skills learned on the field translate in fast delivery
December 13,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, It seems that Amazon has nothing on the efficiency that is the Ridgewood Poinsettia Sale.#TakeThatBezos
“Some of the secrets behind Amazon’s phenomenal success as an online retailer can be discovered inside a million-square-foot warehouse that sits amid bucolic scenery in the town of Robbinsville, New Jersey. The building is one of Amazon’s most advanced fulfillment centers, and it houses technologies that allow the company to deliver products to customers at amazing speed. Goods are identified, sorted, and packaged with computer-assisted precision, while employees work in tight collaboration with the plant’s automated systems in shifts that run around the clock.” https://www.technologyreview.com/photoessay/539511/inside-amazon/
It is all very similar to the Ridgewood High School Band drilling on the practice field.
It is has been well documented the Jeff Bezos’ Chairmen of Amazon has an obsessive focus on the customer.So when the Ridgewood High School Marching band thru down the challenge the #TakesThatBezos and you can bet Bezos took it seriously .
While the total numbers are still being complied the Ridgewood Marching band moved out the entire order of Poinsettias and Amaryllis in a matter of hours .
All and all it was a well orchestrated effort, with years or drilling on the practice field being put to good use.
Bezos remarked , “that perhaps Amazon can use the band practice idea to script its time new motion studies.” While sources at Ridgewood High School suggested that band practice was instrumental in the ability to compose , direct and coordinate a large group in a course of action.
Bezos again said “band practice for Amazon employees could create an on key composition for on time delivery”
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno today visited Ridgewood High School to launch a “Rock Your Socks” competition to benefit the Covenant House, an organization that provides food, shelter, and other services to homeless, runaway and trafficked youth between the ages of 18 and 21. Socks are often overlooked during donation drives, so Lt. Governor Guadagno asked three area high schools to engage in a friendly contest to raise awareness for the charity and get involved in their community.
“Part of being a good citizen means participating in your community or your country as a whole to make it a better place,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “Volunteer at a food bank, at a library, at a soup kitchen. You’d be amazed how good it feels to give back to the community and you have no idea just how much people appreciate the help.”
The “Rock Your Socks” initiative is part of the Christie Administration’s annual “Season of Service” program. The goal of “Rock Your Socks” is to collect as many pairs of new socks as possible for the Covenant House. Students are encouraged to use social media to take pictures of interesting or unique socks to spread awareness of the campaign and challenge others to join.
I know this is not my usual position. But this is a war. Therefore I have come to believe there should be no immigration or visa waivers until the U.S. adopts a completely new system to stop radical Islamic terrorists from entering the country. A wartime lockdown. And a big change in my thinking. ISIS and related Islamic terrorists are already here. More are coming. We must stop them. Until FBI director James Comey gives us the green light, I say seal the borders.
Here’s what we must do: Completely reform the vetting process for immigrants and foreign visitors. Change the screening process. Come up with a new visa-application review process. Stop this nonsense of marriage-visa fraud. And in the meantime, seal the borders. I agree with Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, who argued many of these points in excellent detail on the National Review website on Friday. Again, why am I taking this hardline position? In the past I have been an immigration reformer, not a restrictionist. But we are at war. That changes everything. Let me emphasize that my support for wartime immigration restrictions is not based on religion.
I think Donald Trump made a big mistake here. Instead, I agree with this Rupert Murdoch tweet: “Complete refugee pause to fix vetting makes sense.”
By MATT APUZZO, MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and JULIA PRESTONDEC. 12, 2015
WASHINGTON — Tashfeen Malik, who with her husband carried out the massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., passed three background checks by American immigration officials as she moved to the United States from Pakistan. But none uncovered what Ms. Malik had made little effort to hide — that she talked openly on social media about her views on violent jihad.
She said she supported it. And she said she wanted to be a part of it.
American law enforcement officials said they recently discovered those old — and previously unreported — postings as they pieced together the lives of Ms. Malik and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, trying to understand how they pulled off the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.
Had the authorities found the posts years ago, they might have kept her out of the country. But immigration officials do not routinely review social media as part of their background checks, and there is a debate inside the Department of Homeland Security over whether it is even appropriate to do so.
Washington (CNN)A new intelligence report shared with law enforcement warns of ISIS’ ability to create passports utilizing seized Syrian government assets, according to a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the intelligence report’s contents.
The report warned that, based on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s intelligence sources, ISIS has access to passport printing machines and blank passport books, raising the possibility the documents could be faked, according to the source.
The source noted that, beyond the report, there’s concern that this capability coupled with ISIS access to government buildings in Syria that contain valid biographical data and fingerprint info on Syrian citizens give rise to the threat of identity theft.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said government officials are “mindful” that terrorists could be making false passports.
Scandal: The administration says there just wasn’t enough time to send military help for the four Americans murdered by terrorists in the Benghazi attacks. Newly released emails show that’s another lie.
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta swore during congressional testimony in 2013 that “without an adequate warning, there was not enough time given the speed of the attack for armed military assets to respond” to Benghazi.
Killed by terrorists in the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks were U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, and CIA contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.
In a televised interview, also in 2013, Panetta, who served as the Obama defense secretary for nearly two years, said “you cannot just simply call and expect within two minutes to have a team in place. It takes time.”
So the administration’s official line has been that no help was sent because events happened too quickly.
But the facts are catching up with the story. Emails released this week by Judicial Watch show that a Defense official offered armed intervention that could in the official’s opinion have provided help. “We have identified the forces that could move to Benghazi,” chief of staff Jeremy Bash said in an email sent to State Department leadership. “They are spinning up as we speak.”
Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: https://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/121015-784759-military-support-offered-in-benghazi-but-administration-did-not-want-it.htm#ixzz3u3bHtfoY
Ridgewood News Letter: Will parking deck pay for itself?
DECEMBER 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Will parking deck pay for itself?
To the Editor:
The results of the recent election have indicated that there is a need for a parking garage. The village website provided inadequate information. Of the three designs only one was shown.
The consultants have stated that the bond can be retired from the projected revenues. However, there is no evidence of the reliability of these projections.
The design that is favored by many is one that has brick panels. It is pleasing aesthetically. The design is more expensive to build and more expensive to maintain in this climate. No financial considerations appear to have figured in this design. In addition, there is only a small building in the vicinity that has some brick exterior. If the construction bids come too high, will the architect redesign the project at no additional fee?
The revenue projections are based on increased meter fees. When fees are raised, occupancy tends to go down. The financial report cites one case where this happened. If sufficient revenues are not generated, the town residents will be left holding the bag. The consultants and the council members will be long gone.
There is no urgency to build a large deck given the uncertainty of revenue projections. I therefore suggest that the project be built in two phases.
Ridgewood NJ, businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist Henry (Hank) M. Rowan, the man who founded an international corporation, contributed generously to numerous causes and changed the face of higher education in South Jersey, passed away on Dec. 9, 2015. He was 92 years old.
Mr. Rowan, a native of Ridgewood, New Jersey, was founder and chairman of Rancocas-based Inductotherm Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of melting, thermal processing and production systems for the metals and materials industry.
He started the firm with his late wife, Betty Long Rowan, in 1953, building their first furnace in their backyard in Ewing Township, New Jersey. Initially, his main goal was to enable foundries to reduce the cost of melting metal with induction, and Mr. Rowan and his staff became true innovators, changing the face of the entire industry. Today, the Inductotherm Group and its sister companies employ more than 3,500 people in more than 20 nations and serve customers around the globe.
While renowned as a businessman and entrepreneur, Mr. Rowan did not stop there, nor did his impact. Since 1992, Mr. Rowan’s name has been synonymous with higher education. It was in that year that he and his late wife donated $100 million to then-Glassboro State College with just one request: revitalize engineering education.
Although he was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Rowan was committed to investing his money in a school and a region where he believed it could have the most impact. The Rowan Gift was the largest to date given to a public college or university in the United States.
In 1992, the board of trustees of the college changed the name of GSC to Rowan College (and it became Rowan University in 1997, when it offered its first doctoral program). In 1996, Rowan University opened its doors to its first class of engineering students. Today, the award-winning engineering college offers bachelor’s through doctoral programs in five disciplines and is adding a new building to enable it to double its enrollment to about 2,000 students. The donation by Mr. and Mrs. Rowan directly and indirectly led to remarkable growth at the university, which today is designated by the State of New Jersey as a research institution and is one of only two schools in the nation with both M.D.- and D.O.-degree granting medical schools.
In December 2014, the Henry M. Rowan Family Foundation committed $15 million to Rowan University’s College of Engineering, which was named the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering.
Mr. Rowan and his family have been generous to numerous organizations beyond the University. Among more recent donations, in 2008 he gave $20 million to what is now known as the Williamson College of the Trades in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. In 2014, Mr. Rowan funded the purchase of a building for the South Jersey chapter of Boy Scouts of America to expand its Westamptonheadquarters. Mr. and Mrs. Rowan had funded the construction of the Scouts’ original facility there in the 1980s. In 2015, Mr. Rowan and his wife, Lee, personally committed $17 million to the Doane Academy in Burlington City, New jersey.
Many organizations honored Mr. Rowan for his commitment to business and community. Among his awards were the George Washington Medal Award from the Engineer’s Club of Philadelphia (1992); Outstanding Engineer for the Year Award (1994) and a Lifetime Achievement Award (1995) from the Professional Engineering Society of Southern New Jersey, Inc.; the AFS William J. Grede Award (1995); a Distinguished Service Award from the Consulting Engineers Council of New Jersey (1997); the William Hunt EisenmanAward, Philadelphia Chapter, American Society of Metals (ASM) International (1997); induction into the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (1998); induction into the Hall of Honor, Foundry Management & Technology magazine’s highest award (2003); and most recently the Distinguished Life Membership Award from ASM International (2014).
One of his most visible honors stands on Rowan University’s Glassboro campus: a seven-foot bronze sculpture of Mr. Rowan unveiled in December 2012, two decades after the $100-million gift.
In 1941, Mr. Rowan attended Williams College for a year and then transferred to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) upon his acceptance into its engineering program. The program was interrupted by World War II, and he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet and trained to become a bomber pilot, flying B-17s and B-29s, though the war ended before he could fly in combat. He returned to MIT to earn his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
Among his many interests, Mr. Rowan was an avid pilot and sailor who was a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame and who competed in the 1992 Olympic Star Class sailboat racing trials in Miami. He published his autobiography, “The Fire Within” in 1995.
The son of the late Dr. Henry M. Rowan Sr. and Margaret Frances Boyd Rowan, Mr. Rowan also was predeceased by his first wife, Betty; his sons, James and David; and two of his siblings, Margaret and William.
Mr. Rowan is survived by his wife, Lee; his daughter, Virginia and son-in-law, Manning J. Smith III; his grandchildren, Rowan Smith Watson and Manning J. Smith IV; and his sister Miriam Mallory.
Services will be held after the first of the year. Rowan University will hold a memorial service at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, any donations be made in Mr. Rowan’s name to the American Foundry Society and the Lake George Land Conservancy.
New York State Task Force recommends overhauling Common Core and adopting new, high quality, locally-driven New York State-specific designed standards
Task Force also recommends reducing over-testing to reduce anxiety
Governor Cuomo announced the final report and recommendations of the Common Core Task Force – a diverse group of educators, parents, education officials and state representatives – which was charged with comprehensively reviewing and making recommendations on reforming the current Common Core system and the way we teach and test our students. The Task Force recommends overhauling the current Common Core system and adopting new, locally-driven New York State standards in a transparent and open process to make sure all students are prepared to succeed in an increasingly competitive 21st century economy. The new standards, curriculum and tests must be uniquely developed for New York students with sufficient local input. The Task Force also recommends that current Common Core aligned tests should not count for students or teachers until the start of 2019-2020 school year to ensure the system is implemented completely and properly to avoid the errors caused by the prior flawed implementation.
Governor Cuomo said: “After listening to thousands of parents, educators and students, the Task Force has made important recommendations that include overhauling the Common Core, adopting new locally-designed high quality New York standards, and greatly reducing testing and testing anxiety for our students. The Common Core was supposed to ensure all of our children had the education they needed to be college and career-ready – but it actually caused confusion and anxiety. That ends now. Today, we will begin to transform our system into one that empowers parents, teachers and local districts and ensures high standards for all students. I thank the Task Force members for their thorough work. Together we will ensure that New York’s schools provide the world-class education that our children deserve.”
The Task Force was chaired by Richard Parsons, Senior Advisor, Providence Equity Partners, LLC and former Chairman of Citigroup.
Richard Parsons said: “While adoption of the Common Core was extremely well intentioned, its implementation has caused confusion and upheaval in classrooms across New York State. We believe that these recommendations, once acted on, provide a means to put things back on the right track and ensure high quality standards that meet the needs of New York’s kids. The recommendations will provide the foundation to restore public trust in the education system in New York and build on the long history of excellence that preceded this period. On behalf of all the Task Force members, I thank everyone who submitted feedback during our review, as well as the Governor for providing us with this opportunity to improve the education system for students across New York State.”
The Task Force heard from more than 2,100 students, parents, teachers, administrators and other education stakeholders through public forums held across the state, thousands of pages of testimony and outreach to educators.
The Task Force affirmed the importance of maintaining the highest quality standards and performance measures in education. However, the Task Force found that over the past decade there has been rapid change in education, including the 2009 federal Race to the Top and Common Core which has created confusion and disruption in states across the nation, including New York. Moreover, the original process to adopt and implement the Common Core standards, curriculum and tests in New York had implementation issues and failed to include sufficient input from educators, parents and local districts and was not open and transparent.
To ensure that the State moves forward with high quality education standards the Task Force made 21 recommendations including:
Overhauling the Common Core and adopting locally-driven high quality New York education standards with input from local districts, educators, and parents through a transparent and open process that are age-appropriate and allow educators flexibility for Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners.
Establishing a transparent and open process by which New York standards are periodically reviewed by educators and content area experts, since educators know their schools and students best.
Providing educators and local school districts with the flexibility to develop and tailor curriculum to meet the needs of their individual students and requiring the State to create and release new and improved curriculum resources that educators can then adapt to meet the needs of their individual students.
Engaging New York educators, not a private corporation, to drive the review and creation of State standards-aligned tests in an open and transparent manner.
Minimizing student testing anxiety by reducing the number of test days and test questions and providing ongoing test transparency to parents, teachers and districts on test questions and student test scores.
Ensuring that State tests account for different types of learners, including Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners.
The Task Force found that to implement the new system would require significant work including a comprehensive review of the current Common Core Standards in order to adopt new New York State Standards and create new curriculum and assessments in an open and transparent manner for the nearly 700 school districts, 5,000 schools, 200,000 plus teachers and 2.65 million students. Therefore, the Task Force believes that in order to finally get the system right there must be adequate time to implement the system. Given all of the work and time required to review and adopt new standards, improve and adapt curriculum, and create new assessments, any current Common Core aligned tests should not count for students or teachers until the start of 2019-2020 school year when the new statewide standards developed through this process will be put into place.
Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan said: “Today’s task force report is another step forward in our overall efforts to ensure that New York’s educational system is both student-centric and parent-centric. These reforms will build on what we have already done to ease the anxiety that exists in many classrooms across the state while reinforcing the importance of high standards. I thank Senator Marcellino for his contributions and look forward to discussing this report with the Governor, the Assembly, and all of the various stakeholders across this state.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said: “While there is still much work left to be done, this report is a good first step in our efforts to improve New York’s educational standards and overhaul Common Core. The Assembly has long fought for the principles underlying the report’s recommendations. I thank Assembly Education Chair Cathy Nolan for her hard work on the Commission, and we look forward to working with parents, students, teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members and advocates in our effort to ensure that New York has the best education system possible. Our children deserve nothing less.”
New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said: “The Task Force has adopted many if not most of the Board of Regents’ recommendations for improving the implementation of the higher standards we’ve set for our students. The most important message in the Task Force report is the renewed commitment to adopting and maintaining higher standards. We cannot turn our backs on our students at a time when the world is demanding more from them – more skills, more knowledge, more problem-solving.”
New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said: “In my first few months as commissioner, I’ve traveled across the state and heard a large cross section of New Yorkers — our teachers, parents and educators –share their deep concern for improving the education of our children. And as a member of the Common Core Task Force, I’ve heard those same stakeholders express those same concerns. Likewise, the Department’s AimHighNY survey unfolded the same passionate call for clear learning standards to serve as guideposts to future success for our children. Now it’s time to move forward and deliver on the promise we’ve made to our students and give them the best schools possible.”
The comprehensive report provides the history and context of learning standards and specifically, a review of the Common Core Standards in New York; a summary of testimony and stakeholder feedback across several categories and specific Task Force responses; and a full description of Task Force Recommendations.
The Education Transformation Act of 2015 will remain in place, and no new legislation is required to implement the recommendations of the report, including recommendations regarding the transition period for consequences for students and teachers. During the transition, the 18 percent of teachers whose performance is measured, in part, by Common Core tests will use different local measures approved by the state, similar to the measures already being used by the majority of teachers.
The report builds on the Governor’s longstanding commitment to education reform, including the recent laws together with the Legislature banning standardized testing for students in pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade, capping test preparation to two percent of learning time, not counting the Common Core scores against students and requiring the State Education Department to help districts eliminate unnecessary standardized tests for all other students.
Ridgewood NJ ,The New Jersey Choral Society is seeking about 50 young singers from grades 6 through 12 for an ensemble to join in their spring 2016 performances of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Auditions will be held for treble voices (soprano, alto and unchanged tenors) on Monday, January 11, 2016 starting at 4pm at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, 169 Fairmount Road, Ridgewood, NJ. Registration forms with a $10 application fee must be postmarked by January 4, 2016. Audition requirements include a memorized solo. Other requirements and details are available on the New Jersey Choral Society website at www.njcs.org under “Upcoming Events”. Interested students, parents and educators should contact Festival Youth Chorus Director, Noelle Dachis, at [email protected] for more information.
Students selected for the chorus are expected to attend weekly rehearsals held at St. Elizabeth’s Church on Mondayevenings from January to June, 2016. Performances of Carmina Burana are scheduled for May 21 in Bethel, CT, and June 4 in Ridgewood, NJ. There is an additional potential performance at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in mid-June. The Festival Youth Chorus will be singing the rarely performed Ragazzi portion of Orff’s beautiful work. This will be a unique and exciting opportunity for young choral singers to perform with the New Jersey Choral Society and Maestro Eric Dale Knapp, and a rare experience to include on college applications, especially for students heading into a music study.
Established in 1980, the New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups, well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs. Under the direction of Eric Dale Knapp, NJCS performs three major concerts annually in Bergen and Essex counties. They have performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House and have toured internationally in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia, England, and France.
“True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion,” said boxing legendMuhammad Ali.
Muhammad Ali seeks understanding of Islam
December 09, 2015, 06:59 pm
By Bradford Richardson
Muhammad Ali called Wednesday for political leaders to use their positions to bring about a better understanding of Islam, which he said had been distorted by terrorist groups.
“I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world,” Ali said in a statement to NBC News “regarding presidential candidates proposing to ban Muslim immigration to the US.”
“True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion,” Ali added.
“Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people’s views on what Islam really is,” Ali said.
Ridgewood NJ, Last night was a huge success for residents in that village , the Village council committed to doing the four studies on the high density issue. Without the pressure from residents, this would not have happened. The meeting went late and there were no big outbursts or excitement.
Village council agreed to 4 comprehensive, independent impact studies regarding the high density housing .The 4 comprehensive independent impact studies are financial, school, traffic, infrastructure.
Mayor Aronsohn made it clear from the git-go that all four studies would happen. Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli switched sides like a Gemini – while he was completely opposed to the four studies in September 30, now he is in full support. This is all good, and will delay the high density housing for awhile longer. The hearings on the housing ordinances are continued until February 10. In spite of Aronsohn’s early declaration that the four studies would happen, public comments went on for about 2.5 hours, with 20 people speaking against the housing and often tying it in with not wanting the garage. Seven others had spoken against the housing in the first 1/2 hour comments session.
Also the Village Council Public Meeting was the introduction of the Bond Ordinance supports the largest garage as depicted in the images and as decided on by council majority (3-2). The garage details include parking for 405 cars (net gain of 305) totaling 136,550 square feet, height of 49’2” to the parapet and the tower height at 68’4”. The garage requires the elimination of all on-street parking along Hudson Street, elimination of some on- street parking along South Broad Street and the rerouting of Hudson and Passaic Street traffic.
The introduction of the bond for the garage was 5-0 in favor. This, mind you, is just the introduction. There is a pretty good indication that Susan and Mike will vote it down then, forcing Atilla the Aronsohn to head straight to the county to float the bond. We shall see.
The public hearing and vote on the Bond Ordinance is scheduled to occur in January 2016. In the meantime, Council Woman Knudsen is seeking public input regarding the proposed Hudson Street garage as shown in the simulations [email protected] .
At the bitter end, From 12:02 until almost 1AM, the Schedler people spoke, 9 of them. They asked for studies to be done around Schedler as they are being done in the CBD. They want traffic studies, air quality, noise, etc. one guy had an audio tape that he played of the deafening noise there from 17. A cardiologist explained the serious health risks to children who exercise in polluted air. There was a funny exchange where Gwenn attempted to undermine the doctor’s assertions of respiratory risks when running around in bad air, and she even suggested that maybe no one should even live over there.
Other Highlights for Last night:
ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION
3515 – Bond Ordinance – Construction of Hudson Street Parking Deck ($12,300,000) – Appropriates this money for the construction of the Hudson Street parking deck
ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING
3509 – Amend Various Salary Ordinances
3512 – Amend Valet Parking Ordinance
3513 – Non-Union Salary Ordinance
3514 – Management Salary Ordinance
ORDINANCES – CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING
3489 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish AH-2 Zone District
3490 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish B-3-R Zone District
3491 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish C-R Zone
3492 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish C Zone District
3493 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Amend Various Sections – Multiple Zone Districts and General Affordable Housing Regulation
President Obama does not receive briefings about the FBI’s investigation into the personal email setup Hillary Clinton used as secretary of State, bureau Director James Comey said on Wednesday.
As a result, Obama should have no way of knowing how the inquiry is proceeding, Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite the president’s apparent dismissal of concerns about impropriety.
The FBI’s examination of Clinton’s server, which held her private email account and has drawn intense criticism from Republicans and transparency advocates, has put the FBI in a tight spot.
In response, Comey has repeatedly attempted to shoot down concerns about political motivation in his bureau’s probe and fears that investigators will undermine evidence against Clinton or another Obama administration official.
“I hope the American people know the FBI well enough and the nature and character of this organization,” Comey told the Senate panel on Wednesday.
“As I’ve said many times, we don’t give a rip about politics,” he added. “We care about finding out what is true and doing that in a competent, honest and independent way. I promise you that’s the way we conduct ourselves.”
Conservatives expressed worry in October when Obama said that Clinton had made “a mistake”by using the private email address throughout her time at the State Department but that the behavior did not compromise official secrets.
“I can tell you that this is not a situation in which America’s national security was endangered,” Obama told CBS’s “60 Minutes.”
According to reports, Obama’s comments upset some FBI officials, who worried that it amounted to meddling in their investigation.
Ridgewood NJ, Senator Kevin O’Toole (R-Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic) said New Jersey’s addition of 15,200 private-sector jobs in October and an updated total of 24,100 new jobs in the past two months shows that Republican reforms are working and the state’s economic rebound would be enhanced with the advancement of more Senate Republican jobs policies.
“New Jersey is creating jobs at a fast pace under Governor Christie’s administration not seen in recent memory, thanks to ample reductions in red tape and our investments in real private sector job creation, workforce training and smart economic development,” said O’Toole, a member of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee. “Our unemployment rate has fallen nearly a full point this year to 5.4 percent, and in the months ahead we’re on track to recover all of the 258,000 jobs lost under the previous administration. Indeed, this is a far cry from what happened under the previous governors where taxes and fees were raised 115 times while the unemployment rate skyrocketed to 9.8 percent.”
O’Toole emphasized, “Not counting Great Recession years, the 15,200 private-sector jobs we created in October alone are more than twice the 7,400 private-sector jobs created in former Gov. Jon Corzine’s best year and more than six times the 2,400 jobs created in Gov. Corzine’s second-best year.”
Senator O’Toole also pushed for the continued advancement of the Senate Republican’s 36-bill package to jumpstart job creation and economic growth without costing taxpayers extra money. So far, 15 of the bills have garnered Senate Democrat sponsorship; 12 have garnered Assembly Democrat sponsorship; the Senate has advanced or fully passed 11 of them and the Assembly has advanced or passed a number of them as well, and the governor just signed into law an innovation bill to help start and grow small businesses by allowing private online investments.
“The investments and incentive programs we’ve enacted under this governor to attract and retain job creators are working, and must continue in a transparent and accountable way until legislative Democrats allow votes on bills to make New Jersey’s nation-high taxes competitive with other states,” O’Toole said. “This new state jobs report is positive and we need to continue that momentum built under Governor Christie by passing Senate Republican solutions to lower costs of doing business and cut even more red tape.”
Ridgewood NJ, start your New Years off to a creative start by signing up for a painting class at the RAI. We have some wonderful teachers to enjoy -Rebecca Leer is teaching Oil Painting – Landscape, Seascape, Still Life and Portrait for Adults in the West Studio on Wednesday and Thursdays from 10am – 1pm.
Diana Gibson is teaching Oil Painting – Landscape, Seascape, Still Life and Portrait for Adults in the West Studio on Wednesday and Thursday Evenings from 7pm – 9pm.
Susan Hope Fogel is teaching Drawing for Adults, Figure and Still Life in the East Studio on Thursday evenings from 7pm – 9:30pm.
Janet Cunniffe-Chieffo is teaching Oil Painting for Adults – Florals and Still Lifes on wednesday’s in the east studio from 10 – 1pm
Joel Popadics is teaching water color for Adults in the east studio on thursday’s from 10 – 1pm.
Annette Hanna teaches Pastel-Portrait, Still Life & Landscape,
Fridays daytime – 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Edwin Broussard teaches Figure Drawing, Life Costume and Still Life for adults, Mondays -9:30 am – 12:00 pm.
Charles Brandenburg teaches Fundamentals of Watercolor, The Basic Techniques, Problem Solving, Design and Composition for adults, Tuesday evenings – 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm.
Murray Smith teaches Oil Painting: Floral, Still Life & Landscape Painting for adults, Monday daytime 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Peggy Dressel teaches Watercolor Techniques, Mixing Color, Composition, Landscape, Flowers & Still Life for adults, Tuesday daytime – 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Or just stop by the barn and pick out that special “hostess” gift to bring to Thanksgiving dinner – beautiful “Small Works” for sale for only $150.00. These beautiful, original works of art have been donated by local artists to help fund the “running costs” of the barn.
A beautiful selection is still left – give a gift that keeps on giving throughout generations to come.
