The Navy is hoping that’ll be enough to get the little swimmer into enemy territory undetected to patrol and protect U.S. ships and ports from harm.
Project Silent Nemo is under way this week at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, where a team of civilian engineers and military officers are testing the capabilities of a 5-foot, 100-pound experimental robot that’s designed to look and swim like a bluefin tuna.
The robotic fish glided through the harbor Thursday as sailors took turns controlling it with a joystick. It can also be programmed to swim on its own. The robot’s black dorsal fin poked above water as its tail wiggled back and forth, propelling it almost silently just below the surface.
Nemo was developed by the Office of Naval Research and is being tested by the chief of naval operation’s Rapid Innovation Cell – a group of junior Navy and Marine Corps officers tasked with putting emerging technologies to use for the military. The same group has been playing around with 3D printers, augmented-reality glasses and about 10 other breakthrough gadgets.
The idea of deploying robots that mimic the biological traits of living creatures isn’t new, but until recently, it existed mostly in the realm of science fiction. The Navy says Silent Nemo – also known as GhostSwimmer – could be operational within the next year.
T’is the Season – join the Celebration in Ridgewood 2014
The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce Wishing everyone Happy Holidays
The Seasons is here!
Ridgewood presents its 29th Annual Tree Lighting Celebration and
Downtown for the Holidays.
Bring you family, friends and neighbors to share the excitement of this evening,
Friday, December 5th, 2014
5:30pm-9pm … enjoy
the music, lights, shopping, dining,
and (you bet) Santa!
Tree Lighting will happen around 7:30pmish!
For more details: [email protected]
201-445-2600 www.experienceridgewood.com
see you there!
How a former Beatle helped shape immigration policy
DECEMBER 2, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014, 8:10 AM
BY MICHAEL WILDES
THE RECORD
Print
FORMER BEATLE John Lennon left us a beautiful legacy of extraordinary music. He also left us an immigration legacy that, while less well known, could have an equally profound effect upon life in the United States as it relates to immigrants.
John Lennon and the author’s father, Leon Wildes.
The recent steps announced by President Obama to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and now to offer deferred action to certain parents of U.S. and permanent residents have their roots in the John Lennon case. We can visualize a smiling Lennon because it was the successful litigation and outcome in his case that enabled the government to accomplish this feat.
How did he accomplish this?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were placed in deportation proceedings precipitously in 1972 when their request for an extension of their visitors’ stay was summarily denied. The reason for instituting deportation was not because they had broken any American law, but simply because then-President Richard Nixon felt that their presence in the United States could adversely affect his chances for reelection.
Throughout the deportation proceedings, which lasted almost five years, from 1972 to 1976, immigration officials publically said they were treating the Lennons no differently than any other undocumented person and that the Immigration and Naturalization Service had no option other than to deport every illegal alien. Thousands of letters sent to the INS also received written responses to that effect.
Nothing was further from the truth.
Opinion: How a former Beatle helped shape immigration policy
DECEMBER 2, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014, 8:10 AM
BY MICHAEL WILDES
THE RECORD
Print
FORMER BEATLE John Lennon left us a beautiful legacy of extraordinary music. He also left us an immigration legacy that, while less well known, could have an equally profound effect upon life in the United States as it relates to immigrants.
John Lennon and the author’s father, Leon Wildes.
The recent steps announced by President Obama to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and now to offer deferred action to certain parents of U.S. and permanent residents have their roots in the John Lennon case. We can visualize a smiling Lennon because it was the successful litigation and outcome in his case that enabled the government to accomplish this feat.
How did he accomplish this?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were placed in deportation proceedings precipitously in 1972 when their request for an extension of their visitors’ stay was summarily denied. The reason for instituting deportation was not because they had broken any American law, but simply because then-President Richard Nixon felt that their presence in the United States could adversely affect his chances for reelection.
Throughout the deportation proceedings, which lasted almost five years, from 1972 to 1976, immigration officials publically said they were treating the Lennons no differently than any other undocumented person and that the Immigration and Naturalization Service had no option other than to deport every illegal alien. Thousands of letters sent to the INS also received written responses to that effect.
Democrats assail Wall Street ties in Obama administration
By Peter Schroeder – 11/30/14 02:31 PM EST
President Obama’s nomination of Antonio Weiss to serve as the Treasury Department’s top domestic finance official is drawing fire from an unusual sector: his fellow Democrats.
Liberal lawmakers like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have been quick to oppose Weiss, a major investment banker with Lazard.
Among their grievances is the fact that Lazard’s work is primarily in international finance and he is nominated for a domestic position. They’re also critical of his role in structuring several tax inversion deals, which have drawn criticism from the president himself.But an underlying thread to the Democratic opposition is a fatigue with filling top-ranking administration spots with officials that have spent significant time working for or on behalf of Wall Street titans. Warren penned an op-ed in The Huffington Post criticizing the administration’s approach under the headline “Enough is Enough.”
Obama Pushed ‘Fullest Extent’ of His Powers on Immigration Plan
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and JULIA PRESTONNOV. 28, 2014
WASHINGTON — Months before President Obama took executive action last week to reshape the nation’s immigration system, Jeh C. Johnson, the secretary of Homeland Security, quietly convened a small group of advisers to explore the legal limits of the president’s powers.
Working in secrecy, Mr. Johnson’s team huddled for hours daily under orders to use “our legal authorities to the fullest extent” on a new deportations policy, a senior administration official said. In five White House meetings over the summer, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Obama, both lawyers, pored over proposed changes, eventually concluding that the president had the authority to enact changes that could affect millions of people and significantly alter the way immigration laws are enforced.
“I don’t think he wanted to be in the position of taking executive action,” Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, an advocacy group, said of Mr. Obama. “It was not the way he wanted to fix the system.” Nonetheless, “at the end of the day, he felt this was the only option he had.”
Ridgewood Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration
Fri, December 05, 2014
Time: 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood NJ
Event Description
Come to Ridgewood to start your Holiday season!
Join us on Friday, December 5, 2014
SANTA arrives on Saturday, December 6, 2014..
comes up E. Ridgewood Ave. and goes to Columbia Bank 10am-1pm…pictures and gifts for all the kids!
Starting at 5:30pm
Santa in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square
Live Entertainment on E. Ridgewood Ave.
7:00-8:00pm
On Stage
Live Entertainment & Tree Lighting Celebration
8:00-9:00pm
Santa in the Park
Live Entertainment
more merriement!
Thank You Sponsors:
Columbia Bank,
The Valley Hospital,
Van Dyk Health Care,
The Ridgewood News,
Prestige Motors,
Camp Wekeela,
The Originals Salon
Atlantic Stewardship Bank
The Original Salon Inc.
Precision Orthodontics
From the Top Music Studio,
Art of Motion,
Porch Light Production,
Little Ivy Learning Center,
YMCA of Ridgewood
Janjigian Trading Co., Inc.
CareOne Ridgewood Avenue
West Bergen Mental Healthcare
Huntington Learning Center
C. C. Van Emburgh Funeral Home
Ulrich, Inc.
Duxiana
Huntington Learning Centers
Panico Hair Salon-Ridgewood
Daily Treat
Country Pancake House and Restaurant
It’s Greek to Me
Dr. Frances McGorty
Moxie Blowdry & Beauty Bar
Ridgewood Press
Please say “thank you” to these business for
keeping the “tradition” in Ridgewood.
Breakfast with Santa, The Office Beer Bar & Grill
Saturday 12/6/14 – 8am-10am
Saturday, 12/13 & 12/20 8am-12Noon
call for reservation 201-652-1070.
Store Specials during this event:
Alex and Ani with hot chocolate, holiday cookies and a gift with purchase of $75 or more.
For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com
President Obama to announce executive action on immigration Thursday
By Juliet Eilperin and Ed O’Keefe
President Obama will announce Thursday that he will use his executive authority to expand temporary protections to millions of undocumented immigrants, according to several individuals who have been briefed on the decision. Obama will travel to Las Vegas on the heels of that announcement to rally support for his initiative on Friday.
Congress will receive official details on the move Thursday, according to a senior Democratic Party official.
Even before final confirmation of the president’s plans, outside advocates began readying events to promote the administration’s immigration policy.
“We hear there will be a prime time Thursday evening announcement (to preview) and full unveiling in Vegas on Friday,” immigration advocate Dawn Le wrote in an email to other activists, which was later inadvertently sent to a group of reporters Wednesday morning. “Can folks begin to work and plan watch parties for Thursday and/or Friday? Unclear whether Thursday night content will be what is “celebratory”, but Friday will be where we need a lot of energy guaranteed.”
President Obama has a tough decision to make on the timing of an executive order to freeze deportations of illegal immigrants.
Senate Democrats want him to wait to give them time to pass an omnibus spending bill and other legislative priorities in the lame-duck session that is just now ramping up.
But delaying the action, even for a few weeks, could make Obama look weak and inflame immigration advocates who are already furious with him for holding back until after the midterm elections.
“You have growing anxiety amongst the immigrant community that’s losing faith that the president is going to do as he said he would do,” said Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “I really think he’ll lose support from the Latino community if he continues to wait.”
Complicating the situation further, Obama is being asked to do a favor for Democratic lawmakers at a time when they are casting blame on him for the party’s disastrous showing at the ballot box.
Tree Lighting Celebration Fri, December 05, 2014 Time: 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood NJ
Come to Ridgewood to start your Holiday season! Join us on Friday, December 5, 2014
Starting at 5:30pm Santa in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square Live Entertainment on E. Ridgewood Ave.
7:00-8:00pm On Stage Live Entertainment & Tree Lighting Celebration
8:00-9:00pm Santa in the Park Live Entertainment more merriement!
Thank You Sponsors: Columbia Bank, The Valley Hospital, Van Dyk Health Care, The Ridgewood News, Prestige Motors, Camp Wekeela, Atlantic Stewardship Bank Precision Orthodontics From the Top Music Studio, Art of Motion, Porch Light Production, Little Ivy Learning Center, YMCA of Ridgewood Janjigian Trading Co., Inc. West Bergen Mental Healthcare Huntington Learning Center Ulrich, Inc. Duxiana Huntington Learning Centers Panico Hair Salon-Ridgewood Daily Treat Country Pancake House and Restaurant It’s Greek to Me Dr. Frances McGorty Ridgewood Press Please say “thank you” to these business for keeping the “tradition” in Ridgewood.
Store Specials during this event: Alex and Ani with hot chocolate, holiday cookies and a gift with purchase of $75 or more.
For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com
Executive order on immigration would ignite a political firestorm By Chris Cillizza Reporter November 16 at 6:07 PM
Reports are rampant that President Obama will sign an executive order as soon as this week that will allow up to 5 million undocumented immigrants to avoid deportation. Signing such an order would have explosive political consequences — it would not only reshape the near-term fights in Congress but also have a potentially profound effect on the two parties’ national coalitions heading into the 2016 election and beyond.
Republicans have made it clear that if Obama goes forward, it would be the equivalent of giving the middle finger to their incoming majority — and, by extension, the American public, which helped the GOP gain seats in the House and Senate on Nov. 4.
At a news conference held the day after the midterm elections, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the incoming Senate majority leader, compared Obama’s signing of an executive order on immigration to “waving a red flag in front of a bull.” Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said Obama will “burn himself” if he moves forward.
More Federal Agencies Are Using Undercover Operations
By ERIC LICHTBLAU and WILLIAM M. ARKINNOV. 15, 2014
WASHINGTON — The federal government has significantly expanded undercover operations in recent years, with officers from at least 40 agencies posing as business people, welfare recipients, political protesters and even doctors or ministers to ferret out wrongdoing, records and interviews show.
At the Supreme Court, small teams of undercover officers dress as students at large demonstrations outside the courthouse and join the protests to look for suspicious activity, according to officials familiar with the practice.
At the Internal Revenue Service, dozens of undercover agents chase suspected tax evaders worldwide, by posing as tax preparers or accountants or drug dealers or yacht buyers, court records show.
At the Agriculture Department, more than 100 undercover agents pose as food stamp recipients at thousands of neighborhood stores to spot suspicious vendors and fraud, officials said.
Undercover work, inherently invasive and sometimes dangerous, was once largely the domain of the F.B.I. and a few other law enforcement agencies at the federal level. But outside public view, changes in policies and tactics over the last decade have resulted in undercover teams run by agencies in virtually every corner of the federal government, according to officials, former agents and documents.
The 70’s Generation the Generation that never made it….
The 70’s Generation ,Generation Failure the how and why ...
PJ Blogger (a blast from the past) PRLog – Sep. 29, 2009 – RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — like most generations coming to age in a particular time period that era has a way of effecting ones out look throughout that rest of there life. In the 1920’s it was the devil make care attitude ,in the 1930’s the great depression ,in the 1940’s it was world war two and the greatest generation ,in the 50’s it was moving to suburbia ,in the 1960’s it was the anti war counter culture ad wanting to change the world . These generational experiences have a way of effecting the majority of that generation shaping there experience and the way we think about the world . In the 1970 ‘s oil shocks ,stagflation, international terrorism ,military failure ,stagflation ,the misery index, high divorce rate ,high drug and alcohol use ,the hang over from the sixties all lead to one over riding principle for the 70’s generation FAILURE and the 70’s generation became the generation that never really made it .
With this failure came the litany of kook conspiracy theories ,and inability to see a benevolence in the universe ,a feeling that things larger then onself were working against us . That malevolent forces beyond our control were conspiring against us. That we were helpless in the face of doom .Not trusting the markets nor the government but looking to punish and spread the misery equally far and wide, the 70’s generation embrace totalitarian socialism or communism to a greater degree than anyone since the 1930’s.
As the 70’s generation grew up it brought incompetence and disaster and mostly failure in its wake , from ENRON, the mutual fund debacle ,to the current banking and finance disaster to the destruction of wall street ,the 70’s folks have unleashed a cataclysm of disaster and failure on to the rest of us. Remember these people still think good old stagflation Jimmy Carter was a good president?
So why do I keep harping on this day in and day out ,well any economist worth his salt would admit that one of the strongest cyclical driving forces in an economy are demographics and given the most economic activity is driven by business creation and house hold formation it can be noted that from time to time an economy is blessed with demographics that favor these to factors ,but what we find in the 70’s generation is a proclivity for neither. My last reunion told the whole story ,as i am told nearly half the graduating class of 1980 had never been married . I found this simply astonishing given we came from a very upper middle class place with a “first rate education”.
No don’t get me wrong every generation has its successes and failures but some generations seem to produce more of the latter .
Scott with Teaneck resident Joshua Meier, a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, in my Washington, D.C. office. We discussed the project that earned him this prestigious recognition and his plans for life after high school. Joshua is an impressive young man and I wish him all the best at tonight’s award ceremony.
Rep Scott Garrett is a Strong Supporter of Israel Unlike the Obama Administration and their clones like Roy Cho November 2,2014 the Staff of the Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here .
“Obama Official Calling Netanyahu ‘A Chickens**t’
It’s probably safe to say that U.S.-Israel relations aren’t exactly at a high point. In an article published Tuesday at The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg, the Obama administration’s preferred conduit for all things Israel-related, an unnamed senior Obama administration official called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a chicken-bleep.” “The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chicken-bleep,” the official told Goldberg. “The good thing about Netanyahu is that he’s scared to launch wars,” he continued. ““The bad thing about him is that he won’t do anything to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians or with the Sunni Arab states. The only thing he’s interested in is protecting himself from political defeat.” https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/the-crisis-in-us-israel-relations-is-officially-here/382031/
Just one more misstep in a long line of anti Israel ,anti Jewish gaffs by the Obama Administration .Meanwhile its important to remember that Congressman Garrett supports the right of Israel to exist as a sovereign, democratic nation and defend itself against attacks from neighboring territories. While Congressman Garrett supports efforts to have peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he does not believe Israel should jeopardize its security by creating borders that could potentially leave it vulnerable to attack by neighbors.
At Congregation Bnai Yeshurun
The Congressman supports strong ties with Israel, and is a strong supporter of ensuring that Israel has the full support of the United States. In the 113th Congress, Congressman Garrett introduced the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2013. This important legislation would require that the United States Embassy in Israel move from its current location in Tel Aviv to Israel’s legal capital, Jerusalem. Congressman Garrett acknowledges the vital role that US support plays in promoting Israel’s safety and security. Not only does US aid to Israel help promote a more stable Middle East, but also approximately 75 percent of the aid delivered to Israel returns to the United States in the form of military supply purchases.
Congressman Garrett co-sponsored H. Res. 657, a resolution that reaffirms the United States’ support for Israel’s right to defend its citizens and ensure the survival of the State of Israel, condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel, and calls on Hamas to immediately cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel. In July Garrett told the Save New Jersey blog , “As Israel defends itself against countless rocket attacks from Hamas, it shouldn’t also have to defend itself against those in the White House,”
Garrett declared in a statement released Thursday. “While the Obama administration says it supports Israel, these comments obviously stand in stark contrast to that commitment and must be retracted. My heart goes out to those who have been the victims of these attacks. I wholeheartedly support our greatest friend and ally in the Middle East as they seek to eliminate those who are perpetrating this violence.” https://savejersey.com/2014/07/garrett-israel-battling-hamas-and-white-house/
Garrett’s words to the NJJN on October 10 2012 summed the present situation best , “I think the Obama administration has been an absolute disaster from Day One in its handling of foreign affairs and Israel specifically,” said Garrett in an Oct. 4 phone interview. “When Obama came into office, he promised that the United States would be more respected because of his style of handling the world community. I think we are less respected, and we find ourselves in a more vulnerable position than we were four years ago.” https://njjewishnews.com/article/14719/jewish-issues-debated-in-redrawn-fifth-district#.VFFIZ_TF_fE
Last Weekend Garrett honored to receive the endorsement of NORPAC, which is at the forefront of promoting strong US-Israel relations!
Ridgewood residents seek support for restorations at Kings Pond
OCTOBER 24, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014, 12:31 AM BY JODI WEINBERGER STAFF WRITER | THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
George Shabet brought a dead 3-foot carp to a council meeting in 1976 to prove a point: Kings Pond needed to be cleaned up.
Thirty-eight years later, he’s again trying to hook the council to take action on the pond, though this time with a more chummy approach.
He went before the governing body on Oct. 8 with only a sheet of paper containing his talking points, asking the council to consider appropriating money in the 2015 budget for dredging and dam repair.
At 334 Lakeview Drive, Kings Pond is virtually an extension of the Shabet’s front yard. They raised six children and now entertain 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild by the water’s edge, canoeing and fishing in the summer and ice skating in the winter.
The pond, located between Lakeview Drive and Mountain Avenue, is home to more than 40 species of birds and other wildlife. Although at one point the depth was about 3 feet, Shabet said the legs of the herons that come to feed stick up out of the water, meaning in some spots the pond is only a few inches deep.
The pond is also adjacent to the village’s leaf composting facility, where trucks drive in and out consistently throughout the day.
On Tuesday, Councilman Michael Sedon and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck visited the Shabets with optimism that the pond’s shoreline could be cleaned up. Upon seeing it, they realized the job would require more effort and more funds.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/residents-seeking-support-for-restorations-at-kings-pond-1.1116983#sthash.KmJw3Uge.dpuf
