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Ridgewood : SALT Deduction to Charitable Contributions

1040taxirs_010415getty

January 8,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, could New Jersey pull off the transfer of SALT deductions into Charitable Contributions ? We guess it depends on how you define  Charitable Contributions. 

So we referred to IRS Publication 526 Cat. No. 15050A  Charitable Contributions, https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf

The IRS defines Charitable Contributions :

Types of Qualified Organizations Generally, only the following types of organizations can be qualified organizations. 1. A community chest, corporation, trust, fund, or foundation organized or created in or under the laws of the United States, any state, the District of Columbia, or any possession of the United States (including Puerto Rico). It must, however, be organized and operated only for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. Certain organizations that foster national or international amateur sports competition also qualify.

2. War veterans’ organizations, including posts, auxiliaries, trusts, or foundations, organized in the United States or any of its possessions (including Puerto Rico).

3. Domestic fraternal societies, orders, and associations operating under the lodge system. (Your contribution to this type of organization is deductible only if it is to be used solely for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.)

4. Certain nonprofit cemetery companies or corporations. (Your contribution to this type of organization isn’t deductible if it can be used for the care of a specific lot or mausoleum crypt.)

Examples of Charitable Contributions—A Quick Check Use the following lists for a quick check of whether you can deduct a contribution. See the rest of this publication for more information and additional rules and limits that may apply. Deductible As Charitable Contributions Not Deductible As Charitable Contributions Money or property you give to: Money or property you give to: Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other religious organizations Federal, state, and local governments, if your contribution is solely for public purposes (for example, a gift to reduce the public debt or maintain a public park) Nonprofit schools and hospitals The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, CARE, Goodwill Industries, United Way, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, etc. War veterans’ groups
Expenses paid for a student living with you, sponsored by a qualified organization

Out­ of ­pocket expenses when you serve a qualified organization as a volunteer Civic leagues, social and sports clubs, labor unions, and chambers of commerce Foreign organizations (except certain Canadian, Israeli, and Mexican charities) Groups that are run for personal profit Groups whose purpose is to lobby for law changes Homeowners’ associations Individuals Political groups or candidates for public office
Cost of raffle, bingo, or lottery tickets
Dues, fees, or bills paid to country clubs, lodges, fraternal orders, or similar groups
Tuition
Value of your time or services
Value of blood given to a blood bank Table 1.
Page 2 of 22 Fileid: … tions/P526/2016/A/XML/Cycle04/source 9:03 ­ 19­Jan­2017 The type and rule above prints on all proofs including departmental reproduction proofs. MUST be removed before printing.
Page 2 Publication 526 (2016)

This is where is gets interesting:

5. The United States or any state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. possession (including Puerto Rico), a political subdivision of a state or U.S. possession, or an Indian tribal government or any of its subdivisions that perform substantial government functions. (Your contribution to this type of organization is deductible only if it is to be used solely for public purposes.)

Example 1. You contribute cash to your city’s police department to be used as a reward for information about a crime. The city police department is a qualified organization, and your contribution is for a public purpose. You can deduct your contribution.

Example 2. You make a voluntary contribution to the social security trust fund, not earmarked for a specific account. Because the trust fund is part of the U.S. government, you contributed to a qualified organization. You can deduct your contribution. Examples. The following list gives some examples of qualified organizations. Churches, a convention or association of churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, and other religious organizations. Most nonprofit charitable organizations such as the American Red Cross and the United Way. Most nonprofit educational organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, colleges, and museums. This also includes nonprofit daycare centers that provide childcare to the general public if substantially all the childcare is provided to enable parents and guardians to be gainfully employed. However, if your contribution is a substitute for tuition or other enrollment fee, it isn’t deductible as a charitable contribution, as explained later under Contributions You Can’t Deduct. Nonprofit hospitals and medical research organizations. Utility company emergency energy programs, if the utility company is an agent for a charitable organization that assists individuals with emergency energy needs. Nonprofit volunteer fire companies. Nonprofit organizations that develop and maintain public parks and recreation facilities. Civil defense organizations.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf

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New Jersey has been in the top five outbound states in each of the last seven years from 2011 to 2017

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see they above chart

January 8,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, North American Moving Services has just released its annual US Migration Report for 2017 based on household moves from one US state to another last year.

In 2017, the top five inbound US states were: Arizona, No. 1 with 67% inbound moves vs. 37% outbound, followed by Idaho (63%-37% in-out), North Carolina (62-38%), South Carolina (62-38%) and Tennessee (58-42%).

The top five outbound US states last year were No. 1 Illinois (32% inbound moves vs. 68% outbound), followed by Connecticut (38%-62% in-out), New Jersey (38-62%), California (40-60%), and Michigan (41-59%).

Illinois has been among the top five outbound states in each year from 2011 to 2017 and was No. 1 or No. 2 in each of those years except 2011 when it was No. 3. New Jersey has been in the top five outbound states in each of the last seven years from 2011 to 2017. Connecticut has been in the top five outbound states every year since 2011 except for 2012, and Michigan every year except 2013. Last year was the first time that California was among the top five outbound states.

For the top five inbound states, Arizona has been included every year except 2011, and it’s been No. 1 or No. 2 in each of the last four years. South Carolina has been in the top five inbound states in each of the last seven years, and North Carolina every year except two (2011 and 2015). Florida has been among the top five inbound states in most years but wasn’t in 2017, it was replaced in the top five by Tennessee, which made its debut last year.

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A LIMITED Quantity of Fire & Fury by Michael Wolff will be available on Monday, January 8th at Bookends in Ridgewood

Trump Derangement Syndrom

January 7,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ok Trump Haters this is your big chance , A LIMITED Quantity of Fire & Fury by Michael Wolff will be available on Monday, January 8th at Bookends in Ridgewood. Sure most of its made up ,but hey , “what difference does it make”.

You can preorder TODAY by calling the store (201)445-0726

Be it Trump Anxiety Syndrome, Impeachment Fantasy Syndrome or Trump Derangement Syndrome, the country is in the throes of a major epidemic, with no known cure and some pretty scary symptoms.

According to Justin Raimondo is the editorial director of Antiwar.com ,Trump Derangement Syndrome being the worst of the bunch and the most serious .TDS victims routinely compare Trump to Hitler: Time magazine ran an opinion piece that asked “Just how similar is Donald Trump to Hitler?” The answer: “The comparison between Hitler and Trump is so poignant” because “both men represent their personal character as the antidote to all social and political problems.”

Raimondo goes on , “The mid-level stages of TDS have a profound effect on the victim’s vocabulary: Sufferers speak a distinctive language consisting solely of hyperbole.”

“As TDS progresses, the afflicted lose the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. Despite Trump’s expressed desire to “work something out” for the so-called Dreamers – those brought here as very young children – Trump’s critics continue to harp on this issue. Immigration advocate Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, who has a very bad case of TDS, inadvertently revealed this mind set when he said: “Before anyone falls into the trap of believing that Trump is ‘softening’ on immigration, they should remember that we’ve seen this movie before.”

Bookends ,211 E Ridgewood Ave

Ridgewood, New Jersey

 

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Attacks on Mayors Sons Erode Confidence in Ridgewood Police Department

Ridgewood Police Mt Carmel2

file photo by Boyd Loving

January 6, 2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, continued attacks on the mayors sons has begun to erode confidence in the ability of the police department to do its job. It ‘s only a matter of time before attorneys begin to argue that discrepancies in the police hiring process force the hiring of unqualified officers .

The attacks led by Don Delzio , and his cadre of pro garagzilla , pro RBSA turf field at Schedler and pro over-development of Ridgewood on the mayor have had the net effect of degrading the entire Ridgewood police force .

The fact is Ridgewood is a civil service police department like it or not you have to pass a test and a physical test and a psyche exam not matter who mommy or daddy is. If you look back 6 or7 years ago John Ward was the chief in Ridgewood and he couldn’t get his second son on the job. If the boss cant get his own son hired it doesn’t say much for nepotism. There is also the rule of 3 the hiring authority has to pick from the top 3 candidates if you are not there you have to wait.

Mayor Knudsen’s husband is a police officer. It is very common for children in professions of this nature to follow in their parents foot steps. My brother was career army. All his children considered military service. My two nephews are NYC Firemen. Their grandfather was a big wig official in The NYC Fire Department. The tests for Fire and Police are rigorous and we do hire Ridgewood residents first and foremost and as far as police It is a civil service appointment and the guidelines are strictly enforced.

Ridgewood is civil service and village council has no control over hiring. New Jersey Civil Service dictates all hiring procedures. Don and his friends if they are so interested should apply below:

Applications are available for The New Jersey Civil Service Commission Law Enforcement Examination. The Ridgewood Police Department uses the eligibility list provided by the State to hire candidates. The test is given every three years.

1. Applicants must be citizens of the United States as of August 31, 2016.

2. Applicants must meet the residency requirements of the appointing jurisdiction as of August 31, 2016 and may be required to maintain continuous residency in that jurisdiction up to and including the date of appointment.

3. Applicants must be high school or vocational high school graduates, or possess an approved High School Equivalency Certificate by August 31, 2016.

4. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age as of August 31, 2016. Applicants for Municipal Police Officer and its bilingual variant positions cannot be over 35 years of age (one is considered over 35 on the day of his/her 35th birthday) as of August 31, 2016, unless they meet the exceptions in “Maximum hiring age requirement for Municipal Police Officer” as indicated on the Fact Sheet. NOTE: The age 35 maximum hiring requirement applies only to Municipal Police Officer and its bilingual variants.

5. Appointees will be required to possess a driver’s license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

6. Appointees may be required to pass thorough medical and drug screening, and psychological/psychiatric examinations. Failure of any of these is cause for removal from that title area.

7. Appointees will be required to successfully complete a training program mandated by the NJ Police Training Commission. This training must be completed prior to enrollment in the Police and Fire Retirement System.

8. After you complete and submit your online application, you will receive a confirmation page which includes a link and access code to the Candidate Preparation Guide. Please print your confirmation page prior to going to the link.

An abbreviated application is used for this title. Information regarding education, experience, licenses/certifications, training or internships is not collected.

The Ridgewood Police Department provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, The Ridgewood Police Department complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment New Jeesey. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

https://rpd.ridgewoodnj.net/index.php/recruitment

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Municipal Workers Who Volunteer as Firefighters or EMS face Delay of Pension Benefits

Paramus firefighters battle a smokey blaze at the Denny Wiggers Garden Center

file photo by Boyd Loving

January 5,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ,  Many firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other volunteer first responders in New Jersey are being told to leave their posts for six months.

Many volunteer first responders come from the ranks of the local town employees .

The State of New Jersey is saying that  technically these volunteers hold two positions and must terminate from both positions in order to qualify for retirement benefits, when they retire .

State law says there must be a six-month separation of service from the town  retires from before he can receive any compensation from the town again or else he puts his pension in jeopardy.

State Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-Westwood) said many towns rely heavily on volunteer services. Thus, she introduced a bill two years ago that would get rid of the six-month separation for firefighters.

“Went through committee unanimously; went through the entire senate unanimously,” Schepisi said.

The problem is that the bill has not been put up for a final vote in the assembly. If it is not voted on by this week, it expires.

Only Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus) can bring the bill up for a vote. Schepisi said he assured her it would move forward, but so far, it has not

Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi , “For my NJ friends please call your state assembly representatives and ask them to get Assembly Bill A-536 posted for a vote by Speaker Vincent Prieto on Monday. Our volunteer firefighters and EMS face losing their pensions if they continue to volunteer after retirement from a State, school or municipal job. My bill fixes this absurd requirement but time is running out.”

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Bergen County Offices will be closed to the public on January 4, 2018 due to the inclement weather

snow

file photo by Boyd Loving

January 4,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, County Offices will be closed to the public on January 4, 2018 due to the inclement weather. First responders and those employees with weather-related duties will report at their scheduled times. Employees of 24/7 operations should follow standard operating procedures. Please check the County website for updates at www.co.bergen.nj.us.

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THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ANNOUNCES JANUARY AS NATIONAL RADON ACTION MONTH

Ridgewood Realestate

file photo

January 3,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Health Department Director, Dawn Cetrulo announced that January has been designated as National Radon Action Month in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Radon Program. During Radon Action Month, the Village of Ridgewood will provide radon information and test kits free of charge at the Ridgewood Health Department, 131 N. Maple Ave., 5th level from 8:30 am until 4 pm.


Radon is a serious health risk. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer — and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. But because radon is invisible and odorless it is easy to ignore this potential hazard in our own homes.
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally when uranium and radium break down in the soil and in rock formations. Radon gas moves up through the soil and finds its way into homes through cracks in the foundation and openings around pumps, pipes and drains. 


Radon is measured in picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) of air. The average U.S. indoor level is 1.3 pCi/L. At 4 pCi/L, the risk of lung cancer from radon is greater than the risk from fire or other home accidents. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DEP recommend that action be taken to reduce radon levels if the level in the home is greater than or equal to 4 pCi/L.
If the test indicates a radon problem, radon mitigation systems can be installed at a cost similar to that of other home repairs. A list of certified mitigation companies is also available from the Radon Program.
For more information on radon, contact Dawn Cetrulo at 201-670-5500 ext. 245 or the DEP Radon Program at (800) 648-0394 or visit www.njradon.org.

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OK how about those New Years Resolutions ?

Soccer Uefa Goal Line TechnologyUEFA has called on FIFA's law-making panel to delay a decision on approving goal line technology

Don’t Be A Quitter!

Ridgewood NJ, Casting director Kelli Calabrese gives us her pitch on keeping your New Years Resolutions  and goal setting .

Calabrese says , “Do you know someone who sets a goal and runs after it with massive action? I have friends who act like androids continually crushing their goals and rising to the top at whatever they set out to do. I realize they are rare, however far too many give up too easily on their dreams.

A select few give their dreams their all. They are in the minority.

So what’s the difference between making excuses and quitting versus putting your head down and being fully sold out and attached to reaching the most excellent outcome?

You need to sell yourself. You need to sign yourself up fully for what ever it is that you want to do, be, have or give. Your belief in the outcome must be unshakable.

If you were Thomas Edison, would you have invented the lightbulb? Would you have failed over 1,000 times and kept believing it was possible and putting all of your resources into making it a reality?

The truth is that some of you already quit on your 2018 goals because you never fully believed it was possible. You might say that you want to lose weight or quit smoking or pay off debt or take that dream vacation, but do you know that you know that you know, deep in your soul that you will make it happen? Are you willing to invest the resources and do what ever is necessary to achieve it?

How can you increase your chances of achieving your 2018 goals?

Write them down, read them daily, make them public.
Build EXTRAORDINARY belief in yourself, your product or service and your ability to make it happen.
Recruit others to share the vision, advise, hold accountable, support and mentor you.
STOP making excuses. Once you complain or make excuses you have one foot on the breaks and are close to quitting.
Find someone doing what you want to do (or be or have or give) and duplicate their success.
Set up rewards along the way and have a celebration planned for when you achieve your goal. Recognition, fun and celebration make the hardness in transforming, stretching and growing more manageable.
Have a daily method of thinking and acting that moves you closer to your goal each day.

If someone quits after a month or 2 or 6 they weren’t truly committed. They didn’t even give the seeds of their work time to grow.

How could you expect someone else to commit and follow you when you weren’t TRULY committed?

The moment you recruit yourself is the moment when everything changes. It won’t typically happen right away but it will happen!

When your goals are achieved you will enjoy the sweet spot of your passion, purpose and profit coming together! It’s priceless”

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Winter in the Village of Ridgewood

Ridgewood_firefighters_free_hydrants_theridgewoodblog

January 2,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A few winter reminders .We have already experienced a couple of snowfalls this month. As a reminder, when it snows or is icy, please place your garbage cans at the end of your driveway for collection.  The Village appreciates your cooperation in keeping our Village employees safe.

All sidewalks in residential districts must be cleared within 24 hours of the snow falling. Please do not place snow into the street; instead, place it back onto your own property. In addition, if you have a fire hydrant on your property, please clear it of any snow accumulation

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REMINDER 2018 VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD PARKING PERMITS ARE ON SALE NOW!

Ridgewood Trainstation_theridgewoodblog

January – December 2018

Ridgewood Parking Permits – RPP

Hourly meter rates in all Village lots and streets are $.50 per hour from 10AM to 6PM, Monday through Saturday. 3 hour meters on streets & in all lots, except the Cottage Place Lot which has 8 hour meters.

RPP – (Ridgewood Parking Permit) provides ‘coinless’ convenience and can be used for unlimited parking in specified lots.  $750 Annual permits are issued for a calendar year to residents for parking in Chestnut St., N. Walnut St., Cottage Pl., Route 17 Park & Ride Lots. $1,000 Annual Premium RPP will be issued for parking at the Train Station, and all other Ridgewood Lots. A maximum of 210 Annual Premium RPP will be issued.

$1,500 Non-Resident Permit allows parking in Cottage Place Lot; $750 Permit allows parking in the Rt. 17 Park & Ride Lot.

Payment may be made by check or cash. We accept credit cards that will have a 3% convenience fee charged to the purchaser.

If the Resident RPP is purchased later in the year, fees are prorated as follows:

RESIDENT Purchase Month  

FEE

 

Purchase Month

 

FEE

RESIDENT Purchase Month  

FEE

 

Purchase Month

 

FEE

January $ 750 July $ 370 January $1,000 July $ 496
February $ 690 August $ 300 February $ 916 August $ 412
March $ 625 September $ 245 March $ 832 September $ 328
April $ 560 October $ 185 April $ 748 October $ 244
May $ 500 November $ 120 May $ 664 November $ 160
June $ 435 December $ 65 June $ 580 December $ 76

Applications are available at the Village Hall Reception Desk Monday through Friday, 8:30AM to 4:30PM. All Applicants – residents and non-residents – must show current Driver’s License and valid Vehicle Registration(s) for up to three vehicles. For flexibility, you can list 3 vehicles on a permit, but the permit can only be used by 1 car for 1 parking space at a time.

All lots, including the Train Station Lot, will require a free Ridgewood Resident Parking Sticker in addition to the purchased RPP.  Resident parking stickers are issued annually for free to residents only at the Village Hall Reception Desk.  This sticker confirms you are a resident.

RPPs can be used in any metered space in the lots designated for that particular permit and provides unlimited parking from the hours of 6AM to 2AM. On Saturday, RPPs may be used in any lot, but not in the CBD Employee Spaces. They are not valid for street parking. The hangtag permit must be displayed on the rearview mirror when the vehicle is parked. RPP does not guarantee availability of a parking space.

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Stay on Top of the Local News in Ridgewood

village-hall-theridgewoodblog

January 2, 2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen , Wishing all a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year surrounded by family, friends, and a supportive Village community. All the best in 2018.

Please start the new year by visiting https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/ and registering for important Village of Ridgewood notifications including Ridgewood E-Notice (operational updates) and SwiftReach911.

Of coarse if you really want to know what going on around here

Subscribe to the Ridgewood blog mailing list

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Weather, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Federal Communications Commission“Be Smart: Alerts and Warnings” guide

valleyEmergency_theridgewoodblog

December 31,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, we picked this up form the Paramus Office of Emergency Management . You may not be near a TV or radio to find out when severe weather is approaching. Learn the different ways you can get alerts and warnings by using the “Be Smart: Alerts and Warnings” guide.

Receiving timely information about weather conditions or other emergency events can make all the difference in knowing when to take action to be safe. Local police and fire departments, emergency managers, the National Weather Service (NWS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and private industry are working together to make sure you can receive alerts and warnings quickly through several different technologies no matter where you are–at home, at school, at work, or in the community. For those with access and functional needs, many messages are TTY/TDD compatible and many devices have accessible accommodations. Review this fact sheet to make sure you will receive critical information as soon as possible so you can take action to be safe. Be sure to share this information with your family, friends, and colleagues. And remember to keep extra batteries for your mobile phone or radio in a safe place or consider purchasing other back-up power supplies such as a car, solar-powered, or hand crank charger.

link: https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1440448868597-c0112a8bd0aa1c4a62ed44ba68b24d3f/Alerts_and_Warnings_508_20150824.pdf

 

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Trump’s Poke at the “Climate Change Cult ” sets off a Frenzy

abominable-snowman-520169

December 30,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington DC, President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that “we could use a little bit of that good old global warming” in response to the bitter cold hitting the East Coast this week. That tweet started a furor with many who’s lively hoods are dependent on perpetuated the myth of man made “climate change”.

Even Ridgewood Water uses the climate change myth to justify its gross incompetence and push acceptance by over taxes residents of third world water restrictions .  Simple logic sheds suspicion on the entire argument .

The “global warming ” charade has been popularized by the same guy Al Gore who proudly announced he discovered the internet . Clearly the argument is a money maker for many researchers and companies  ,and a source of revenue for the government .

Gore a divinity student pushed the “climate change religion” to further his political aspirations. The Pope recently jumped on the band wagon. Using terms like “climate change deniers” , and proposing trials for anyone who challenges the lucrative agenda harks back to the days of the “Inquisition”.

Funny how the same people in the Village of Ridgewood who support the climate cult also support clear cutting trees and building turf fields ?

The same evidence used in the 1950’s to support “global cooling” was used in the 1970s to support “global warming “.  People if the weather was stagnate and never changed the Dinosaurs would still be here .

No Evidence of Dangerous Global Warming

Posted on July 10, 2016
By Bryan Leyland

Many articles in the Herald over the past few years have emphasised the dangers of man-made global warming (aka “climate change”) and warned us that extreme measures are needed to save us from this imminent climatic disaster. Almost without exception, the authors of these articles have assumed that man-made carbon dioxide causes dangerous global warming, rapid sea level rise and more floods, droughts, cyclones and so on.
But what does the evidence tell us?

Regarding world temperatures, historical records from ice cores tell us that it was warmer during the Mediaeval Warm Period, the Roman Warm Period and the Bronze Age. The Mediaeval Warm Period was experienced all over the world including Australia and New Zealand.

The oldest set of recorded temperatures comes from central England and started in the mid 1600s. They show a temperature rise of a little more than 1°C – which is not surprising as the record started in the middle of the Little Ice Age. Since 1900 – which was fairly cold – most temperature records show that the world warmed quite rapidly up until the 1940s, then the temperature declined until 1975 when it rose again at the 1930s rate until about 2000.

Since the 1970s, satellite measured temperatures which, NASA says, are the most accurate, have been available and, if the two El Nino events are ignored, show no statistically significant temperature rise for the last 18 years. By contrast, the computer-based climate models predicted temperatures about 0.5° higher than they really are and the IPCC has admitted that 97% of its temperature predictions were much higher than actual temperatures. Should we believe the evidence or the models?

What will happen next? The climate models predict rapidly increasing temperatures but people who have studied past temperature cycles, sunspot cycles and the current dearth of sunspots predict that a substantial worldwide drop in temperature is highly probable. Who is right? Only time will tell – and quite soon. The present El Nino temperature peak will be followed by an equally dramatic drop in temperature as La Nina sets in. But no one really knows what will happen after that.

Sea level rise is reasonably well documented for the last hundred plus years from tide gauge records that show that it has been at a fairly steady rate in the region of 0.14 and 0.17 m per century. This is not unexpected given that we are still coming out of the Little Ice Age. Since the 1970s, sea levels have been measured by satellites that show a rate of rise of 0.32 m per century. No one is quite sure why the disparity exists. Some people believe it is because they are biased by mid-ocean sea level rise which does not affect the situation along shorelines. Neither record shows any sign of a recent and rapid increase in sea levels.

Sadly, this does not stop academics who specialise in computer models of the climate advising the Royal Society of New Zealand that sea levels are likely to rise rapidly and reach between 0.3 m and 1 m by 2100 – more than predicted by the U.N.Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Scientists with practical experience of sea level changes around New Zealand point out that the coastline is subsiding in some places and rising in others. The Royal Society advisers have ignored these movements and the slow rise in New Zealand sea levels over the last 100 years. Similar extreme predictions have been adopted by the Ministry of the Environment and are now being used by Councils to devalue coastal land and limit development near the sea. They have even predicted sea level rise in places where the land is rising from the sea!

A recent article in the Herald stated that sea levels in some Solomon Islands were rising rapidly because of global warming. It also said that the sea level at Tuvalu was rising and forcing people to flee. The reality is quite different: it is well-known that the islands in the Solomons are steadily sinking beneath the sea and the accurate tide gauges installed by the Australian government at Tuvalu in the 1990s show that there has been no significant increase in sea level.

A study by a New Zealand academic showed that the land area of Pacific atolls is increasing. If it didn’t, then all the atolls in the ocean would have been drowned when the sea level rose at 3 m per century coming out of the last ice age.

Regarding floods, droughts, cyclones and the like, there is no convincing evidence that these are increasing. The IPCC agrees. A recent scientific paper analysed the past history of these events and concluded that they were less frequent now than during most of the past 1000 years.

So, as is so often the case, the perception and reality are vastly different. In New Zealand this is not helped by a mainstream media that seldom publishes anything that examines the evidence and propounds a different view. Yet there is no doubt that the science is NOT settled and debate is needed.

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Is New Jersey a hotbed of UFO activity ?

UFO

December 29,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Is New Jersey a hotbed of UFO activity ? According to the National UFO Reporting Center New Jersey has had 2161 UFO sightings and/or alien contacts. This includes one reported sighting in Ridgewood on Wednesday August 9th ,2017 at 06:53 . The sighting lasted for 15 seconds .

the report reads as follows : Metallic egg craft with a shadow circle orb around it.

On the morning of Wednesday 9. I was driving to work at approximately 6:53 AM.

As I was exiting the highway to go over the overpass. I looked up to the sky way up in front of me and this object caught my eye immediately. It’s seem to be about a mile away.

I quickly determined that it was not moving. It was not a plane or helicopter or anything I’ve seen. It was very very still. It wasn’t very big. If you held a dime in front of you it looked that big, but mile away.

The belly of this object was dark. On the top of the roof of it, I could see the sun reflecting off it. I could tell that the roof of it was metallic.

It was shaped like a saucer but more rounded. The strangest thing about it was that it had an orb around the craft. I could see the space between The craft and the black shadowy orb that and in-circled it.

I only had about I only had about 100 yards till I had to make my right turn. The rest of my drive to work had trees that blocked my view from further seeing this UFO.

I wish I had stopped right away to take a picture. I was mesmerized by this site. I couldn’t stop on the overpass anyway and I only had a few more minutes to get to work. It was a really cool sight to see.

The National UFO Reporting Center is an organization in the United States that investigates UFO sightings and/or alien contacts. NUFORC has been in continuous operation since 1974. It was founded in 1974 by Robert J. Gribble. It has catalogued almost 90,000 reported UFO sightings over its history, most of which were in the United States. In addition to record keeping, the center has provided statistics and graphs to assist others looking for information.

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A Grinch Stole a Ridgewood Christmas

grinch

December 28,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that a  Lynn Street resident reported being the victim of criminal mischief on December 22. The victim reported an unknown person damaged and removed Christmas decorations outside of the residence. The amount of damage is unknown at this time.