SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A woman who sued The Valley Hospital, her doctors and the maker of a medical device that she claimed caused the spread of her cancer has died, just days after providing videotaped testimony to be used when her lawsuit comes to trial.
Viviana Ruscitto, a radiology administrator and the mother of a 2-year-old boy, was 43.
Ruscitto was diagnosed with metastatic leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, a few weeks after undergoing surgery for uterine fibroids at the Ridgewood hospital last October.
During the minimally invasive procedure, a device known as a laparoscopic power morcellator was used to shred and grind the tissue to be removed so that the fragments could be sucked out through a small incision.
The morcellator’s spinning blade disperses particles from the shredded tissue throughout the abdomen and enables some cells to be absorbed and transported by the lymph system.
The federal Food and Drug Administration recently said that 1 in every 350 women who undergoes a hysterectomy for fibroids has a cancer that may not have been detected but would be spread through morcellation.
Wednesday night’s meeting was a confirmation that the Schedler advocates are being treated far differently than the RBSA who want a professional size baseball diamond at the Schedler property.
When Isabella Altano came before you with 45 thousand dollars, a matching grant opportunity and a plan to stabilize the house every obstacle was thrown in her way even accusing her of some scheme not to accept monies from Mr. Bolger. Roberta made a comment that putting together the grant application would require work from village employees and that the ability to lend the additional 45 thousand until the grant came through would be a strain.
Now the RBA comes forward with money and no plan and we find that a grant application is in place with the help of village employees and two council members knew nothing about it.
In this day and age there is no believable explanation for not informing all council members. We have email and phones and there are only 5 council members not 50. Gwenn made some comments about a dad dealing with his two equally loved children. I would say it is more like the story of Cinderella. The inequities are that apparent.
I am asking you to put a moratorium on any removal of trees or other significant alterations to the property until there is a fully vetted plan for Schedler that includes safety studies, DOT approval for site changes, traffic studies etc. At this point we do not know the entire cost of a 90 foot diamond at Schedler and whether a wall may need to be built as the property without the trees will back up to Route 17. Removing the trees in advance would be devastating and unnecessary.
I don’t understand why any one organization or advisory committee has more importance than the people. Schedler advocates are representatives of their community and for the whole of Ridgewood. They have been left out if the process. It appears that they never had a chance but you let them work diligently, attend numerous public and private meetings acting as though there was a hope. You need to know costs including long term maintenance of the property and if the field is even viable for the area. After spending some time there recently I was reminded again of how close the property is to Route 17 and how drastically the removal of the 4 acres of trees will affect the neighborhood.
I sincerely hope you will not move forward until you can present a fully developed plan to the public for their input and for your needs to know actual costs.
Hungary: Migrants should go back ‘where they came from’; threatens mass arrests
Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY2:17 p.m. EDT September 12, 2015
Hungary’s hard-line prime minister highlighted stark divisions in Europe over a growing migrant crisis, telling a German newspaper in an interview published Saturday that refugees entering the continent should go back “where they came from.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in an interview with Bild, argued that rather than opening borders to a flood of largely Syrian refugees, the European Union should create a $3.4 billion aid package for Turkey and Middle East countries to improve refugee camps that are the first stop for families fleeing war.
Thousands flock to anti-migrant demos in E.Europe
September 12, 2015
By: Khan Zahid
BRATISLAVA: Thousands of people joined anti-migrant protests in three eastern European capitals on Saturday after leaders from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia opposed an EU scheme to fix refugee quotas.
In the Polish capital Warsaw, nearly 5,000 people, many chanting anti-Islamic slogans, marched through the city, an AFP correspondent said. “Islam will be the death of Europe”, one of the banners said.
Organisers claimed the demonstration drew 10,000 people but police refused to confirm the figure.
Eastern Bloc’s Resistance to Refugees Highlights Europe’s Cultural and Political Divisions
By RICK LYMANSEPT. 12, 2015
WARSAW — Even though the former Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe have been asked to accept just a fraction of the refugees that Germany and other nations are taking, their fierce resistance now stands as the main impediment to a unified European response to the crisis.
Poland’s new president, Andrzej Duda, has complained about “dictates” from the European Union to accept migrants flowing onto the Continent from the Middle East and Africa.
Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, says his country will accept only Christian refugees as it would be “false solidarity” to force Muslims to settle in a country without a single mosque. Viktor Orban, Hungary’s hard-line prime minister, calls the influx a “rebellion by illegal migrants” and pledges a new crackdown this week.
The discord has further unsettled a union already shaky from struggles over the euro and the Greek financial crisis and now facing a historic influx of people attracted by Europe’s relative peace and prosperity.
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran has discovered an unexpectedly high reserve of uranium and will soon begin extracting the radioactive element at a new mine, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said on Saturday.
The comments cast doubt on previous assessments from some Western analysts who said the country had a low supply and would sooner or later would need to import uranium, the raw material needed for its nuclear program.
Any indication Iran could become more self-sufficient will be closely watched by world powers, which reached a landmark deal with Tehran in July over its program. They had feared the nuclear activities were aimed at acquiring the capability to produce atomic weapons – something denied by Tehran.
“I cannot announce (the level of) Iran’s uranium mine reserves. The important thing is that before aerial prospecting for uranium ores we were not too optimistic, but the new discoveries have made us confident about our reserves,” Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
Salehi said uranium exploration had covered almost two-thirds of Iran and would be complete in the next four years.
Uranium can be used for civilian power production and scientific purposes, but is also a key ingredient in nuclear weapons.
The July deal between Iran and world powers will lift international sanctions on Iran in exchange for at least a decade of curbs on the country’s nuclear activity.
After decades of efforts, Iran – which has consistently said its program is for peaceful purposes – has achieved a full nuclear fuel cycle, ranging from the extraction of uranium ore to enrichment and production of fuel rods for nuclear reactors.
Sanctions on companies taking part in Iran’s uranium mining industry will be lifted when the agreement is implemented.
Salehi said uranium extraction was set to begin at a new mine in the central province of Yazd, according to IRNA.
In July, the Ridgewood Board of Education (RBOE) announced that contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association (REA), which began in February 2015, were moving from official mediation through the NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to the fact-finding stage, also through PERC. Our first fact-finding session will be held on September 16, 2015.
During this time, the teachers and secretaries continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and work under the terms, conditions and protections of the expired contract that began on July 1, 2012, and ended on June 30, 2015.
It is important to remember that our teachers and secretaries are working within the contractually specified hours listed below and that drop-off and pick-up times at our schools must be followed:
Elementary schools: 8 a.m.-3:35 p.m.
PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 8:35 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 3 P.M.
Middle schools: 7:45 a.m.-3:20 p.m.
PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 7:45 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 2:55 P.M.
Ridgewood High School: 7:40 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
DROP OFF AND PICK UP WILL BE THE SAME
In addition, please understand that during this stage in the negotiations, teachers may decline to do some activities that fall outside of the contract. For example, they may decline to chaperone overnight/after school field trips, decline to participate or volunteer in activities that they had in the past, or may adhere to the 7.5 hour daily contract hours by arriving and leaving on time each school day. If any such actions occur that result in changes or cancellation of certain activities, school principals and other administrators will explain the reason why.
Many parents have offered to volunteer and take over these responsibilities. Some activities can be sponsored or supervised by parents, while others can’t for various insurance and personal liability reasons. Please see your principal for guidance.
While changes to activities may be an unfortunate reality during this period, it is important to stress that the RBOE and REA are working towards an agreement that satisfies both parties. Throughout the State of New Jersey, negotiations are taking place between teacher associations and Boards of Education. The vast majority of contract negotiations, almost 80 percent, are not completed prior to the expiration of the preceding contract.
Finally, if the fact-finder is unsuccessful in mediating an agreement, both parties will present their “case,” and a written report will be prepared that will be made public 10 days after they receive his non-binding findings.
Thank you in advance for your understanding as the RBOE and REA work through this process and complete the negotiations in the shortest time possible.
The New York Times reported last month that an IG investigation was looking into complaints that military officials skewed intelligence assessments about the United States-led campaign in Iraq against the Islamic State to provide a false, Obama-approved narrative about their progress.
Now, in an exclusive for the Daily Beast, Shane Harris and Nancy A. Youssef report on a “revolt” by more than 50 intelligence analysts who are sick and tired of seeing their honest assessments about the campaign turned into unrealistic “happy talk.”
The spooks working out of the U.S. military’s Central Command “have formally complained that their reports on ISIS and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria were being inappropriately altered by senior officials,” the Daily Beast reports.
Some of those CENTCOM analysts described the sizeable cadre of protesting analysts as a “revolt” by intelligence professionals who are paid to give their honest assessment, based on facts, and not to be influenced by national-level policy. The analysts have accused senior-level leaders, including the director of intelligence and his deputy in CENTCOM, of changing their analyses to be more in line with the Obama administration’s public contention that the fight against ISIS and al Qaeda is making progress. The analysts take a more pessimistic view about how military efforts to destroy the groups are going.
The large number of analysts who complained to the Pentagon inspector general hasn’t been previously reported. Some of them are assigned to work at CENTCOM, the U.S. military’s command for the Middle East and Central Asia, but are officially employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The complaints allege that in some cases key elements of intelligence reports were removed, resulting in a document that didn’t accurately capture the analysts’ conclusions, sources familiar with the protest said. But the complaint also goes beyond alleged altering of reports and accuses some senior leaders at CENTCOM of creating an unprofessional work environment. One person who knows the contents of the written complaint sent to the inspector general said it used the word “Stalinist” to describe the tone set by officials overseeing CENTCOM’s analysis.
Many described a climate in which analysts felt they could not give a candid assessment of the situation in Iraq and Syria. Some felt it was a product of commanders protecting their career advancement by putting the best spin on the war.
Some reports crafted by the analysts that were too negative in their assessment of the war were sent back the chain of the command or not shared up the chain, several analysts said. Still others, feeling the climate around them, self-censored so their reports affirmed already-held beliefs.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 8:04 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 8:13 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The Bergen County Freeholders on Wednesday approved a $1-million contract for an overflow parking lot that would enable the county to build an outdoor skating rink this winter in Van Saun County Park in Paramus.
But hold the Zamboni: There’s a rut in that plan. None of the six firms that had expressed an interest in building and operating the seasonal rink submitted a bid, county officials said.
County Parks Director Jim Koth said that as a result, the county plans to re-advertise the bidding for the rink contract after talking with the various firms to see what was it about the specifications that kept them from making bids.
Koth said he suspects some of it may have to do with the timing and the short duration of the rink-operator contract.
Under the terms of the parking lot contract awarded to Applied Landscape Technologies Inc. of Montville, the firm will have 100 days to build the lot. With a bid of $1,030,000, the firm was the lowest of seven bidders seeking to build the approximately 110-space lot on what is now a dirt lot south of the park’s carousel. The outdoor temporary ice rink would be built within the footprint of the overflow lot, Koth said. The lot also will provide additional parking for the nearby Bergen County Zoo.
SEP 9 2015, 4:16 PM ET
by ROBERT WINDREM and TRACY CONNOR
A notorious al Qaeda magazine is encouraging lone-wolf terrorist attacks on U.S. economic leaders, including Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett.
The list in Inspire magazine also included industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch, internet entrepreneur Larry Ellison, and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. A prominent economist was also on the list but asked that his name be withheld. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke was named, though not Janet Yellen, who succeeded him.
Also pictured was Jim Walton, one of the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune, although he was misidentified in the caption as his late father, Sam Walton. Several other names on the list were misspelled.
The slickly produced magazine article begins with a photo illustration showing blood-spattered pictures of several of the leaders next to a dripping gun. Its stated goal is to derail the “revival of the America Economy.”
The article says the “economic personalities” and “wealthy entrepreneurs” can get off the list by withdrawing their money from U.S. banks, investing their wealth outside American soil, and denouncing support for Israel.
#BlackLivesMatter is fast becoming its own worst enemy.
It lacks an agenda, it is antagonizing the black community’s top white political allies, including Democrats running for the party’s 2016 presidential nomination, and it is not finding common ground with any of the Republican majority in Congress.
The catalyst for the movement was outrage over the deaths of young black men like Freddie Gray, Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police officers who arguably used excessive, even deadly force. But where is the list of solutions to the injustices it so often decries?
The movement’s failure to get its collective act together carries real danger for the political clout of the African-American community in the 2016 elections and beyond.
With the movement potentially discouraging black American trust in Democrats, #BlackLivesMatter is increasing the odds of a sharp drop in black voter turnout in 2016. Already Democrats privately worry that without President Obama on the ballot, the black vote will decrease the turnout needed to keep the White House and win back the Senate.
That is more likely to happen if black voters get caught up in the anger that the BlackLives movement has directed at the political structure. The potential absence of black voters who have become discouraged — about a quarter of the nation’s Democrats — would be more devastating than any Republican plan to require voter identification, reduce the number of polling places in black neighborhoods or cut back on early voting.
When BlackLives activists denounce the Democratic National Committee for issuing a resolution in support of police reform, they are hurting themselves with party officials. When they say that all political parties try to “control or contain” black liberation, they are also damaging faith in the political system, especially among young people.
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/08/2015 06:14 -0400
After the Fed admitted over a year ago that the US unemployment rate (which in 2012 was supposed to be a rate hike “threshold” once it hit 6.5% and is now at 5.1%) has become irrelevant in a country where a record 94 million people have left the labor force, and with the Fed poised to hike rates even though US hourly wages have not only not increased for the past 7 years, but for the vast majority of the labor force continue to decline, some have asked – is there any labor-related chart that matters any more?
The answer: a resounding yes, only it is none of the conventional charts that algos and sometimes humans look at.
The one chart that matters more than ever,has little to nothing to do with the Fed’s monetary policy, but everything to do with the November 2016 presidential elections in which the topic of immigration, both legal and illegal, is shaping up to be the most rancorous, contentious and divisive.
The chart is the following, showing the cumulative addition of foreign-born and native-born workers added to US payrolls according to the BLS since December 2007, i.e., since the start of the recession/Second Great Depression.
ISLAMIC State terrorists are taking advantage of the waves of western sympathy towards would-be asylum seekers and sending trained operatives to Europe hidden among migrants crossing the Mediterranean in boats.
A sea-change in Britain and Europe’s approach to dealing with asylum seekers from north Africa and the Middle east was triggered last week when pictures of the body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi washed up on a Mediterranean beach emerged.
Celebrities, politicians and even the Pope have been queuing-up to state they wish to take migrant families into their homes.
David Cameron was today expected to announce that the UK will take 10,000 more migrants – despite previously arguing taking in refugees would encourage more people to risk the hazardous sea crossing to Europe.
But EU prosecutor Michele Coninsx, warned the charitable aims came with a potentially deadly caveat – that Isis terrorists and bombers are continuously being smuggled across the Med – hidden among migrants.
Coninsx, head of the EU’s judicial co-operation agency Eurojust, said she received the intelligence as part of the agency’s fight against illegal immigration, terrorism and cybercrime.
According to the prosecutor, ISIS and similar terror groups are also using money from people-trafficking to fund terrorism.
She said: “It is an alarming situation because we see obviously that these smugglings are meant to sometimes finance terrorism and that these smugglings are used sometimes to have and ensure infiltrations by members of the Islamic State.”
NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Unemployment numbers out of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are a cause for celebration on both sides of the political aisle and that is, because the current rate reported today for the August Jobs Reportis 5.1%, a huge improvement over the 10% notched in October 2009. Just one problem: that number is so misleading it just about counts as a lie.
You have just quit looking for work because it’s pointless? Officially you do not count as unemployed. Ditto for if you’ve taken a part-time job, however wretched, just to put a few bucks in your pocket. You are not unemployed,
The real numbers may be twice as high. Maybe one in ten of us is unemployed or we have just plain given up on the idea of a fulltime job. The BLS acknowledges this in a different tally that it calls U-6. By its count, 11.3% of us have given up on the dream of a good full-time job. Those workers, in BLS parlance, are “discouraged.” Some have given up looking for fulltime work. Others work part-time because that’s all they can get.
Some states do especially poorly. In West Virginia 13% count as discouraged. In Arizona, 13.8% of the potential workforce is not even close to where it wants to be. Nevada is a stomach churning 15.2%, the nation’s biggest clump of dissatisfied workers and the discouraged unemployed.
Polling company Gallup, by the way, says the BLS discouraged workers numbers are low. It claims that 14.7% of us – that’s one in seven – is underemployed
Watercolors – Figures and Portraits – Ridgewood Recreation welcomes outstanding artist Nora Winn to provide new watercolor instruction, specific to figures and portraits, on Wednesday mornings at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue. $95/6 classes. Students must bring own materials.
Acrylics with Sandi Chanoch – Individual and personalized attention helps all find their personal techniques. Tuesday afternoons at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue. Students must bring own materials. $70/5 classes.
Annie’s Artisanal Cookery – International Inspired Meals Join Annie as she spices up meals with international zing. Enjoy recipe favorites from the Mediterranean, Latin America, Asia, France and Italy with a final session of “good old American desserts”. Friday afternoons at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue. $120/6 sessions, all ingredients provided.
Pickleball- Enjoy beginner instruction of this newest popular racquet game at a free clinic Sunday, September 20th. Afterwards, join Ridgewood Recreation for adult instruction on Friday mornings. $30/6 weeks. Held at the Glen Courts, 865 E. Glen Avenue.
Tennis – Adult offerings with All Pro Tennis are on Fridays (beginning September 4th). Morning sessions are 9:30 to 10:30 am or 10:30 to 11:30 am. $115/6 weeks at Bellair Tennis Courts. Seniors (62 and over) can enjoy reduced registration fees, $60/6 weeks – 10:30 to 11:30 am, also at the Bellair Tennis Courts.
***Please visit the Recreation homepage at www.ridgewoodnj.net/recreation for more details and to download the registration forms for in-person/by mail signups to the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood 07450. Online registration through Community Pass is available for programs (unless otherwise noted) at www.ridgwoodnj.net/communitypass.
Don’t hesitate to call the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 for more information of if special accommodations are needed. Non-residents may register if space allows; an additional $10 fee will apply.
New program suggestions are always welcome! Please be sure to bookmark the Recreation homepage on your computer for easy access to updated program and special event information.
Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph | September 4, 2015 2:56 PM ET
Rudyard Kipling was right. Cats really do walk by themselves, and do not need their owners to feel secure and safe, a study has shown. Although absent owners might worry that their pet is pining, in fact, cats show no sign of separation anxiety.
Researchers at the University of Lincoln have concluded that cats, unlike dogs, do not need humans to feel protected.
Before cat lovers start despairing about their aloof pets, however, animal behaviourists said they should take the finding as a compliment. If cats stay, it means they really want to be there.
Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln’s School of Life Sciences, said: “The domestic cat has recently passed the dog as the most popular companion animal in Europe.
“Previous research has suggested that some cats show signs of separation anxiety when left alone by their owners, in the same way that dogs do, but the results of our study show that they are, in fact, much more independent than canine companions.
“It seems that what we interpret as separation anxiety might actually be signs of frustration.” To find out if cats needed their owner to feel secure, the researchers observed how 20 cats reacted when they were placed in an unfamiliar environment together with their owner, with a stranger or on their own.
The study monitored the amount of contact sought by the cat, the level of passive behaviour, and signs of distress caused by the absence of the owner.
“Although our cats were more vocal when the owner rather than the stranger left them with the other individual, we didn’t see any additional evidence to suggest that the bond between a cat and its owner is one of secure attachment,” Prof Mills said.
Sun, September 13, 2015
Time: 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: streets of Westwood, Emerson, Oradell, Haworth, Ha, Westwood, Emerson, Oradell, Haworth, Harrington Park
Cost: $50 per person
United Water’s 5th Annual Run the Reservoir Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2015 to benefit YWCA Bergen County. The Run the Reservoir race, which covers 13.1 miles and allows athletes to run through the streets of Westwood, Emerson, Oradell, Haworth, Harrington Park and River Vale, is Bergen County’s first half marathon and is unique because it enables runners to enjoy a 2.3-mile trail around the reservoir.
Registration will begin at 7:00 am with check-in and shirt/bib pick up. The half marathon will commence at 8:45 am with awards ceremony held at 12:00 pm for top three Men’s and Women’s Finisher’s in 14 Age Groups; 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th place over-all Male and Female. For full awards list, please visit www.RunTheReservoir.com. Race results will be provided by www.RaceForum.com.
Attracting novice and seasoned runners alike, the Run the Reservoir half marathon has quickly become a favorite among the running community due to its well-designed course through Bergen County’s residential roadways and trail along the Oradell Reservoir. Since its commencement, the turnout for the Run the Reservoir half marathon has increased each year.
Proceeds of the 2015 Run the Reservoir Half Marathon will go directly to support YWCA Bergen County who has been served the community since 1920 with programs that improve lives, inspire change and create opportunities. YWCA provides safe, welcoming places for women, girls and families to learn, share and grow; support women and girls on their paths to educational, career and financial success; and advocate for women’s rights and civil rights.
Race entry fee is $50 before August 1, 2015 or $60 after August 1, 2015 with a $3 discount for USA Track & Field members. For more information or to register online, please visit www.RunTheReservoir.com or email [email protected].
