Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Saturday announced a plan to reform the veterans health system at a rally in Norfolk, Va.
“We’re going to take care of those wounded warriors and we’re going to take care of our vets better than anybody.”he said, speaking in front the USS Wisconsin — the same spot where now-Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was formally introduced as Mitt Romney’s running mate in 2012.
Trump promised that in his administration, veterans would receive better healthcare more quickly.
“The plan will ensure our veterans get the care they need, wherever and whenever they need it,” he said.
Trump said that he would institute policies that would see Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities competing with non-VA hospitals. He said that under his plan, any veteran could go to a doctor that accepts Medicare and receive care.
In a winding indictment of the VA system, he targeted Veterans Health Administration hospitals that came under fire in the last year for keeping long wait lists of veterans who needed crucial care.
“Think about me going to my doctor’s office and waiting four days,” he said. “If I wait 15 minutes, I’m angry as hell at the doctor.”
Trump said the VA system needed to be maintained but reformed.
Ridgewood NJ, its official tonight is the night , the time moves back one hour at 2 a.m. local time Nov. 1; unless your out and about or doing some late night tick or treating you should reset your clocks before going to bed so you won’t arrive at appointments an hour early tomorrow .
While many question whether anyone in New Jersey really knows what time it is .Arizona and Hawaii are now the only two states that do not observe daylight saving time. During daylight saving time, parts of Arizona match up with Pacific Time instead of the Mountain time zone that the state is in. U.S. territories where time simply does not have the same meaning like Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas also do not observe daylight saving time.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act into law, making daylight savings time the law of the land . The U.S. Department of Transportation is the keeper of daylight saving time.
So why does it exist ; one argument for daylight saving time is that fewer accidents happen during daylight hours, so extending morning daylight in winter and evening daylight in summer results in a slight reduction in automobile accidents.
The idea behind daylight saving time is to take advantage of daylight hours and save energy. This theory has come under debate inn recent years ,with many “daylight deniers ” out there . In 2008 federal Department of Energy study, U.S. electricity use decreased by 0.5% for each day of extended daylight saving time, resulting in a savings of 0.03% for the year as a whole.
While the savings may seem small in percentage terms, in absolute terms, if the theory is true added up to 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours ,which is enough to power about 122,000 average U.S. homes for a year.
Others point to the time change is actually is rooted in an agricultural society. The idea of “extending” daylight was meant to provide more time to work in the fields.Remember humanity spent most of its pre-Edison existence siting around in the dark .
The staff of the Ridgewood blog would like to put forth one more theory , and that is golf . As we have witnessed through US modern history a good game of golf can not be under estimated by any administration with extended daylight adding much to handicaps .
Most pollsters will tell you that the majority finds it more a nuisance rather than benefit but, they secretly take pleasure in their friends and coworkers who show up late or early the next day .
Halloween Reading : Reviving Witchcraft
By Kate Carlson | Published 10/29/15 7:32am
When people hear “Witch” most will associate it with an evil woman with a big nose, pointed black hat and a broomstick.
Most are unaware there is a community within Central Michigan University that identifies as Witches year-round.
The end of October is a sacred time for many religions, specifically those who practice Witchcraft and other contemporary Pagans. Their holy day, Samhain, the traditional Celtic holiday focused on the end of the harvest and preparations for winter, falls on Halloween.
Practicing Witchcraft as either a Witch or Wiccan usually falls under the umbrella of Paganism, explained religion professor Dr. Laurel Zwissler. Paganism is usually classified as the practice of reviving ancient religions in conjunction with a spiritual appreciation for the earth.
“There are so many misunderstandings about what Witchcraft as a religion is, it makes sense to me that a lot of people would choose to be a little more private about their beliefs,” Zwissler said. “I do know there is a Pagan presence on campus.”
The population of people who practice Witchcraft is difficult to track, mostly because of the stigma attached to the minority religion, and lack of brick and mortar places of worship, Zwissler said. In popular culture Witches are typically portrayed as cartoon characters and are demonized. The fictitious myth of a Witch that exists in the media does not reflect people who actually practice the religion, but is still associated with them. That does not stop some, however, from practicing their religion despite negative backlash and lack of religious diversity on campus.
Roze Bentley has identified as a Witch for 20 years. The Mount Pleasant student is studying religion and said she instantly found a community within a registered student organization formed for religious diversity, Open Grove Society, upon arriving at CMU.
“A lot of people have a very negative, visceral reaction to the word ‘Witch,’” Bentley said. “There’s a stereotype of a harmful person, and really the religion is completely the opposite of that.”
Witchcraft practices have deep roots in feminism, and have self-care as a central message to the faith.
Ridgewood NJ, This is exactly the sort of program I envision the RHS Alumni Association creating, sponsoring and providing volunteers for. Until today I had never heard about this program for students interested in health care professions. It is in its 10th year. Please read:
“Dr. Earl Wheaton, RHS ’46, returned to school to talk with Caroline Richards’ (RHS ’91) current 10th grade RAHP students about medical ethics. Dr. Wheaton, who helped initiate a medical ethics department at Valley Hospital spoke about the need for such a department and how doctors and staff use four basic principles to negotiate tough ethical decisions regarding patient care. Here he explains the possible scenarios one might consider as he or she fills out an advance directive. The issue of medical ethics connects to the 10th grade curriculum through four texts – Flowers for Algernon, Frankenstein, Better and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – as students try to answer the overarching questions, “Just because we can do something, should we?” and, “What responsibilities do we have to those to whom we commit ourselves?”
RAHP (Ridgewood Academy of Health Professionals) is a three year, interdisciplinary program for students who think they might be interested in the health care professions. Students enjoy group explorations to Valley Hospital and 1:1 mentorships with its professionals, as well as integrated English, science and health classes. The program is celebrating its tenth year.”
Ridgewood NJ, The staff of The Ridgewood Blog has learned that on Thursday, 10/29, a Ridgewood Police department officer observed two (2) pieces of excavating equipment being operated on a Village street in violation of the NJ State Department of Motor Vehicle (NJDMV) regulation requiring vehicle registration and liability insurance.
The equipment was being operated by a contractor hired by the Village of Ridgewood to perform leaf removal services. Use of the equipment was suspended, at the request of Ridgewood PD, until such time that it complies with NJDMV requirements.
OCTOBER 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
How do you raise a child with diabetes?While every story is different, for village resident Charlotte Pillow the recipe would include one part education and one part inspiration, mixed with creativity, philanthropy and a never-give-up attitude.
There’s no doubt that Pillow, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at an early age, is aware of the negative aspects of the disease. But with a decade of experience dealing with diabetes, it has actually become a positive change in her life, and she has spent her more recent years raising awareness of the disease and counseling those who were in the same position as she once was during her elementary school days.
In medical terms, Type 1 Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce a hormone called insulin, which helps get glucose, used by the body for energy, from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. About 5 percent of people with diabetes have this form of the disease.
But in the world of a third grade girl at Hawes Elementary School, it manifested itself in the form of a voracious thirst and appetite and frequent trips to the bathroom.
2015 Ridgewood District-wide Science Testing Report
Click here to read the District-wide State Testing Report for Science 2014-2015, presented to the Board of Education on October 19, 2015 by the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Cheryl Best.
BY JENNIFER C. KERR
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Results from national math and reading tests show slipping or stagnant scores for the nation’s schoolkids.
Math scores were down for fourth and eighth graders over the last two years. And reading grades were not much better: flat for fourth graders and lower for eighth graders, according to 2015 results released Wednesday for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam.
The falling mathematics scores for fourth and eighth graders mark the first declines in math since 1990.
The results suggest students have a ways to go to demonstrate a solid grasp or mastery in reading and math.
Only about a third of the nation’s eighth-graders were at proficient or above in math and reading. Among fourth graders, the results were slightly better in reading and in math, about two in five scored proficient or above.
The report also found a continuing achievement gap between white and black students.
There were a few bright spots: the District of Columbia and Mississippi both saw substantial reading and math gains.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged parents, teachers, and others not to panic about the scores as states embrace higher academic standards, such as Common Core.
“We should expect scores in this period to bounce around some, and I think that ‘implementation dip’ is part of what we’re seeing here,” Duncan said in a phone call with reporters. “I would caution everyone to be careful about drawing conclusions.”
Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, echoed Duncan.
“One year does not make a trend,” Minnich said at a panel discussion Wednesday. “We set this new goal for the country of college and career readiness for all kids. Clearly, these results today show we’re not quite there yet and we have some work to do.”
The Common Core standards were developed by the states with the support of the administration. They spell out what students should know in English and math at each grade level, with a focus on critical thinking and less of an emphasis on memorization. But they have become a rallying point for critics who want a smaller federal role in education and some parents confounded by some of the new concepts being taught.
The NAEP tests, also known as the “nation’s report card,” don’t align completely with Common Core, but NAEP officials said there was “quite a bit” of overlap between the tests and the college-ready standards.
Indoctrinated: Some can recall a time when our campuses of higher education were zones where free speech thrived. That was another era, though. Today’s students want speech restricted. How did it come to this?
The results of a poll that should be shocking, but sadly aren’t, show that 51% of students favor their “college or university having speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty.”
Oddly, 95% say that “the issue of free speech” is important at their college or university, while 73% believe that the First Amendment is “an important amendment that still needs to be followed and respected in today’s society.” Only 21% told the Buckley Free Speech Survey that it is “outdated” and “can no longer be applied in today’s society and should be changed.”
Maybe these findings are not so odd, after all. In today’s America, “free speech” and “First Amendment rights” tend not to include any expression that doesn’t conform to left-wing ideology.
Seven years ago, almost two entire college generations in the past, the Acton Institute observed, “Students at colleges and universities who articulate conservative and traditional views are at particular risk of bullying and indoctrination by campus administrators and faculty who are zealous ideologues.”
Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: https://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/102715-777695-politically-correct-conditioning-starts-when-kids-are-young.htm#ixzz3psV4RWsp
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood’s Alzheimer Awareness Week ,Sponsored by Parks Wealth Management and Unicity Elder CarernContributions from Mayor Paul Aronsohn and the Ridgewood Chamber of Commercern Presentation: Care Alternatives & Solutions for a Loved One with Alzheimer’srnPresented by Devorah Sinensky, Director of Social Work & Care Manager specializing in Dementia Care at UnicityrnEldercare.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn will kick off the week’s events.rnNovember 15th – 4:00PM – 6:00PM at the Council Chambers in Ridgewood Village Hallrn Presentation: Legal & Financial Considerations Associated with Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’srnPresented by Jim Parks, CFP®, AEP®, AIF® President and Wealth Advisor at Parks Wealth Management (*) and BrianrnKeane, Esq. at Hartman & Winnicki, P.C.rn
November 16th – 6:00PM – 8:00PM at the Council Chambers in Ridgewood Village Hallrn*Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPCrn Alive Inside: A Story of Music and MemoryrnA cinematic exploration to demonstrate music\’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to thosernsuffering from Alzheimer’s.rn
November 18th – 1:00PM – 2:30PM at Ridgewood Warner Theatrern Presentation: Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care, The Pitfalls to AvoidrnPresented by Jason Grant, Careone Executive Directorrn
November 19th – 6:00PM – 8:00PM at the Youth Lounge in Ridgewood Village HallrnCaregivers from Unicity Eldercare will be present at each presentation in Village Hall to help care for loved ones withrnAlzheimer’s in the Senior Lounge. This will enable family members to attend the events.rn“Knowledge is power and our goal is to spread knowledge throughout our community for those effected by Alzheimer’s.”rn– Jimmy Cerveaux, Co-CEO & Partner of Unicity Elder Carern“The statistics are startling – for people over age 80, 1 in 2 are impacted by Alzheimer’s. We are excited to providernpractical and helpful information for these families at each event.” – Jim Parks, CFP®, AIF®, AEP® President and WealthrnAdvisor at Parks Wealth ManagementrnIf you would like more information about this topic, please contact Jonathon Allen at (201) 689-2020 or email [email protected].
2015 LEAF PICK UP SCHEDULE – ENFORCEMENT OF SCHEDULE
NOTICE CONCERNING LEAF REMOVAL FOR 2015
Last year the Village of Ridgewood implemented a pilot program to outsource a portion of our leaf removal service. After reviewing and evaluating input that was provided by you regarding the success of this change, we again will be using the services of a third party contractor in Area B. The combined effort of the Village staff and this contractor will enforce our continuing commitment to improve your Village services.
In accordance with last years’ schedule, residents in Area B will remain the same with the exception of the following streets which will now be considered “Area D” for leaf season only.
Leaves must be placed directly in the street no more than 7 days prior to your scheduled pick up date. Please have your leaves in the street on the first day scheduled for collection. If you employ the services of a landscaper communicate these dates to them. No brush will be collected during leaf season. You may continue to bring leaves as well as brush to the Recycling Center. The hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Leaves can also be placed in paper biodegradable bags. Bags will be available at the Recycling Center on a first come, first serve basis. When using bags please place them on the curb area and they will be collected separately.
The most vocal comment heard from residents last year was on properties who did not comply with the schedule. Therefore enforcement will be vital to the Village’s success to improve this service. An enforcement agent NOW ISSUING SUMMONS to those that violate these guidelines.
As weather is a key component to this operation, if changes become necessary it will be posted on the Village of Ridgewood website. In addition you are encouraged to sign up for e-mail notifications via the Village website and to share this information with your neighbors. As a reminder, use caution when our leaf removal crews are on your block. When possible please take an alternate route to ensure the safety of all. Should you have any questions, please call the Street Division at (201) 670-5585.
BY ANDREW TAYLOR AND ERICA WERNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker John Boehner is trying to make one last deal as he heads for the exits, pushing to finalize a far-reaching, two-year budget agreement before handing Congress’ top job over to Paul Ryan this week, congressional officials said Monday.
The deal, in concert with a must-pass increase in the federal borrowing limit, would solve the thorniest issues awaiting Ryan, who is set to be elected speaker on Thursday. It would also take budget showdowns and government shutdown fights off the table until after the 2016 presidential election, a potential boon to Republican candidates who might otherwise face uncomfortable questions about messes in the GOP-led Congress.
Congress must raise the federal borrowing limit by Nov. 3 or risk a first-ever default, while money to pay for government operations runs out Dec. 11 unless Congress acts. Top House and Senate aides have been meeting with White House officials in search of a deal that would give both the Pentagon and domestic agencies budget relief in exchange for cuts elsewhere in the budget.
The measure under discussion would suspend the current $18.1 trillion debt limit through March 2017. After that it would be reset by the Treasury Department to reflect borrowing over that time.
TAX CREDITS: TOO HIGH A PRICE TO ATTRACT COMPANIES, KEEP THEM IN NEW JERSEY?
OCTOBER 26, 2015
JOHN REITMEYER
Companies and critics explore the pros and cons — and costs — of incentives used to convince corporations not to move out of state
When Panasonic was seeking a new location for its corporate headquarters after four decades in Secaucus, moving to downtown Newark was not the original plan, according to chief executive officer Joe Taylor.
Offices in San Diego, Chicago, and Atlanta were all under consideration, but after intense lobbying from politicians here — and the enticement of an $80 million state economic-development tax incentive — Taylor decided to keep the company and its 1,000 employees in New Jersey, choosing to relocate in downtown Newark.
Now, Taylor said 60 percent of the company’s employees are taking the train to work, meaning their cars are off New Jersey’s already choked and potholed highways. Panasonic also has an agreement with city government to give local residents a first crack at job openings.
“I’m a huge proponent of economic development,” Taylor said while participating in a panel discussion during NJ Spotlight on Cities, a daylong conference held earlier this month at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark that focused on the state of New Jersey’s cities.
“I think tax credits are critically important,” he said. “I think other kinds of credits are critically important.”
OCTOBER 25, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
What do you do with a big, isolated office building that no one wants anymore?
It’s a question being asked around New Jersey as giant office parks — built along highways when the suburbs boomed in the second half of the 20th century — sit empty or half-empty while corporations shrink their footprints and younger workers look for a more urban, transit-friendly buzz.
In northern Bergen County, for example, A&P, Mercedes-Benz USA, Hertz and Pearson have left or soon will leave offices built in the 1970s and 1980s, when corporations headed out of the cities for greener suburbs.
“There was a whole movement toward beautiful, idyllic campuses, but the workforce today wants to be in an urban hub,” said Andrew Merin, vice chairman with Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate firm with offices in East Rutherford.
As a result, “each of these properties is going to have to invent its own future,” said James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers.
Some of these properties are destined for the wrecking ball — including the former Pearson building in Upper Saddle River, owned by Mack-Cali, New Jersey’s largest office landlord, which is fighting to build housing on the site.
Others will be redeveloped. The most striking example is the ambitious, multimillion-dollar renovation of the old Bell Labs in Holmdel into Bell Works, a mixed-use property that aims to turn the landmark building’s giant atrium into an indoor Main Street with an “urban” vibe.
Whatever their fates, it’s clear that many of the state’s large, 30- or 40-year-old buildings will no longer function as home to a single corporate user. And, experts say, municipal officials who depended on those corporations — and their big property-tax payments — need to make another plan.
Hundreds of thousands people will lose their insurance plans as a raft of health insurance cooperatives (CO-OPs) created by the Affordable Care Act will cease operations. Just last week, CO-OPs in Oregon, Colorado, Tennessee and Kentucky announced that they would be winding down operations due to lower than expected enrollment and solvency concerns (although the one in Colorado is suing the state over the shutdown order). They join four other CO-OPs that have announced that they would be closing their doors. In total, only 15 out of the 23 CO-OPs created by the law remain. These closures reveal how ill-advised this aspect of the ACA was both in terms of lost money and the turmoil for the people who enrolled in them. The eight that have failed have received almost $1 billion in loans, and overall CO-OPs received loans totaling $2.4 billion that might never get paid back. In addition, roughly 400,000 people will lose their plans.
Sources: Sabrina Corlette et al. “The Affordable Care Act CO-OP Program: Facing Both Barriers and Opportunities for More Competitive Health Insurance Markets,” The Commonwealth Fund, March 12, 2015; Erin Marshal, “8 Things to Know About Insurance CO-OP Closures,” Becker’s Hospital Review, October 20, 2015. Created using Tableau.
Notes: Hawaii and Alaska not shown. Neither state had a CO-OP. CoOportunity Health served both Iowa and Nebraska.
Proponents of the CO-OPs believed that they would be able to offer lower premiums than for-profit insurers because they did not have the same profit motive, but even non-profit insurers cannot operate at a financial loss indefinitely. When they were created, these CO-OPs had no customers, no experience in setting premiums, no networks and limited capital. The government tried to subsidize the early period of uncertainty by disbursing loans to help with startup and solvency issues, and money from other provisions like risk corridors would dampen losses in the initial years. Lower than expected payments from the risk corridors have exacerbated the issues facing some of these CO-OPs, who were counting on substantial payments to stay afloat. But this is hardly the only factor contributing to their struggles, some of them the product of other government policies like delaying employer mandate penalties and giving states the option to allow transitional policies through 2017. Some of these later developments could not have been anticipated, but many analysts, including Cato scholars, were skeptical about the prospects of CO-OPs from the beginning. Even some ACA supporters recognized the flaws inherent in the CO-OP design: Paul Krugman derided them as a “sham” and in a 2009 interview Professor Timothy Jost said could not see how a CO-OP “does anything to control costs.” There have been multiple warning signs that many CO-OPs were in trouble. Earlier this year The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent letters to 11 CO-OPs placing them on “enhanced oversight” due to financial concerns, and a 2014 report from the HHS Office of Inspector General found that “most of the 23 CO-OPs we reviewed had not met their initial program enrollment and profitability projections,” and that the government “had not established guidance or criteria to assess whether a CO-OP was viable or sustainable.”
These CO-OPs were not a good idea at inception and were always going to face many obstacles to success. Multiple changes to the law since they were established have exacerbated these problems, and already struggling CO-OPs have folded. Competition is indeed vital in health insurance markets, but the CO-OPs were a bad way to try to foster this competition. With these closures, billions of taxpayer dollars could be lost and hundreds of thousands of people will discover that the “if you like your plan, you can keep it” promise does not apply to them.
OCTOBER 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
No ‘equality’ for residents living on village’s East Side
To the Editor:
At an Oct. 7 Ridgewood Council meeting, former resident Mr. Giordano made what I thought was the most important point. He stated that the sports groups met often with neighbors to assure them about a project on Maple East. They also met with neighbors about other projects. We know that the village met with neighbors of Habernickel.
What is the difference between these and the East Side residents regarding the future development of the Schedler property? Since 2008, I believe there have not been sufficient sit-down meetings between East Side neighbors and the village.
The East Side was presented with a 1997 schematic in 2008. From that date forward, all the residents saw were renderings by the village/Parks and Recreation/Fields/sports groups. Nobody met the east side residents and asked for input and suggestions specifically about the schematics.
To say that the three open public forums in 2012 were sufficient is incorrect. I have minutes from those meetings — the neighbors did complain about proposed traffic, loss of trees, size of fields. That is the last time they had anything to do with the three plans since then. But were they shown a plan that is shown today?
One day they saw a concession stand when a recent schematic was presented (presented, to the public, without any consideration or input by the neighbors), one day they saw a turnaround, one day they saw 24 extra parking spaces, on and on. At the Oct. 7 meeting, they saw that the turnaround was gone, a left turn lane put in its place.
Is this any way to treat a neighborhood, when other projects spent time with neighbors?
To equate Schedler with Habernickel, as is done with pride by the village, is not a fair equation.
To equate Schedler with other fields abutting highways is also not a fair comparison, as the neighborhoods are different.
And to talk about very small amounts of traffic misses an important point: What is going to happen to the “light” traffic when 70 or more cars are coming to a game and will arrive at the same time?
The Engineering Department draws plans satisfying sports’ groups needs, but they do not draw plans satisfying the residents of the East Side. Where is the equality?
