Tag: Ridgewood Real estate

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You all seem to be confusing “travel” sports with inappropriate coaching or a “win at all cost” attitude. I can’t help but think that some of the posts above were written by people, who have never coached a sport in their lives. While I agree that sports from 3rd grade and younger are best structured with a “clinic” approach to teaching fundamentals of a sport, some sports groups in many towns are forced to travel because their numbers are insufficient to allow “in town” games at a given grade level. While Ridgewood is fortunate not to have that problem in many cases, it is not always the case.

The real issue is a “healthy approach” to organized sports, not whether a team competes against other towns. There are countless examples of coaches in Ridgewood, who teach valuable lessons about sportsmanship, leadership and effort, while playing competitively. A little bit of heathy competition is not a bad thing, as long as winning is not valued as the only measure of success and that coaches don’t play their best players at the expense of less experienced or less gifted players.

It should also be kept in mind that recreational programs exist to serve one purpose, while travel programs exist to serve a different purpose. Parents and players need to understand which is appropriate for them. If all your son or daughter wants to do is socialize with his or her friends in an athletic environment, then travel programs are the wrong choice. However, there are many middle school children, who seek active competition with other boys and girls their own age. These children may be well suited for a more competitively geared program. This is not always driven by a parent’s desire for their children. In either case, the quality of the coaching matters. “Dad” may or may not be the right coach.

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Just in : Smoke from faulty motor causes evacuation at Ridgewood High School

Faulty motor causes evacuation at Ridgewood High School.

Students at Ridgewood High School (RHS) were evacuated for about 12 to 14 minutes this morning after heavy smoke in the center basement of the school set off alarms.

Everyone is back in the building safe and sound !

>N.J. Gov. Christie, lawmakers propose sweeping pension, health care changes for public employees

Gov. Chris Christie and lawmakers of both parties will unveil a series of sweeping pension and benefit reforms Monday that could affect every public employee in New Jersey while saving the state billions of dollars, according to four officials with direct knowledge of the plan.

The proposals would require workers and retirees at all levels of government and local school districts to contribute to their own health care costs, ban part-time workers at the state and local levels from participating in the underfunded state pension system, cap sick leave payouts for all public employees and constitutionally require the state to fully fund its pension obligations each year.

Details of the four-bill package to be introduced Monday were provided to The Star-Ledger on the condition of anonymity because the four officials were not authorized to speak in advance. The proposals go further than several past efforts at reining in taxpayer-funded pension and benefit costs, and if enacted would represent a major early victory for the new Republican governor and Democrats who control the state Legislature. But supporters anticipate an angry response from public employee and teachers unions that wield considerable power throughout the state — though lawmakers argue rank-and-file workers would have safer pensions than before.

Christie’s office declined to comment, as did top Democrats and Republicans involved in crafting the bills. All sides had made their feelings clear last month, when Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) announced the upper house’s intentions to fix a system that would otherwise “go bankrupt.” Lawmakers of both parties pledged their support, with Christie saying “bipartisan action is critical to reforming a broken pension and benefits system.” Hetty Rosenstein, a state director of the Communications Workers of America, which represents 60,000 state and local workers, said she was still studying the bills but believes the reforms are misguided. For most rank-and-file employees, benefits are “not extremely lucrative…They are not out-of-whack,” Rosenstein said Saturday. “This interferes with the collective bargaining relationship and it’s not going to save any kind of significant money.” Steve Baker, spokesman for the 200,000-member New Jersey Education Association, said Saturday the teachers union is still reviewing the bills and had no immediate comment. (Heininger, Star Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/wide-reaching_pension_and_bene.html

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>The great global warming collapse

Margaret Wente

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-great-global-warming-collapse/article1458206/

In 2007, the most comprehensive report to date on global warming, issued by the respected United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made a shocking claim: The Himalayan glaciers could melt away as soon as 2035.

These glaciers provide the headwaters for Asia’s nine largest rivers and lifelines for the more than one billion people who live downstream. Melting ice and snow would create mass flooding, followed by mass drought. The glacier story was reported around the world. Last December, a spokesman for the World Wildlife Fund, an environmental pressure group, warned, “The deal reached at Copenhagen will have huge ramifications for the lives of hundreds of millions of people who are already highly vulnerable due to widespread poverty.” To dramatize their country’s plight, Nepal’s top politicians strapped on oxygen tanks and held a cabinet meeting on Mount Everest.

But the claim was rubbish, and the world’s top glaciologists knew it. It was based not on rigorously peer-reviewed science but on an anecdotal report by the WWF itself. When its background came to light on the eve of Copenhagen, Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the IPCC, shrugged it off. But now, even leading scientists and environmental groups admit the IPCC is facing a crisis of credibility that makes the Climategate affair look like small change.

“The global warming movement as we have known it is dead,” the brilliant analyst Walter Russell Mead says in his blog on The American Interest. It was done in by a combination of bad science and bad politics.

read the rest…

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-great-global-warming-collapse/article1458206/

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>By MARK HYMAN
Published: January 30, 2010

At a time when sports tutors seem as plentiful as piano teachers and high school games are routinely nationally televised, Peter Barston has learned something important about youth sports.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/31youth.html

Mike Barston, left, with his son Peter, who has toured youth leagues in Darien, Conn., asking youngsters their reasons for playing sports.
Adults may lean toward turning children’s games into an approximation of professional sports. But ask young players what they want, and the answer can be disarmingly simple. More than training to be a Super Bowl star, more than even winning, youngsters play sports for fun — at least they do in Darien, Conn., Barston said.

He has not proved that scientifically. But a research project spearheaded by Barston, a sophomore at Fairfield Prep, makes an intriguing case that while parents dream big, their children focus on the small stuff.

Since August, Barston has toured youth leagues in Darien, asking this question: Why do you play sports?

His preliminary findings are not far from what the Michigan State researchers Martha Ewing and Vern Seefeldt concluded in 1989. Their study of 28,000 boys and girls around the country asked, Why do you play sports? The top answer then was “fun,” followed by “to do something I’m good at” and “to improve my skills.” “Winning” did not crack the top 10.

…https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/31youth.html

“It shows kids are out there to get away from their lives and have a good time with their friends,” Barston, a recreation league second baseman, said. “They’re not out there just to win.”

Barston said his initial reason for undertaking the survey was simply to compare the views of young athletes today with those from 20 years ago. He estimated that he had spent more than 100 hours on the project, and now he is thinking bigger.

Barston has been toying with the idea of starting a Web site where he would post data and encourage other young people to start “Why Do You Play?” projects.

“The Web site idea is very preliminary,” he said. “I am trying to think of ways to spread the word and get other people to do this in their hometowns.”

Parents and league officials in Darien have praised Barston’s efforts. Guy Wisinski, a member of the junior football league’s board, said the survey was a “touch of reality” for adults.

“It reminds us why kids play sports in the first place,” he said. “It’s not about winning a championship in the fourth grade and having that be a life achievement.”

An earlier version misstated the board on which Mike Barston serves.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/31youth.html

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The Travel Center / American Express

50 E. Ridgewood Ave. in the Village of Ridgewood

is offering…

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(201) 447-3311

>By Leslie Kwoh/The Star-Ledger
February 04, 2010, 5:15AM

https://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=107203721&gid=1906747&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enj%2Ecom%2Fbusiness%2Findex%2Essf%2F2010%2F02%2Fnj_loses_70b_in_wealth_over_fo%2Ehtml&urlhash=YIim&trk=news_discuss

More than $70 billion in wealth left New Jersey between 2004 and 2008 as affluent residents moved elsewhere, according to a report released Wednesday that marks a swift reversal of fortune for a state once considered the nation’s wealthiest.

Conducted by the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College, the report found wealthy households in New Jersey were leaving for other states — mainly Florida, Pennsylvania and New York — at a faster rate than they were being replaced.

——————————————————————————–
• Rutgers University economists say it could take seven years to recover from recession

——————————————————————————–

“The wealth is not being replaced,” said John Havens, who directed the study. “It’s above and beyond the general trend that is affecting the rest of the northeast.”

This was not always the case. The study – the first on interstate wealth migration in the country — noted the state actually saw an influx of $98 billion in the five years preceding 2004. The exodus of wealth, then, local experts and economists concluded, was a reaction to a series of changes in the state’s tax structure — including increases in the income, sales, property and “millionaire” taxes.

“This study makes it crystal clear that New Jersey’s tax policies are resulting in a significant decline in the state’s wealth,” said Dennis Bone, chairman of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and president of Verizon New Jersey.

https://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=107203721&gid=1906747&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enj%2Ecom%2Fbusiness%2Findex%2Essf%2F2010%2F02%2Fnj_loses_70b_in_wealth_over_fo%2Ehtml&urlhash=YIim&trk=news_discuss

>Rewards Card Wednesday
Deals of the week 2/03/2010

Ok, I know I’m a day late but it was worth the wait. This week came up with an offer on a very popular cheese, famous even, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon. This firm goat cheese, imported by Cypress Grove from a cheese making partner in Holland, is sold for as much as $27.99 in the big organic food stores, and on “sale” as low as $19.99 at discount grocery chains. Our “reward card blowout price” this week is an unbelievable $15.99 per pound! Supplies are limited at this great price, so grab it quick!

Also, we have a great deal on Jarlsberg, and a terrific Champignon Mushroom Brie that is ready to go and if you know brie, you know how important that is, both offered 30 to 40% below regular pricing. Our special pricing on Lucini Parm (up to buy 4 get 6) and Le Roule, (buy one get one free) as well as the Carr’s crackers, (two for five bucks) deals all continue. Plus a couple of more below.

Reg Sale
Midnight Moon………………………$27.99………………..$15.99
Aged six months or more, this pale, ivory cheese is firm, dense and smooth with the slight graininess of a long-aged cheese. The flavor is nutty and brown-buttery, with prominent caramel notes. The wheel is finished in a beautiful black wax. Made in Europe exclusively for Cypress Grove Chevre.
Reg Sale
Baked Brie……………………………..$27.99………………..$19.99
w/ blackberry guava jam in phyllo dough Perfect for the game, just pop it in the oven for 15 min and you’ll be a star at halftime!
Reg Sale
Champignon Mushroom Brie………….$16.99……………….$9.99
Special game, special cheese, special pricing, special guests. (enough) This cheese has reached the apex of readiness, and is in “super” form. Soft, creamy, lush, w/that mushroom scent and taste ….does it get any better?…..perfect!
Reg Sale
Jarlsberg………………………………….$9.99……………….$5.99
Cube it, dip it, slice it, melt it, pop it…feed the crowd….our new everyday low price!

Le Roule………BUY ONE GET ONE FREE w/50 points…….$5.99
Save 50% on this 5oz wheel of fresh gourmet spread able cheese rolled in garlic and herb. Looks good…..tastes good…easy!

Reg Sale
Lucini Parmigianino Reggiano………$29.99/22.99……………$14.99
Buy two only…….………….…………….$20.00
Buy three…… get four w/100 points…..$30.00
Buy four………get six w/200 points……$40.00
As we said before the best parm money can buy! Aged, organic, ask for a taste!

Carr’s Crackers………….Buy one box …$3.75…Two for ….$5.00
Famous and at a price equal to the “traders” of the world!

DELI
We slice the top quality meats we use for our sandwiches. Have a taste when you order!
Reg Sale
Specials …per lb..Turkey Breast………….$7.99………..$3.99
Black Forest Ham………$9.99……….$4.99
Roast Beef………………$9.99………..$5.99
Pastrami…………………$10.99.……..$5.99
Imported Ham w/herbs….$11.99………$9.99
Capocollo………………..$11.99………$9.99
Prosciutto di Parma…………………$25.99………$14.99 (not a mis-print)
Speck (smoked Prosciutto)…………$25.99………$14.99

Shooters…..Hot cherry peppers w/provolone and prosciutto…..$8.99 lb
Last minute addition for the platters you build. Maybe we’ll taste ‘em on Saturday!

CHEESE SHOP TORTE……………………………….$13.99
Don’t forget this famous appetizer when you shop for the big game. They’ll always remember the unique taste, the game? “Hey, where you’d get that cheese thing with the hot pepper jelly at that great Super bowl party you had”?

Watch for our Saturday Food Demo and Wine Tasting e-mail on Fridays

We discover good food!

>At the insistence of Deputy Mayor Keith D. Killion, Village Council members effectively killed a proposal to increase Graydon Pool membership fees for the 2010 season.

Village Parks and Recreation Director Timothy Cronin and Village Manager Kenneth Gabbert had proposed the following changes:

a) $10.00 increase in seasonal membership (from $75.00 to $85.00)

b) Senior citizens (now free) would have been charged $15.00 for the season

c) Elimination of coupon books

Citing a continued poor economy, and a desire to encourage as many residents as possible to use the controversial facility, Council members agreed with Killion that fees should be held in place for the entire 2010 season.

Following the public decision last night, resident Roger Wiegand proposed to Killion that fees actually be lowered to draw more users to the pool. Killion indicated that he would take Wiegand’s suggestion under consideration.

>A proposal to modify Valley Hospital’s expansion plan by putting parking and other facilities underground is doable

Thursday, February 4, 2010
BY BOB GROVES
The Record
STAFF WRITER

https://www.northjersey.com/news/83520717_Valley_proposal_has_drawbacks.html

A proposal to modify The Valley Hospital’s expansion plan by putting parking and other facilities underground is doable, but handling groundwater during construction would be a problem, a geology expert told the Ridgewood Planning Board.

“It’s technically feasible” to build parking for 2,000 cars and locate hospital mechanicals underground, said Larry Keller, director of geotechnical engineering for Whitestone Associates of Warren. But he said excavation would involve discharging “lots of groundwater” as well as digging through bedrock.

The proposal to go underground – suggested by a consultant to the planning board — is favored by residents who strongly oppose Valley’s original expansion plan.

The original Valley plan calls for replacing two buildings with three new ones and erecting a parking deck — increasing the hospital’s size by 67 percent. But nearby residents worry that those buildings would overshadow their neighborhood. The modified proposal would set the buildings farther back from the residential streets.

Keller was hired by the Planning Board to study whether the modified building plan would work.
“Part of this plan is an assessment of the groundwater, and it would be worthwhile to know now, rather than during construction,” how to pump it out and what to do with it, Keller told the Planning Board late Tuesday night.

Another concern would be how to support structures during excavation which, depending on how far buildings are set back, might encroach on property along Steilen Avenue, to the east, he said….

“I understand the village typically wouldn’t want blasting,” Keller said. The blasting charges are small, and might make for a shorter construction schedule, but would create vibration of nearby property that would have to be monitored, he said.

Raymond Skorupa, the medical planning consultant who last fall recommended the underground parking plan, said Keller’s report hadn’t changed his mind, “but I have a better understanding of the impediments.”

“We’d like to see more of the hospital space below grade,” Skorupa said. But it’s up to Valley to decide how much to spend on the project and to the surrounding community to decide on “the trade-off of going deeper, but having to endure the construction, and maybe more trucks,” he said.

Keller and Skorupa were hired by the Planning Board, and paid with escrow funds from Valley. Board Chairman David Nicholson asked Skorupa to return in three weeks with more options.
…

Valley officials are concerned that underground construction would disrupt the neighborhood and make the hospital vulnerable to Hurricane Katrina-like flooding.

Paul Gould, spokesman for Concerned Residents of Ridgewood, said that argument was “bogus,” because there are no bodies of water near Valley to flood the hospital.

E-mail: [email protected]

*see the full story on:

https://www.northjersey.com/news/83520717_Valley_proposal_has_drawbacks.html

>Moody’s warns US of credit rating fears
By Michael Mackenzie in New York and Gillian Tett in London

https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a82cfe04-10f5-11df-9a9e-00144feab49a.html

February 3 2010

Moody’s Investors Service fired off a warning on Wednesday that the triple A sovereign credit rating of the US would come under pressure unless economic growth was more robust than expected or tougher actions were taken to tackle the country’s budget deficit.

In a move that follows intensifying concern among investors over the US deficit, Moody’s said the country faced a trajectory of debt growth that was “clearly continuously upward”.

“Unless further measures are taken to reduce the budget deficit further or the economy rebounds more vigorously than expected, the federal financial picture as presented in the projections for the next decade will at some point put pressure on the triple A government bond rating,” the rating agency added in an issuer note.

This week, the White House forecast a $1,565bn budget deficit for 2010, which represents 10.6 per cent of gross domestic product and is the highest such ratio of debt to GDP since the second world war.

https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a82cfe04-10f5-11df-9a9e-00144feab49a.html

>Major cable network is searching for a large, extended and multi-generational family to be the stars of their own comedy reality show. We’re looking for funny families that BREAK THE MOLD and BREAK THE MOLD of your typical ho-hum American household. This show will document their lives and explore the family’s complexity while witnessing the craziness, chaos and love that makes their family special.

• At your annual Thanksgiving dinner, do you look around and think your family should have a reality show because no one would believe it otherwise?

• Do you find yourself having to explain your family dynamic to those unfamiliar with how things work in your non-traditional household?

• Do your siblings, parents, in-laws or hired help bring a new element that pushes the envelope? Maybe someone is in a May/Dec relationship or has taken on responsibilities or roles that might deviate from the norm? Perhaps one of them is gay or was adopted from a far-flung exotic locale? Is there someone of a different race or ethnicity that’s mixing things up in your previously homogenous family?

If your family puts the FUN in dysFUNctional, then this is the show for you!!!

Tell us about you and your family.
The good, the bad and the ugly.

Please include:
All Family Names, ages and occupations.
A brief bio about your immediate and extended family.
Include a family photo(s).
Contact Phone numbers for the main contact in each family.
Email info to: [email protected]

*This is a feel good show where at the end of the day LOVE CONQUERS ALL.
* All family members involved must live in close proximity to one another.
*Characters welcome.