>A Troubling Trend in the Courts Ericka AndersenFebruary 24, 2012 at 9:03 am
Should judges act based upon reasoned legal arguments, or based upon their personal feelings and media coverage? A controversial recent “statement” made by Justices Ginsburg and Breyer in a case that was the legal equivalent of a slam dunk raises serious questions about what really guides some judges.
In the case, American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock, the Court was asked to address a Montana Supreme Court opinion upholding a Montana ban on independent expenditures by corporations. This should be an easy case—after all, the Court ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that bans on independent political expenditures by corporations and unions violate the First Amendment.
But Justices Ginsburg and Breyer, who dissented from Citizens United, want another crack at Citizens United. They issued a separate “statement” advocating that the Court take the “opportunity to consider whether, in light of the huge sums currently deployed to buy candidates’ allegiance, Citizens United should continue to hold sway.”
>Do your Spring shopping at the Fifth Annual Mary Therese Rose Fund Vendor Fair on Sat. March 3. The Mary Therese Rose Fund allows children to “reclaim the joys of childhood.”
Easter, graduation, Mother’s Day will soon be upon us. Here’s a wonderful opportunity to shop for these great occasions and support a wonderful cause. On Saturday March 3 from 2pm to 5pm TheMary Therese Rose Fund will hold its fifth annual vendor day at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Thechurch is located at 155 Linwood Avenue in Ridgewood.
The Fair will feature Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Stampin’ Up, Designer Handbags, TastefullySimple, Scentsy, Premier Designs Jewelry, a Raffle and Baked Goods. All Vendors will bedonating a portion of their sales to the fund.
The Mary Therese Rose Fund allows children to “reclaim the joys of childhood.” Mary passed awayjust weeks before her fifth birthday from a rare syndrome called Joubert syndrome. It is with great joy that Mary can continue to spread such happiness through this fund. There are many children with disabilities that require certain things to be able to make life even more of a pleasure. The fund pays for such expenses that insurance does not cover. This includes, but is not limited to,hearing aids, walkers, wheelchairs, braces, intensive therapies, and therapeutic activities such as therapeutic horseback riding. As each child is able to enjoy the simple pleasures of childhood and life because of the fund, Mary’s beautiful smile spreads from face to face. It is these smiles that will forever keep Mary’s life a celebration of love, joy, hope, simplicity and happiness.
>I would welcome the possibility of competing for great teachers
In order to get a mix of salaries you establish a mix of experience levels. It’s possible to have high performers across experience levels. It happens every day in all sorts of businesses.
I would welcome the possibility of competing for great teachers versus our system today where we are stuck with teachers that have no economic reason to improve or even stay current outside of the union pay scale for their degrees. Communities would get to choose what they paid for the level of teacher performance they wanted in their schools.
Sure there could be disagreements within communities but eventually that would be fixed, again by simple economics. That happens every time a family decides to move out of Ridgewood to a place with lower property taxes and another family chooses to move in for great education.
You’re trying to defend the economic benefit to the community of tenure but there is none to defend. The only beneficiary of tenure is the tenured.
3 Alarm Overnight Fire Damages 2 Ridgewood Businesses Friday, 2/17/2012 Boyd A. Loving 3:27 AM
A three (3) alarm fire reported at 1:45 AM on Friday, February 17th damaged two (2) Ridgewood businesses (Oak Street Collision located at 70 Oak Street and the Dim Sum Dynasty Restaurant located at 75 Franklin Avenue).
Ridgewood fire fighters were assisted at the scene by members of the Glen Rock Fire Department.
Also responding were officers from Ridgewood PD, and Ridgewood EMS and Emergency Services personnel.
>“The Fat Man” Cometh POETRY SINGS THE BLUES Celebrating FATS DOMINO’s Birthday in Poetry and Song February 25th @ 1 pm – 4 pm
RIDGEWOOD – Poets, musicians, a Southern-style chef, fans, and anyone else who’s interested or curious, will gather Saturday, February 25, at 1 p.m. at Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church (271 Lincoln Avenue at West End Avenue) for “Poetry Sings the Blues.” The festival will celebrate the life and music of Fats Domino, the legendary rhythm and blues performer who shaped early rock and roll, upon his 84th birthday.
Further information on the participants:
James Gwyn of Clifton NJ, returning from his readings at last year’s Elvis tribute, is known for his “politically incorrect” poems and has written both poetry and fiction for many years. He won first prize in the 2008 Allen Ginsberg Poetry contest and has received five Pushcart prize nominations. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and journals, among them “The Paterson Literary Review,” “Paterson: The Poet’s City,” “Poetry of Place,” “Lips,” and “Seventh Quarry: The Swansea Poetry Quarterly.”
Francesca Maximé is a poet and seasoned TV journalist who covered many major news events for stations in the Northeast. Since 2009 she has worked in New York City as an on-air host and reporter with WPIX-TV and WNYC radio. She is a graduate of Harvard University and did further study on poetry at SUNY Binghamton. Her poetry will be published in forthcoming editions of “New York Quarterly” and the literary journal “Lips.” Her book of poetry, “Rooted,” is forthcoming next fall from NYQ Books. www.talentapes.com/francescamaxime
Victoria Warne is the lead singer and guitarist for the band of the same name whose members include Steve Giordano (bass) and George Schaefer (drums). She has recorded two CDs as leader, “Live at the Savoy” and “Fluorescence,” an all-original collection that blends elements of blues, rock, and jazz in a unique style that is adventurous and passionate. Warne’s many collaborators have ranged from Spyro Gyra’s Julio Fernandez to jazz great Billy Eckstine. www.victoriawarne.com.
“Chef Jesse” (Jesse Jones) has conducted demonstrations and participated in cooking competitions all over New Jersey, with growing renown as a celebrity chef. A native of North Carolina, he ran the Heart & Soul Restaurant in South Orange till 2006 and now focuses on his own catering business, Chef Jesse Concepts. His passion for cooking was inspired by his mother and grandmother, followed by training at the Hudson Community College culinary arts program in Jersey City, further perfected under some of New Jersey’s top chefs. See “Chef Jesse Jones Catering” at www.facebook.com
$24M beach rescue funding critical to aid N.J. tourism, say stakeholders
A $24 million federal investment in beach replenishment, flood mitigation and storm damage reduction projects throughout the New Jersey coastline will give beaches the restoration they need to remain competitive during tourist season, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) said Thursday.
“Last year, Hurricane Irene and other storms wreaked havoc on our state,”Lautenberg said in a press release announcing the funding. “While we have more work to do, these funds are a critical investment (to) protect our coastal economy.” (Eder, NJBIZ)
> “Courts Gone Wild” Seminar Monday night at 8:00pm in Maywood !
For over forty years New Jersey’s Supreme Court has been the driving force behind the highest property taxes, the worst income tax and one of the highest sales taxes in America – all for the purpose of advancing its activist agenda!
Join Americans for Prosperity Foundation on Monday night for our “Courts Gone Wild” educational seminar and learn the facts about how our runaway Supreme Court has driven New Jersey’s economy to the brink! Monday, February 13th at 8:00pm Maywood Senior Center 145 W. Magnolia Ave. Maywood, NJ 07607
>$1B messtimate,Port Authority goofs on WTC cost budget
By JENNIFER FERMINO Transit Reporter Last Updated: 4:11 AM, February 10, 2012
The Port Authority brain trust that orchestrated last year’s toll hikes failed to include a billion dollars in their accounting of World Trade Center costs — and no one at the agency yesterday could explain why.
The blooper was uncovered in an independent audit released Tuesday that found the PA will fork over $7.7 billion to pay for the construction of the World Trade Center.
That’s a $1.7 billion increase from the last cost estimate in 2008.
At the agency’s monthly board meeting yesterday, red-faced officials admitted costs like moving tenants into 1 World Trade Center were not accounted for — despite being necessary to complete the job.
“Ridgewood school district hopes to reopen bridge.” Reader says better to replace bridge than fix it
A couple of points from this article that should be noted.
1) It has long been obvious to anyone and everyone who has had a conversation with an administrator or a BOE member about the bridge that they want no part of replacing it. They are scared to death that they will be forced to replace it and what the potential costs could be. (Can’t say I blame them.) Remember that when you try to digest their concerns about “ramps” becoming “dams.” That bridge is already a dam directly in the path of the river and greatly contributes to the flooding on Vets, Stevens and the RHS Field. “Ramps” would be outside the path of the river and would only become “dams” after the river has already flooded. That is a big difference. To try and argue that they are the same is ludicrous and indicative of how far they are reaching to ensure they do not have to pay to replace the bridge. It would also be very easy to build ramps that allowed flood water to run under them in the case of a major flood.
2) Allowing Angelo to be the person discussing things with the DEP is one more way to try and ensure that nothing gets done with the bridge. His job is to say “no,” especially when it comes to spending money. How do you think we ended up with the fake cupola on top of the HS? He thought no one would notice and the BOE could save some bucks. Thankfully it didn’t work out that way. He should not be involved in any of this until a decision is made and costs need to be evaluated. There should be a committee of people working with our elected state representatives to find out exactly what could be done to replace that bridge. The discussions should include; potential grants for flood relief, streamlined fast tracked approvals and guidance from the state and county and viable options that could be done quickly and cost effectively.
3) The fact that the current “Specs” demand (taking Angelo’s word which is very risky) that there be 84′ of ramps on both sides in order to raise a simple pedestrian bridge over a small stream shows just how out of touch Trenton and government as a whole has become. Governor Christie has pledged to bring common sense back to environmental restrictions. If we really want to address the bridge and the resulting flooding it would probably be good if we reached out to Christie’s office and got some direction on who we should be talking to at the DEP and get them to the site and find out what kind of options we have. There are always options when you refuse to take “no” as the answer the first time you ask. I am sure there is another way to build a small pedestrian bridge without constructing 168 feet of ramps for a 15 foot wide stream.
If we don’t get the DEP to the site and find out a way to replace that bridge we’re going to be paying $50,000 a clip to clean and renovate the fields every time we get a significant flood and then we are still going to have to pay to have it replaced because it is going to continue to erode and deteriorate no matter what the BOE thinks. We should spend the bare minimum on the bridge to get it re-opened for the short term and we should start immediately working on getting a plan together to replace it or we’re going to have the same conversations in another couple of years when the bridge needs yet again more repairs.
> ““the Telephone Pole Solar Panel Rip-Off”” : Readers comment
Ellie Gruber , just had to comment on this story:
There are numerous errors of commission and omission in the blog.
1. NJ has better sun than Germany but German panels are producing year round- (better in the summer but even in the winter as long as they are not totally snow covered).. PV panels work well in low sun conditions- they do not need direct summer sunlight in order to produce energy. NJ has about 15-20% more sun than Germany on an annual basis
2. The structure and costs of the NJ solar program and the German program are very different. Germany has been more aggressive for longer than NJ and has more capacity on a per capita basis. Germany has been able to reduce peak usage in their grid and reduce peak energy costs by hundreds of millions of dollars.
3. As opposed to fossil fuel technologies, the cost of installing solar is dropping- last year prices were 30% less than 2009. The NJ solar progeam is making solar more competitive with fossil fuels while cleaning the air and providing jobs for thousands of NJ residents.
>New Jersey’s Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 17th Annual National Awards Program Montville and Montclair Students Earn $1,000 Awards, Engraved Medallions and Trip to Nation’s Capital
TRENTON, N.J., Feb 07, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — –Honors Also Bestowed on Youth Volunteers in Neptune, Pitman, Clinton, Randolph, Brigantine and Ridgewood
Stephanie Jennis, 16, of Montville and Giovanna Boyle, 13, of Montclair today were named New Jersey’s top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Stephanie was nominated by Montville Township High School in Montville, and Giovanna was nominated by Glenfield Middle School in Montclair. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 17th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Stephanie, a sophomore at Montville Township High School, helped her family start a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $500,000 over the past nine years to fund programs that promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in schools and communities. She then launched a project called “Include ME!,” to promote inclusion not only for kids with disabilities, but for others who feel ostracized as well. “My brother, Jacob, has multiple disabilities and has always been my source of inspiration,” said Stephanie. After focusing on children with disabilities through her family’s charity and through her own project initially, she realized that there are other children who feel unaccepted and isolated by their peers. “My purpose for ‘Include ME!’ has grown from including children with disabilities toward uniting all children in an effort to terminate bullying and promote acceptance of diversity across all platforms,” she said.
Working with 25 students that she recruited from five communities, Stephanie made presentations to legislators, education officials, businesses and other organizations. The group also prepared programs for school assemblies to promote inclusion, as well as to encourage students to become leaders in the movement. In addition, Stephanie and her fellow volunteers sold T-shirts and sponsored a walkathon and a 5k race to raise $40,000, which will help expand Stephanie’s program across the state. “My vision is to make ‘Include ME!’ a national campaign where all children can feel they belong,” she said.
Giovanna, an eighth-grader at Glenfield Middle School, worked with her mother and two other adults to create a charitable organization that connects privileged young people in her town with poor kids in Brazil. After traveling with her mother to Brazil in 2004, Giovanna wanted to do something to improve the lives of the children she had met in two fishing villages. “I made friends with some of the Brazilians and thought how great it would be if all my friends in Montclair could be friends with them, too,” she said. Since it would be difficult for them to actually meet, Giovanna proposed setting up pen-pal relationships to exchange letters, drawings and photos.
She and her mother registered 25 children in each village and paired them with 50 kids in Montclair. Over the past seven years, the pen-pals have formed deep friendships and gained an understanding of a different way of life, Giovanna said. Some of the U.S. students have also contributed financially to their pen-pals’ educations. Giovanna travels to Brazil every summer to teach the village children songs, games, dances, arts and crafts and English. At home in Montclair, she raises money for her charity, translates letters, and leads pen-pal workshops. “It’s important that those with abundance share with those who have very little,” said Giovanna. “If kids can do this globally, forming friendships and alliances, understanding and loving rather than fearing, we stand a much better chance of world peace.”
As State Honorees, Stephanie and Giovanna each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2012 at that time.
Distinguished Finalists
In addition, the program judges recognized six other New Jersey students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion:
Andrew Bauer, 18, of Neptune, N.J., a senior at Neptune High School, raised more than $12,000 in grants and donations to create and direct a film to help educate fellow students about proper financial management. Andrew, who secured help from CNBC and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., has shown his film not only at his school but on local access channels, to other schools and groups and to the Congressional Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.
Katelyn Eystad, 15, of Pitman, N.J., a freshman at Pitman High School, was only 12 years old when she opened “Angels of God Clothing Closet,” which provided free clothes to those in need. Katelyn, who chose to give back after the community helped her family overcome a house fire, organizes clothing drives to stock the store, works with local agencies to identify those in need, and recruits volunteers to help run the store.
Anne Kuster, 17, of Clinton, N.J., a senior at North Huntington High School in Annandale, raised nearly $145,000 to fund the material and installation costs of solar panels for nine homes being built for low-income families through Habitat for Humanity. Anne solicited donations from companies throughout New Jersey and secured a sponsorship from the Electrical Union, and her solar project is now being considered for all Habitat homes built in the future.
Carly Levin, 17, of Randolph, N.J., a senior at Randolph High School, is a passionate advocate on behalf of those with fibrous dysplasia, a tumorous bone disease that struck Carly when she was 13 years old. Since then, she has raised $5,000 for research and is helping others cope as the co-administrator of a Facebook support group for young people affected by the disease.
Joseph Mandes, 17, of Brigantine, N.J., a volunteer with the United Way of Atlantic County and a junior at Atlantic City High School, founded the “Kids for South Jersey Cancer Fund” when he was 13 years old and has since helped to raise more than $28,000 to support the South Jersey Cancer Fund. Joseph, whose volunteer work is in honor of his “Poppy” who died from cancer, has recruited 75 volunteers to raise funds by hosting bake sales, coin drops and beach runs.
Victoria Pan, 17, of Ridgewood, N.J., a senior at Ridgewood High School, created “Students Saving Energy,” a collaborative network that helps student environmental clubs across the U.S. make the connections and secure the support they need for sustainability projects. Victoria created a website, Facebook group and group email account, coordinated with local and national environmental groups, and helped organize an in-person meeting for network participants.
“Through their selfless acts of service, these award recipients have greatly improved the lives of others,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “We hope their stories and their dedication inspire other young people to do the same.”
“We are so pleased to celebrate these student volunteers,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “It’s important to highlight them as powerful examples of how young people can make a difference.”
2 different career paths define Christie N.J. Supreme Court nominees
One nominee has logged long hours in the courtroom, and the other has rarely appeared before a judge. One has a $3.5 million real estate portfolio, while the other owns less than $1 million worth of property.
Those are just a couple of the distinctions between the two attorneys nominated by Gov. Chris Christie to serve on the state Supreme Court detailed in questionnaires submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The documents, obtained by The Star-Ledger, offered a glimpse into the different backgrounds of Phillip Kwon, 44, of Closter, and Bruce Harris, 61, the mayor of Chatham borough. If confirmed, Harris would be the first openly gay justice on the court, and Kwon the first Asian-American. (Baxter and Spoto, The Star-Ledger)
While I am finishing up part 5 of the series “the Telephone Pole Solar Panel Rip-Off”, I want to bring to everyone’s attention some interesting information that is being compiled on the operation of solar panels by Germany. The reason it should be of interest is because many in the state use Germany as a blueprint for New Jersey’s solar panel program.
Since the 1980’s the Green Party in Germany has pushed the country to invest enormous amounts of money in “Green” power projects. Because of this the installed solar cell base is 1.1 million power systems and is rated at 25 gigawatts. That might sound impressive until you convert is to megawatts and realize that it is 25,000 megawatts. That is about the same amount of electricity, if all of the cells are producing at the same time what would be produced by 25 average coal fired or nuclear powered generating plants.
To get this 25,000 megawatts Germany has paid a tremendous price. They have invested over 100 billion Euros to install these units and just recently the return on investment in the form of electricity from this expenditure was: ZERO.
Of course you will not read about this in the New York Times, Washington Post or on NBC, ABC or CBS since it does not support the green energy myth they have been pushing. You will though find out about these problems if you are an investor researching various companies in the alternative energy fields.
I was reading an article entitled Dark Clouds Threaten German Clean Energy Ambitions: Global Implications by John Peterson, an American living in Switzerland. This one quote really hit home:
“For weeks now, the 1.1 million solar power systems in Germany have generated almost no electricity.”
Because of this Germany has had to import electricity from France and Czech Republic. 100 billion Euros spent and they still have to import energy to heat and light their homes. Could this be the future of New Jersey? Well, some people want it that way and are willing to lie to us in order to make it so.
Writing at EcoOutfitters.net, Dawn Allcot compares Germany and New Jersey then makes this statement:
There’s a simple answer, and the proof is in the power. (So to speak…) Germany is currently the world’s leader in solar energy production. Last year, the country’s solar plants produced more than 13,000mw of solar energy – enough to power 4.3 million homes, according to an article on the BBC website about solar power in Europe.
And Germany isn’t exactly noted for its sunny, temperate weather. Let’s look at a snapshot of conditions in a few areas around Berlin today, according to Weather Underground:
• Scattered clouds
• Mostly cloudy
• Scattered Clouds
• Scattered Clouds
• Clear
• Mostly Cloudy…
This sure sounds a lot like the weather we get in New Jersey, and if we accepted what Allcot takes as gospel from the BBC, it might make sense for New Jersey to follow in Germany’s “green” footsteps. But before we open the checkbook, how about we consider this little piece of information by Alexander Neubacher at Spiegel Online International:
You know what i said at 308 eastern? we want a million jobs an hour. that’s what we want. what we got looked like a good report. i said let’s get the calculator out and i did. so did my sources and big blogs many people read like zero hedge. the labor force participation rate if you look at nonseasonally adjusted, a fresh low going back to april of ’83. if you look at seasonally adjusted a fresh low participation rate going back to december of ’81. what does that mean in english? shrinkage. shrinkage. 1.2 million people are now not considered unemployed anymore. they just have left the system. we need to concentrate on the internals and eventually we want to watch the fixed income market to see if some of this sets in as people do their ciphering. back to you.
