Americans Less Healthy Than They Think: Study
Published: Saturday, 29 Jun 2013 | 11:00 AM ET
From beer to cronuts, Americans can’t get enough if our national obesity problem is any indication. But a new study reveals many of us are in denial about our health—and are actually less healthy than we perceive.
In a study commissioned by Aetna, the insurance giant measured everything from how we rank our health compared with other generations—to why some of us exercise at all: To look good in our underwear.
“There is a disconnect,” mused Keri Gans, about the study’s participants. “It’s surprising.”
For example, while 67 percent of people believe they need to lose a median of 25 pounds, another 54 percent believe they can be healthy—even if they’re overweight, the “What’s Your Healthy” study found.
But jokes aside, misinformation can mean serious health consequences. More than a third of adults are classified as obese by the Centers for Disease Control.
“Being healthy is about being at a healthy body weight … the higher their weight goes, the higher their risk increases,” said Gans, also author of the “The Small Change Diet.”
July 4th Fireworks Ticket Information – Purchase in Advance for Discount
Thursday, July 4th, 2013
Alternate Date – Friday, July 5th
Veteran’s Field, Ridgewood, New Jersey
Entrance gates open at 6:00 PM and close at 9:00 PM
While the Parade is free, Fireworks Tickets are required for entrance to Vet’s Field. Donations for Fireworks Tickets is one of the Celebration’s largest sources of income. Tickets are available for advance purchase at stores for $8. Tickets are on sale at the gates for $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 6-12. Buy your tickets in advance for big savings! Children 5 and under are admitted for free.
Tickets will be on sale at the following vendors for $8 each. Children 5 and under are admitted free.
Backyard Living- 235 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-689-9111
ConnectOne Bank- 171 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-670-8484
JT’s Wines and Spirits- 605-607 N. Maple Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus, 201-652-2220 – Open July 4th until 5:00 PM
Ridgewood Auto Wash Co.
Ridgewood Cycle Shop- 450 South Broad Street, Glen Rock, 201-444-6037
The Wine Seller- 6 West Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-444-3300 – Open July 4th until 5:00 PM
Town & Country Apothecary- 60 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood- 201-652-0013 – Open July 4th until 1:00 PM
Thanks to our ticket vendors! All ticket vendors are volunteers and make no money for their efforts.
At the Ridgewood Library- Monday, June 24 – Saturday, June 29 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Sunday, June 30 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Thank you Hobbyist and HILT volunteers!
Tickets are available online for $9 each including postage and handling
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation announce that memberships are on sale for the upcoming summer season and all are invited to join the Graydon Pool facility as season members for the 2013 summer season. Come enjoy fun in the sun so close to home!
Pool features include a shaded playground, water play fountains, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, picnic area, sheltered pavilion, charcoal grills, and The Water’s Edge Café. Additional amenities include a lending library of reading books, volleyball, basketball, ping-pong tables, shuffleboard, four-squares and hop-scotch. Special programs include “Storytime Under a Tree” for the little ones and swim instruction for children and adults, as well as an adaptive swim class. The Graydon Swim Team welcomes youth members, ages 8 to 14.
Resident fees are $110 per adult, $100 per child (ages 2 through 15) and $20 for seniors (62 and older). Non-resident adults will be charged $175 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $155 for the13 week season.
Badges are on sale and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (Visa and MasterCard are accepted). In person registration assistance is available at the Graydon Pool Badge Office, 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges may be purchased daily throughout the operating season, June 1st through Septemer 2nd.
Details are available at www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon or you may call the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions or if special accommodations are needed.
The Ridgewood Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Emergency Planning Guide for 2013
Pick Up your Updated Emergency Planning Guide Here : https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2013OEMGuide.pdf
The Ridgewood Office of Emergency Management (OEM) just published an Emergency Planning Guide for 2013 – the first update of this critical resource in nearly 15 years.
The Emergency Planning Guide is designed to provide residents with basic emergency preparedness information, including tools and checklists that will assist families in preparing for different types of emergencies. It will also help residents to stay informed before, during and after disasters.
Click Here for your copy of the Ridgewood Emergency Planning Guide.: https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2013OEMGuide.pdf
“The Emergency Planning Guide is a must-have resource for all Ridgewood residents and businesses,” explained Mayor Paul Aronsohn. “As we have learned from Super Storm Sandy and other recent storms, you can never be too prepared for a disaster.”
“I applaud our OEM leadership for its proactive approach,” Aronsohn continued.
For the first time, the Emergency Planning Guide is available electronically for viewing and downloading on the Ridgewood OEM website (https://oem.ridgewoodnj.net) as well as the main Village of Ridgewood website (www.ridgewoodnj.net).
The new Emergency Planning Guide was specifically designed as a PDF document to take advantage of current technology. A limited number of hard copies will also be printed at a later date.
According to OEM Coordinator Jeremy Kleiman, “In the past, we would print and mail a copy of the booklet to all village residents and businesses, which is expensive. Budget constraints made us re-think how we communicate emergency preparedness information to the public. We decided to make the Emergency Planning Guide an electronic document to save costs and also to leverage current technology. Residents who are registered to receive E-Notices from the village will receive the document by email.”
OEM asks all residents to register for E-Notices to receive routine information, such as the Emergency Planning Guide, as well as emergency alerts. Please register by visiting either www.ridgewoodnj.net and clicking on the “E-Notices” link, or https://oem.ridgewoodnj.net and clicking on the “Swift911 Notification” icon. Either link will take residents to the same registration portal.
For those residents who do not register for E-Notices or are unable to receive information by email, a limited number of hard copies of the Emergency Planning Guide will be printed at a later date. Ridgewood Councilman Tom Riche is leading a fundraising effort to secure donations that will cover the cost of printing the booklets. Contributions may be made payable to Ridgewood Emergency Planning Guide, c/o Finance Office, Ridgewood Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07451.
Reminder Ridgewood Water – June 1 New Water Restrictions
Ridgewood Water has simplified water restrictions! The new plan matches odd and even addresses with days of the week to determine which properties can be irrigated.
If your address is an odd number, you may irrigate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays only. If your address is an even number, you may irrigate on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. A handheld hose may be used at any time including Mondays.
This plan will be in effect each year starting on June 1st and will continue through August 31st. If conditions warrant, irrigation will be prohibited on additional days of the week up to and including a total ban on irrigation.
Compliance with the initial restrictions will reduce the likelihood that more severe controls will be needed. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Court: Gov’t Must Halt Enforcement of Sterilization-Contraception-Abortifacient Mandate Against Hobby Lobby
June 28, 2013 – 6:14 PM
By Michael W. Chapman
CNSNews.com) – Following on yesterday’s 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that Hobby Lobby can continue its lawsuit against the Obama administration’s contraception mandate on religious grounds, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma ruled today that the federal government must halt all enforcement of the mandate (and related financial penalties) against the Christian-based company.
Hobby Lobby and sister company Mardel are suing the Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, arguing that to force the company to pay for health insurance that must offer abortion-inducing drugs, as well as sterilization and contraception, is a violation of its religious liberty.
In his order issued on Friday, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton said the “court concludes plaintiffs [Hobby Lobby] have made a sufficient showing to warrant the issuance of a temporary restraining order in the circumstances existing here.”
– See more at: https://cnsnews.com/news/article/court-gov-t-must-halt-enforcement-sterilization-contraception-abortifacient-mandate#sthash.xa5EkUvd.dpuf
“I don’t know. I’d have to look at it closely,” said Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. “I just haven’t read it that closely to know.”
68 Senators Vote to Create Incentive for Employers to Hire Amnestied Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens
9:49 AM, Jun 28, 2013 • By JOHN MCCORMACK
The immigration bill passed by the Senate Thursday afternoon would give some employers a financial incentive to employ “registered provisional immigrants” (illegal immigrants granted legal status) instead of U.S. citizens.
As the Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein recently reported: “Under Obamacare, businesses with over 50 workers that employ American citizens without offering them qualifying health insurance could be subject to fines of up to $3,000 per worker. But because newly legalized immigrants wouldn’t be eligible for subsidies on the Obamacare exchanges until after they become citizens – at least 13 years under the Senate bill – businesses could avoid such fines by hiring the new immigrants instead.”
On Tuesday, THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked five U.S. senators about this problem, and none of them knew if it was a problem. “We’re trying to solve that right now. I don’t know if that’s been solved,” Senator Max Baucus of Montana (chief author of Obamacare) told THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
IRS accused of granting $500 mln in suspicious contracts
Published time: June 26, 2013 16:47
A Virginia IT company inappropriately secured $500 million worth of IRS contracts based on false statements and ties to an agency official, according to a congressional staff report released on Tuesday.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a report accusing an Internal Revenue Service employee of procuring inappropriate contracts for a small business called Strong Castle, which was founded in 2011 by a man named Braulio Castillo.
In 2012, Castillo received more than $500 million in IRS awards for his technology firm and a mere $465,780 from other federal government agencies. The report accuses IRS deputy director Greg Roseman, a close friend of Castillo’s, of “influencing the selection process” to benefit his friend.
“The IRS – where Strong Castle received well over 99 percent of its 2012 revenues – employs Castillo’s long-time friend, Greg Roseman, who oversaw each and every contract awarded to Strong Castle by the IRS in 2012,” the report’s authors wrote.
The congressional committee also found that before launching the IT company, Castillo filed for “disability rating” with the Veterans Administration, claiming he suffered from a foot injury he obtained at a military prep school in 1984. The rating qualified Strong Castle as a “service-disabled, veteran-owned small business,” which gave it preferential treatment in bidding competitions. But Castillo never served on active duty, and played college sports after the alleged injury.
“The case of Strong Castle and its cozy relationship with the IRS is but one example of a deeply flawed procurement process in the federal government,” the report says.
Things That Will Cost More Under Obama’s Climate Change Plan
Amy Payne
June 26, 2013 at 7:20 am
President Obama doesn’t “have time for a meeting of the flat-Earth society.” And he probably considers you a member if you disagree with him on his crushing regulatory approach to climate change.
The heck of it is, the policies he advocates actually would not help the Earth.
Before Obama’s speech yesterday, Heritage’s Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow, Nicolas Loris, explained the President’s dilemma:
But let’s pretend we were able to stop emitting all carbon immediately. Forget the electricity to cool our homes in the summer months. Shut down the power plants. Stop driving our cars. No talking. The Science and Public Policy Institute found that the global temperature would decrease by 0.17 degrees Celsius—by 2100. These regulations are all pain no gain.
That’s what President Obama’s climate change plan would not do.
What President Obama’s climate change plan would do: increase the price of just about everything.
Whether it’s regulating appliances or eliminating coal from the nation’s energy diet, Obama’s plan has the same effect: hiking the cost of living.
Think through your day. Everything you buy, everything you eat, everything you wear… it was all produced using energy. Just a few of the things that will be more expensive under Obama’s plan:
Heating and cooling your home
Buying a car and driving—from your work commute to soccer practice and everywhere in between
Turning on the lights
Washing and drying clothes
But that’s not all. Think even bigger. What will it mean for President Obama’s war on coal to hike natural gas prices by 42 percent?
Sure, you may have a gas-powered furnace or oven. But natural gas is powering much more, as Heritage’s Loris, David Kreutzer, and Kevin Dayaratna explain:
Natural gas is not only a critical source of electricity generation; natural gas and other gases extracted from natural gas provide a feedstock for fertilizers, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, waste treatment, food processing, fueling industrial boilers, and much more.
From food processing to waste treatment—the entire cycle of life will cost more!
Of course, it doesn’t help that you will also have less income. Forthcoming research from these Heritage experts shows that Obama’s anti-coal policies will cause a family of four to lose more than $1,000 in annual income.
Village looking for Advertisers for Ridgewood Train Station Starting September 1st
Bid Notice – Poster (Sign) Displays for Advertising at Village Train Station Complex Bid Open July 9
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level Three Conference Room at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451 on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for following project:
“Poster Displays for Advertising at the Village Train Station Complex, Specific Locations,
September 1, 2013 through August 30, 2016”
The work of the contract shall consist of providing and installing: Mount Frames for the Display of Advertising Posters at the Village Train Station Complex in the Pedestrian Underpass and the Station Building interior. There are a total of 34 locations for posters, of which 32 locations are for commercial advertising and 2 locations are to be for community advertising use. The successful vendor shall maintain and service the various advertising posters during the duration of the contract in accordance with the standards determined by the Village. The work of the contract also requires the selected vendor to be able to supply any necessary replacement parts and timely service as needed. Upon mutual agreement of all parties, the Village will consider extending this contract for an additional two years beyond the term stated.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail from the office of the Engineering Division, Department of Public Works, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, telephone (201) 670-5500, extension 238, for a non-refundable fee of $10.00, per set of bid documents. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Engineering Division, Department of Public Works, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 5, 2013.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all federal, state and local sales and excise taxes. Bids may be submitted in person or by mail. Mailed bids shall be addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid to the bid opening location sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these Items is contingent upon the availability of appropriate funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, “Poster Displays for Advertising at the Village Train Station Complex, Specific Locations, September 1, 2013 through August 30, 2016 ” and must be accompanied by the following: either a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood for $5,000; a Consent of Surety (Schedule A); a Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C); a Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); and a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E). Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, and E, are required to be submitted on the forms enclosed in the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registration(s) shall be submitted at the time of the bid. All bids submitted shall contain a copy of the bidder’s New Jersey Business Registration Certificate.
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond in the amount of $10,000.00 as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies)’s is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27. A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.”
Gun groups say voting irregularity makes gun control measures null and void
A coalition of gun groups today charged the Democratic controlled Assembly of vote-rigging and said a host of gun control measures, some of which have already been approved by the legislature, are invalid due to improper procedure.
In a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver from law firm Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith and Davis, the groups allege that by halting a June 6 committee roll call vote on A4182 before the vote was complete, it rendered that bill and every bill passed through the committee after the halted vote ineligible for consideration by the Assembly. (Isherwood/PolitickerNJ)
Annual Membership Meeting is this Thursday, June 27th at 8:00pm. At 12 E Glen Ave Ridgewood, NJ 07450 , phone (201) 652-9615
Please join us for the meeting followed by a portrait demonstration by Janet Cunniffe-Chieffo.
Yearly membership is from September through August. New students may join a class at any time during the year. A membership must be taken out to attend classes.
As a non-profit organization, our main source of income depends upon this system of membership dues. Every September you will be asked to renew your membership.
To enroll in a class, call the Institute at (201) 652-9615 while the class in which you wish to enroll is in session. All classes are ongoing throughout the year, from September through June, unless otherwise noted.
You may enroll at any time during the year.
All students pay a yearly membership fee in addition to the class tuition and fees.
Member Benefits
Throughout the year, exhibits, demonstrations and lectures are presented on topics related to the fine arts. In addition, our instructors host painting trips and seminars; contact individual instructors for more information.
Ridgewood Nj, Village looks to bring back coffee to the Ridgewood Train station .
Bid Notice – Coffee Concession Improvements at Train Station – Bids open July 9
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level Three Conference Room at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451 on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for following project:
“Coffee Concession Area Improvements at the Village Train Station Building”
The principal work of the contract shall consist of providing and installing: A stainless steel triple compartment sink; a stainless steel single compartment sink; four (4) 20 amp 110 volt GFIC duplex outlets with circuit breakers at various locations wired to the existing circuit panel; replacement of an existing rolling door with locks; a 6,000 BTU window air conditioning unit, including all necessary appurtenances and connections at the Village Train Station in the area designated for the Coffee Concession Service.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail from the office of the Engineering Division, Department of Public Works, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, telephone (201) 670-5500, extension 238, for a non-refundable fee of $10.00, per set of bid documents. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Engineering Division, Department of Public Works, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 5, 2013.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all federal, state and local sales and excise taxes. Bids may be submitted in person or by mail. Mailed bids shall be addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid to the bid opening location sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these Items is contingent upon the availability of appropriate funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, “Coffee Concession Area Improvements at the Village Train Station Building” and must be accompanied by the following: either a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood for $1,000; a Consent of Surety (Schedule A); a Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C); a Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); and a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E). Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, and E, are required to be submitted on the forms enclosed in the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registration(s) shall be submitted at the time of the bid. All bids submitted shall contain a copy of the bidder’s New Jersey Business Registration Certificate.
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond in the amount of $3,000.00 as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies)’s is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27. A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.”
Each year the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration begins with a flag raising ceremony. It is the one part of the celebration that has always taken place even when the parade or fireworks did not. This year the flag raising ceremony will take place at 9am at the flag pole at Wilsey Square near the westside train station.
The schedule for the flag raising is as follows:
Welcome by a Celebration Committee Member
Speech by a Village Council Member
Recognition of the Grand Marshals and Special Guests
Reading of the Declaration of Independence by a member of NJ Militia Heard’s Brigade
Flag raising by American Post 53, and Boy Scouts
“To the Colors” played by Dan Literati RHS Junior
Chester, Our National Anthem before “The Star Spangled Banner” performed by Heard’s Brigade
“The Star Spangled Banner” sung by Jodi DiPiazza
We are honored to have descendants of signers of the Declaration of independence as our Grand Marshals. The Bartlett Family, descendants of Josiah Bartlett (Father’s side) and Benjamin Harrison (Mother’s side). Thornton “Thorny” Lockhart is a descendant of Declaration signer Josiah Bartlett, and a first cousin, eight times removed, of Benjamin Franklin.
Our Special Guests are The Ridgewood College Club. They are celebrating their 100th anniversary. College Club of Ridgewood, founded in 1913, is a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities for young women through a variety of needs-based grants and interest-free loans. Men are eligible at the graduate level.
We are thrilled to have a member of Heard’s Brigade join us to read the Declaration of Independence. Heard’s Brigade is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the role of the Organized and Irregular companies of New Jersey Militia during the American Revolutionary War. They participate in battle re-enactments and living history displays to portray 18th century military and civilian life. Heard’s Brigade strives to always continue their research efforts to provide the most accurate impressions they can.
This year we welcome two gentlemen who were among the three boy scouts chosen from Troop 10 to raise the first flag on Veterans’ Field on July 4, 1951. They are both graduates of RHS, class of 1955.Troop 10 was a segregated troop for African-Americans.
Dan Literati is entering his Junior year at Ridgewood High School. He is heavily involved in the RHS Music Program, participating in almost every aspect of the program. Dan’s participation includes performing with the RHS Concert Band, Marching Band and the Jazz Lab Band. Dan has been playing the trumpet since his 5th grade year at Ridge Elementary School and continues to study with a private instructor to further his musical abilities. In addition to all of his musical activities, Dan also participates on the RHS Swim team and was just recently named an Eagle Scout.
Jodi DiPiazza began improvising piano at age 4 and starting taking lessons at age 7. In 2010 Jodi wrote and performed a song “Heroes of Autism” for Toys R Us to be used in conjunction with a fundraiser for Autism Speaks. This campaign raised over $3,000,000. Jodi is a two time finalist in The ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. You may remember in October 2012 when Jodi performed a duet with Katy Perry for the autism benefit “The Night of Too Many Stars” at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, it was televised on Comedy Central and over $4,000,000 were raised for autism education. Jodi is currently a 4th grade student at the Midland School in Rochelle Park and the Alpine Learning Group in Paramus NJ.
Reader says Lonegan is the true conservative and small-government candidate
Lonegan was the true conservative and small-government candidate in the primary against Christie. Christie then out-flanked Lonegan and painted him as extreme.
After securing the primary win and defeating Corzine, Christie went on to bash everyone in his path with Alinsky-like tactics as so prominently used by the Obama campaign. He did most of his ham-handed political schtick in the first year so he had time to politically recover.
Last fall, when Hurricane Sandy had finished ravaging the Jersey Shore, Christie was singing Springsteen’s “Sandy” along with his new bud, The President, and gave Obama the perfect backdrop just a week before Election Day to show that our chief executive was compassionate. Obama surged past Romney and never looked back.
Since then, Christie’s moves to tack to the left to pander for votes is outright embarrassing. New Jersey has yet to shake off the effects of the long recession and his cozy relationship with the Democrat Party is distancing him from broad GOP support which he’ll need to run for president in 2016.
Even democrats acknowledge the Christie juggernaut as the support for candidate Barbara Buono has been lukewarm, at best. Christie can then pad his resume with a 2nd term win in November.
What we are witnessing is a long-term plan to help no one except the Governor himself. If anyone benefits from his actions, it’s because it was part of his own personal agenda. When asked about 2016, he plays coy but it’s almost certain that he’ll change his tune sometime in 2014 with the 2013 election long over.
In the meantime, the citizens of New Jersey get the bipartisan shaft from another shameless governor with Presidential aspirations.
