challenger, who is largely unknown in a redrawn 5th District and has struggled to raise money or gain any traction .
The debate was not carried on TV or radio,with only about 100 people or so in attendance , most were supporters of either candidate.
Gussen, who is the deputy mayor of Teaneck, tried in vain at one point to get Garrett to focus on the challenger in the room instead of Democrats in Washington: “I’m not President Obama, and there’s no empty chair for Clint Eastwood to talk to, either.”
Gussen is viewed as mostly as an “Obamabot” other than his doubts about the administration’s policy toward Iran, Gussen’s own positions mirrored those of Obama and other Democrats. Garrett is viewed as the quintessential conservative share many of the same positions as Mitt Romney .
While Garrett’s detractors continually attack him for being out of touch and far too “conservative” for left leaning Bergen county , voters disagree by voting Garrett in by landslides even in very “liberal” towns like Ridgewood.
Gussen while no gaff prone Joe Biden , he seems to be out of ideas other than the very tried , “evil Republics are all for rich people ” ,given by most standards Bergen county is full of those same “rich people” , who seem to vote Democrat , and love the president Obama .
