>PSE&G Pole Attached Solar Project : These solar panels are a joke.
“I, for one, value efforts at alternative sources of energy and I applaud that my utility company is making the efforts.”
You are a perfect example of exactly what is wrong with people these days — you base your opinions on zero research, “feelings” and knee-jerk reactions. You are being duped and asking for more.
These solar panels are a joke. They are inefficient, ugly and cost more energy to produce and maintain than they will ever bring in.
But you kneel at the altar of “green” and applaud this folly.
If you were serious, you’d be against this waste of money and would be pushing for a more serious and “commercial” implementation of true energy producing solar panels. But keep it up – keep making laughable comments and no one will ever take you seriously.
You are a joke to those who are opposed to the “green initiative” and you are an embarrassment to those who are serious about alterative energy sources.
>REPORT: Unhappy with police cuts, Medford official asks to be laid off
Published: Tuesday, April 19, 2011
MEDFORD — The township’s acting manager said Monday he has asked to be laid off due to his unhappiness with police cutbacks here, according to a report by the Courier Post.
“It was a very difficult choice,” said Stephen Addezio, who had been expected to become the township’s public safety director. “I told council if they lay off police officers, I wanted to be the first to go. It’s a moral issue for me.”
Four police officers received layoff notices Monday, along with six public-works employees and three fire department staffers. The layoffs would be effective May 2.
>U.S. Debt Tops $14.3 Trillion for First Time Monday, April 18, 2011 By Terence P. Jeffrey
(CNSNews.com) – The national debt has passed another historical milestone, topping $14.3 trillion for the first time ever, according to data released by the U.S. Treasury late Monday afternoon.
>Gold Futures Top $1,500 on Outlook for Escalating U.S. Debt, Dollar Slump By Pham-Duy Nguyen – Apr 19, 2011 4:04 PM ET
Gold futures rose to a record $1,500.50 an ounce as U.S. debt concerns weighed on the dollar, boosting demand for the precious metal as an alternative investment. Silver surged to a 1980 high.
>Solar Power: Remember when people thought satellite dishes were an eyesore
Remember when people thought satellite dishes were an eyesore and shouldn’t be allowed? When is the last time you even noticed one on someone’s roof? Remember boom boxes? Now we have ipods. Remember cell phones the size of a suitcase?
Already i have become used to the solar collectors, as I have to satellite dishes and cell phone towers. Technology advances. Solar will become smaller cheaper and more effective as we produce more. It will never progress if we don’t start somewhere, and this project begins to bring it into the mainstream.
The people saying it should be somewhere else..well the collectors on the poles do not preclude that other option. Go ahead, get those projects going. Progress technology and cost to the point where those solar collectors on poles aren’t necessary, but don’t begrudge the start of the system that will get us there eventually
>Kathleen A. Donovan : There have been confusing news reports inaccurately linking my pension status
There have been confusing news reports inaccurately linking my pension status with retirement issues involving other public employees and elected officials. Unfortunately, New Jersey’s complicated public employee retirement/pension system contributes significantly to the confusion which leads to inaccurate stories which raise unnecessary concerns.
So that you know the real, accurate story, I have taken the liberty of providing answers to questions you may be asking. If you have any additional question not addressed below, please let me know and I will respond directly.
Regards,
Kathleen A. Donovan
———————————————————————————
Q. Are you retired?
A. No. I retired as County Clerk last year when I was elected County Executive. This was required as I could not and would not hold two elected positions at the same time.
Q. Why did you take your pension?
A. I had to under State law. When I retired as County Clerk I could no longer be included in the Public Employment Retirement System (PERS). I was in effect “kicked out.” My options were limited. I could take my pension or leave my money in limbo and collect it at a future date. What would you do? Probably exactly what I did: take it.
Q. Would your pension have been at risk if you had left it with the state?
A. Quite possibly. It’s farfetched but the state’s pension plan is underfunded by some $55 billion. Would you risk your money if you didn’t have to?
Q. Could you have taken your pension earlier?
A. Yes. Under New Jersey State law I could have retired after 25 years of service (in 2007). I chose not to. I only took my pension when I had no other viable option.
Q. Are you getting a new pension as County Executive?
A. No. Neither the taxpayers nor I contribute to my pension any longer. It’s one and done and I’m done. No new pension.
Q. Is this compensation?
A. No. My compensation as County Executive is $134,000 (actually less than I earned as County Clerk). I do not receive additional pension benefits because I have taken my pension as provided by law.
Q. Are you taking advantage of a loophole?
A. No. This is not a loophole. This is totally consistent with State law.
Q. Are you “double dipping”?
A. No. I get my paycheck but no additional pension benefit.
A pension is not compensation. Its money put away for retirement. I do pay taxes on my pension as it is now personal income to me. But I get it whether I work or not. It’s not pay. It’s pension.
Thanks for your interest. Again, if you have any other questions please e-mail me at:
HICKORY SPRINGS NAMES RIDGEWOOD, NJ SCHOOL WINNER OF NATIONAL COMPETITION CELEBRATING ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING
EARTHCARE CHALLENGE II GRAND PRIZE GOES TO SARA’S PRE-SCHOOL
HICKORY, N.C. – After 31 days of contest updates, photos and videos and over 1,200 fan votes on Facebook, Hickory Springs today announced Sara’s Pre-school in Ridgewood, NJ, as grand prize winner of its national social media competition, The EarthCare Challenge II.
Proving that it’s never too early to encourage a lifetime of earth-friendly learning, the contest followed five school groups from around the country as they embarked on green initiatives in their communities.
To win, the preschool developed a month-long curriculum to introduce Kindergarten Enrichment students to the concept of environmental awareness. The class carried out a wide array of projects which included identifying creative ways to repurpose materials, such as planting seeds in used yogurt cups, and holding Recycling Relay races to learn how to sort recyclable goods. In an effort to continue a tradition of eco-education, the students created books filled with their newfound knowledge, which they presented to the younger class.
“We congratulate each of our finalists who have made tremendous achievements with their students, making it very difficult to pick a winner,” said Hickory Springs Executive Vice President Dwayne Welch. “Sara Bauer, the team leader at Sara’s Preschool, really stood out for her tireless efforts combining a multi-pronged approach to her ‘March Green Up’ theme, along with updates which showed consistent creativity and progress through the page.”
In the lead-up to Earth Day on April 22, Hickory Springs will present the school with $1,000 to help fund future environmental learning initiatives, along with a sofa set manufactured
>Unfortunately, one or both of the incumbents responsible for this education crime perpetrated upon the parents and children of Ridgewood will get re-elected.
It is really too bad that they don’t fire Regina and scrap these terrible math programs. But that is never going to happen because our BOE is intellectually lazy and dishonest. They will never do the due diligence required to find out the truth themselves. Instead they rely on the information given them by Regina.
And you want to know the real kick in the ass, Singapore and Saxon math programs cost far less to use. In a time of fiscal austerity they went for the most expensive program they could find. Only in Ridgewood, only in Ridgewood kids.
> Math Wars : Pre-high school curriculum isn’t teaching about real math
People teaching middle and high school math do understand math. When I went to college, taking a math major, about half the students in my major classes were students majoring in education, with a specialization in math.
The problem here in Ridgewood is not that teachers couldn’t derive the quadratic equation (simple algebra steps) for a class – it is that the pre-high school curriculum isn’t teaching about real math, it is having students discover and think about concepts. That is all well and good if the BOE doubled the amount of math instruction time, but they didn”t.
As testing drives state education policy more and more, New Jersey has formally signed on with a national group developing the next generation of standardized tests, ones that take place over the course of the school year and could have computers asking the questions. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has long called for state workers to pay more of their health care costs, and now proposes a phased-in plan over three years that would require employees to pay about a third of those costs by mid-2014. (DeFalco, The Associated Press)
>Detroit sending layoff notices to all of the district’s 5,466 unionized employees
Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers
(Reuters) – The emergency manager appointed to put Detroit’s troubled public school system on a firmer financial footing said on Thursday he was sending layoff notices to all of the district’s 5,466 unionized employees.
In a statement posted on the website of Detroit Public Schools, Robert Bobb, the district’s temporary head, said notices were being sent to every member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers “in anticipation of a workforce reduction to match the district’s declining student enrollment.”
Bobb said nearly 250 administrators were receiving the notices, too.
The district is unlikely to eliminate all the teachers. Last year, it sent out 2,000 notices and only a fraction of employees were actually laid off. But the notices are required by the union’s current contract with the district. Any layoffs under this latest action won’t take effect until late July.
In the meantime, Bobb said that he planned to exercise his power as emergency manager to unilaterally modify the district’s collective bargaining agreement with the Federation of Teachers starting May 17, 2011.
By Robin Harding and James Politi in Washington and Michael Mackenzie in New York Published: April 18 2011 15:19 | Last updated: April 18 2011 22:48
Standard & Poor’s issued a stark warning to Washington on Monday, cutting its outlook on US sovereign debt for the first time and throwing more fuel on the raging debate over America’s swollen deficits.
The agency kept America’s credit rating at triple A but for the first time since it started rating US debt 70 years ago, cut its outlook from “stable” to “negative”. A negative outlook means there is a one-third chance of a downgrade in the next two years.
>Solar Power : How do we stop these ugly solar panels from being mounted on every utility pole that gets sunlight?
How do we stop these ugly solar panels from being mounted on every utility pole that gets sunlight? Solar is a great idea. Placing the panels on rooftops and in parking lots is a wonderful idea. Placing them as proposed on poles is a bad idea because:
1. The infrastructure (wires, connections and gathering points) are inefficient for such small panels. 2. The appearance of these panels changes the Village “cityscape” in an ugly way. 3. PSE&G has the rights to these poles to transmit power, not to generate power. If they want to install 500 solar power stations around town, they should seek permission.
Seeking non oil based energy is a worthy project that should be addressed in a serious manner. The PSE&G approach is neither serious or appropriate. The Village Council should stop these instalations and go to court if necessar
