Friday, May 18, 2012
Send your letters to joseph.gerace@patch.com
To The Editor, Too often, we, the hardworking taxpayers of Bergen County, have witnessed the abuses of government — double-dipping of public pensions, inflated salaries prior to retirements to boost pensions, cost over runs on projects, costly lawsuits on differences that should simply be settled by negotiations, unlimited overtime… The list goes on and on… We have all read the headlines and news stories of these abuses of the public trust. Day after day we watch with disgust as our tax dollars are wasted as we look to our elected officials to properly act on our behalf. Last year as a candidate for Bergen County Clerk, I raised one such issue of wasted tax dollars — the inflated cost of election printing by the Bergen County Clerk’s …
Friday, May 11, 2012
A state legislative committee approved a bill this week that would bar the practice.
Can an employer force you to reveal your Facebook or other social media password as a condition for getting hired or keeping your job? That issue began to get some attention in March after a statistician in New York reported that during an interview with a potential employer, the woman interviewing him had searched for his Facebook and, upon discovering that it was private, asked him for the password. The statistician, Justin Bassett refused and left the interview, according to the Associated Press. But the story brought to light other instances where employers have sought similar access to social media accounts, and have led several states to consider legislation to ban the practice. California's assembly voted Thursday to approve such …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
An editor's personal journey through autism.
This story is not mine to own. It could belong to you. It could belong to your sister, your friend, your neighbor, the waitress at Jersey Boys, the bank president, the school principal, the police officer directing traffic. In New Jersey, the story belongs to all of us. The findings of a federal study released last week show that one in 49 children, and one in 29 boys, are diagnosed with autism in New Jersey. Nationally, one in 88 children are diagnosed annually. Autism is a disease that gives itself freely and without prejudice. There is no way to protect your child from it; no diet or vaccine that will prevent it. It is, as experts will tell you, pervasive. Autism has been an unwanted guest in my house for 11 years. It has attached …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Send your letters to joseph.gerace@patch.com
- OPINION
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Tuesday, March 27
Dear Editor, I am truly tired of the ACLU and their heavy handed tactics. I am also tired of people, like Mr. Goodman, who seem to feel that hundreds of signs will make a greater impact than a reasonable amount of signs. Running to the ACLU seems to me the insecure way out rather than accepting the ordinance as voted on, by the Committee, to which there was public comment, and to which Mr. Goodman might have used to express his dislike of the ordinance. Rather than following the proper methods of debate and discussion Mr. Goodman runs to the ACLU after the fact. Had Mr. Goodman been at the meetings where this ordinance has been discussed and availed himself of the process he might have done better. I hope the Committee will fight the ACLU …
Sunday, March 25, 2012
This reader says film adaptation was true to the book.
It's not every week I'd let two of my kids stay up til 3 a.m. to go to a midnight movie on a school night - but the fact we were at Caldwell Cinema Thursday instead of sleeping, is a testament to how much we love Suzanne Collins' series, "The Hunger Games." And, if the packed theater was any indication, the rest of America does too. The movie was filled with fans - some who'd read all three books in the series, some who had only gotten through the first one. There was also one teenaged girl, was hurriedly finishing the pages of the first book, minutes before the lights went out. For book fans, the movie didn't disappoint. The depiction of Panem was just as bleak as described in Collins' trilogy. Prim and Rue were sweet and innocent, and …
Saturday, March 24, 2012
A rabbit can mean a 10-year commitment, and shouldn't be a hastily-decided Easter gift.
- OPINION
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Saturday, March 24
With Easter quickly approaching, many families seek the perfect gift to give their loved ones and children. An appealing option always seems to be a pet rabbit—what better way to celebrate the Easter Bunny than a fluffy friend of your very own? Unfortunately, many times the decision to purchase a rabbit is done in haste and new owners realize quickly these animals (whose lifespan is generally six to ten years) take more care and attention than most new owners are willing to give. It is estimated that the amount of rabbits abandoned at shelters greatly increases following the Easter holiday. This ends up leading to an influx of rabbits being neglected, improperly cared for, left at animal shelters, or, worst of all—let out into the wild, an…
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Take a chance and try something risky
How did you fail today? The newly minted, self-made billionaire Sara Blakely was routinely asked this by her father at the family dinner table. If the creator of Spanx had no answer her dad would comment, “That’s too bad.” Blakely soon understood that is was OK to take a chance and try something without worrying about the final outcome. At the next dinnertime conversation, Blakely was able to brag about her attempt at trying something new and her lack of success. This time dad rewarded her with a high five. I want to high five this dad. His encouragement and support of failure has led to his daughter’s phenomenal success. As parents, we want our children to succeed at everything they try. If they don’t get all As on their report card we …
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Vote in the poll or tell us in the comments.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, March 21
Let the Tebowmania begin! The highly-praised but heavily-scrutinized quarterback will be suiting up in green and white next season after being traded Wednesday to the New York Jets for two draft picks. The announcement Tuesday that former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had officially signed with the Denver Broncos not only made the Broncos an immediate playoff contender, it also meant media darling Tim Tebow was out of a starting job. No longer the starter, rumors began to fly Tuesday night that Tebow would be traded, with the Jets considered a possible desintation. On Wednesday, FOXSports' Jay Glazer broke the news on Twitter that Tebow had in fact been traded to the New York Jets for a fourth-round pick in this year's …
Monday, March 19, 2012
Survey praises state laws on open records, campaign finance disclosures, public integrity.
A new study ranks New Jersey tops in the nation for its procedures for uncovering corruption. In a report released Monday, the Center for Public Integrity rated all 50 states in terms of their laws for public records access, requiring reports of campaign donations, accountability of all three branches of government, state budget transparency, civil service procedures, purchasing procedures, lobbyist disclosure, audits, pension fund management, ethics bodies, insurance regulation and redistricting. "Keep in mind we're not measuring cases of corruption, but the systems in place to prevent it, and encourage openness and transparency in government," said Gordon Witkin, CPI's managing editor. The report is likely a surprise for many state …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Women approve of Obama more than men.
The president is feeling the love in New Jersey with a 51% approval rating, according to Fairleigh Dickinson University’s latest PublicMind poll. Women in the state are among President Barack Obama’s biggest supporters, according to the poll. Read the full release here, and take our poll to tell us what you think of Obama. The president’s approval is up in New Jersey, and the “wrong direction” number is down. According the latest poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind™, 51% of New Jersey voters say they approve of the way the president is handling his job, while 42% percent disapprove, a significant improvement from the president’s lukewarm 46%-45% approval in January. Men, in fact, are more likely to disapprove of the …
HobokenOwl
11:45 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
No kidding, B@b. My point was your "Professional" online persona is your linkedin account. Your fun online persona is fb. more ›