JerseySmarts.com

Start the Weekend Right Link Series – Volume #1, Edition #2

Joe — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 09:23:24 +0000

Here’s hoping that you enjoyed last week’s inaugural edition of the Start the Weekend Right link series. As I noted last week, since Google Reader shut down on July 1st I’ve been using Feedly to read the latest content from my 74 different subscriptions. If you have a bunch of different websites that you check out everyday, then I encourage you to condense your efforts and check out that websites on Feedly. And hey, whether you have a free Feedly account or you use another RSS aggregator I’d be thankful if you would follow our feed at http://www.jerseysmarts.com/feed/ or (via Feedly) by clicking here. Thanks!

This weekend’s links are below for your reading pleasure. If you come across any interesting links, then please share them with us in the comments section below. Enjoy!

Start the Weekend Right Link Series – Volume #1, Edition #2
Old Professors Never Quit, They Just Hang Around, Bloomberg
As an adjunct professor with potential designs to become a full-time professor at some point in the future, I found this article interesting. The author explores the issue of having professors in the classroom that just don’t seem to ever want to retire. One of the interesting points in the article is that the number of active professors over the age of 65 doubled from 2000 to 2011. This discussion begs the question of whether it even matters that there are so many older professors in the classroom. Definitely an interesting read for my fellow education news junkies.

Most Newark Residents Want More Charter Schools, Poll Reveals, Newark Patch
This article could have easily been put in the “obviously – duh!” file. Of course most Newark residents want more charter schools! Not only have charter public schools in Newark (and other urban areas in New Jersey) been proven time and time again (PDF) to absolutely decimate the traditional public schools in terms of academic performance, they do it at a fraction of the cost of the traditional public school sector. Everyone in New Jersey knows that the silly, increasingly irrelevant teachers’ union fights tooth and nail against charter schools because they do a better job at a more efficient cost. And it seems like the folks in Newark want more charters as this article reports 71% of respondents supported an expansion of charters in the city.

Breaking Down Monmouth’s Nonconference Schedule, A Daly Dose of Hoops
If there are any other Monmouth University basketball fans out there reading this series of links, then I encourage you to check out the Daly Dose of Hoops breakdown of the nonconference match-ups that the Hawks will have during the coming season. Also, if you didn’t see the release of the nonconference games for the coming season, then this article will update you on who the Hawks are playing outside of the MAAC in 2013 – 2014. College basketball season is coming soon…

The Sweetness of Time Off, NY Times – The Dealbook
I enjoyed reading this article because I enjoy the idea of taking time off to recharge your batteries. What Dealbook does in this article is discuss how to vacation and what the concept of vacation means in and for today’s workforce. At my job, in addition to 12 holidays each year I get 31 “paid time off” days. We don’t distinguish between sick days and vacation days and we are only allowed to carryover 12 days each year. That means that each year I absolutely must take off 19 days (the equivalent of about 4 weeks of work). Frankly, I find it hard to do this because I rarely get sick and I’m not the type to go off on week-long vacations to exotic or interesting places (that’s not easy to do while you’re battling student loan debt). However, in the spirit of this article I’ve been considering going on a longer vacation by heading to some place other than the Jersey Shore. Who knows?

Neptune Plans Rent Control Measure, The Coaster
For anyone living around my area of Monmouth County and, particularly, in Neptune Township – this article is for you. It appears that there may be a local property management company that is increasing rental rates beyond what one might consider a reasonable annual adjustment. The Township Committee in Neptune is going to combat those large adjustments by instituting a rent control measure. More details in the article.

County Rolls Out New Tax Assessment Program, Asbury Park Sun
No, I’m not some nerd for tax assessment programs or local property taxes. This article caught my eye because I think it’s a great example of new methods being used to eliminate wasteful, inefficient practices from the past. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I get frustrated when working with local governments or workers who are beyond retirement age and can’t function at the speed of now. The new system for adjusting property taxes in Monmouth County is an easy to understand, logical, timely system. Good work by all involved in this program!

Asbury Park Press Among Hardest Hit in Gannett Job Cuts, Asbury Park Sun
At one point, I used to follow local news agencies and the surprising amount of drama that takes place at these institutions. Today, I have a much smaller though still lingering interest in what goes on at the organizations that provide the public with what is considered “news.” So when I saw that the second largest newspaper in New Jersey – the Asbury Park Press – was hit pretty hard with a round of job cuts from Gannett, I thought that this would be an interesting story to share. Which brings me to…

End of An Era at First Energy Park, WOBM
The retirement of Asbury Park Press sports writer Tony Graham leaves a large hole in the coverage of many Monmouth University sports. Tony’s writing was excellent and though I haven’t followed him any longer than I started attending the home basketball games in 2009, I always enjoyed reading his postgame wrap-ups on his wildly popular The Hawks Nest blog. You can read Tony’s announcement regarding his retirement here.

Monmouth University Stadium To Get $5 Million Upgrade, Long Branch-Eatontown Patch
Clearly, this week’s Start the Weekend Right link is heavy on Monmouth University-related news. And rightfully so – we’re just a few weeks away from school being back in session and there is a lot going on in and around the campus right now. This story is about a long-awaited, much needed update to the university’s otherwise weak football “stadium.” One of the areas of the university’s athletic facility offerings that has been a black eye in the shadow of the MAC is the football field. Some of the problems with the field can be fixed as this story shows. However, until the university finds a way to add bleachers to the visitor’s side of the field, it’s going to be tough to sell Kessler Field as a big-time, Division I football field. In any event, the addition of this new four-story building goes a long way in getting Monmouth where it needs to be.

Roxbury’s Tito Santana Enjoys the Quieter Life, Roxbury Register
This is a fun, wholesome story from my hometown’s weekly newspaper. Anyone who is a fan of WWE or, more appropriately, the old World Wrestling Federation, will know the name Tito Santana. A former WWE World Tag Team Champion and WWE Intercontinental Champion, Santana is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame and… he was one of my gym teachers in high school. I’ve written about Santana every once in a while over my various internet properties over the last nearly twenty years. He’s a great man with a beautiful family. I was friends and teammates with his oldest son in high school and from what I see on Facebook, he’s grown into a great young family man himself (no surprise there – he was an awesome kid in high school). This article gets the facts a little bit incorrect on Santana’s career as it says his last professional match was in 1993 against Virgil. That’s not entirely correct as he beat Jeff Jarrett in 2000 on WCW NITRO (but who’s keeping track?). Anyway, Santana is a great part of my hometown and I’m glad that the local paper chose to write a nice article about him.

Get your weekend started right by checking out these links, starting a new Feedly account, and/or adding the blogs above (and JerseySmarts.com, too) to your existing Feedly or other RSS aggregator account. Enjoy!

Book Review: The Soprano State

Joe — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:30:51 +0000

Good grief… When you read a book like this one, you really begin to understand what a disaster of a state we live in here in New Jersey. The Soprano State, authored by Bob Ingle and Sandy McClure, details about as much of the Garden State’s seedy underbelly that any one person can stand without dropping the book in frustration. Seriously, it took me a little bit longer than usual to read this otherwise short book (336 pages) because I would get so discouraged while reading it that I’d put it down for a few days at a time.

Look, we all know that there is corruption inherent in the government. What we do not know is if the system that corrupts the politicians or if it is the politicians that corrupt the system. After going through this book, I don’t think that I’m any closer to answering that question than I was before reading it, but I do think that I am convinced more now than I ever of one thing…

I’m registered as an independent voter due, in part, because I don’t want the Republican or Democratic parties in New Jersey to think that they can always bank on my vote. Well, after reading The Soprano State, I am convinced that staying on the rolls as an independent voter is the right thing to do in the Garden State. Why, you ask? Simple. Backroom deals and the utter waste of taxpayer dollars has been perpetuated by both political parties in this state.

The Soprano State goes in depth on many of the political backroom deals that drive the voters in this state crazy. But what I really liked was when I went to The Soprano State‘s website and noticed that the authors have added, free of charge, updates on more political garbage that you can only expect to find in the Garden State. Here is a sampling from the book’s website:

New Jersey’s long-suffering taxpayers deserve better. Newly sworn-in Gov. Chris Christie said it took him two hours to learn that instead of a $500 million surplus, he was inheriting a $1 billion revenue deficit for the budget year ending June 30. The kicker is that Gov. Corzine, also in his last week, sent by wire transfer $121 million in special municipal aid to five cities. Add that to the news that in his final week, Corzine transferred $1 million to the Legislature. Most of the money, $800,000, went to the Democratic controlled Assembly where salary accounts had been overspent in 2009. This kind of behavior is what cost the Democrats the governor’s seat.
– Michael Symons, Asbury Park Press, Jan. 24 and Jan. 20, 2010

Lee Solomon stepped down from a county judgeship to become president of the Board of Public Utilities. Solomon has worn a lot of hats over the years: assemblyman, Camden County freeholder, county prosecutor, and first deputy U.S. attorney. The Soprano State (chapters 5,6 and 7) does not have warm and fuzzy things to say about Solomon. But this is his chance to make a difference, to end globetrotting at the BPU, to scrutinize its bank accounts, its audits and its files and to hold people accountable. It’s time to give citizens of New Jersey some confidence in the board that regulates utilities. Seems like a judge and a prosecutor would be the perfect person to do it. We shall all see if Solomon fits the bill.
– Bob Ingle, Asbury Park Press, Jan. 22, 2010

Don Norcross, brother of South Jersey political boss George Norcross, has leapfrogged into a state Senate seat. When Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts decided to depart, Norcross got his Assembly seat. As soon as Norcross was sworn in, he was tapped for the Senate seat left vacant by the departure of Sen. Dana Redd, who became mayor of Camden. Don Norcross said he’d draw from the experiences and advice of Roberts and new Senate President Steve Sweeney. The message to taxpayers: nothing is going to change.
– Jeremy Rosen, Courier-Post, Jan. 19, 2010
– Bob Ingle, Asbury Park Press, Jan. 18, 2010

Ahhh…nothing like wasting taxpayer dollars to help your family and friends get ahead in New Jersey, huh? If you’re interested in learning more about the politics of New Jersey, then I suggest reading this book. From my perspective, I think that The Soprano State is required reading for all New Jerseyans.

Upcoming Events: Citizen Journalism Conference at Monmouth University

Joe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:30:11 +0000

There are a lot of reasons why I choose to write this blog. I write it to keep people in my life updated on what I’m thinking and what’s going on in my life, I write it to express an opinion, I write it to spread that information which I feel is relevant to the interests of my readers, etc. However, one of my main motivations for writing this blog is to help counter what I believe is a severe lack of true journalistic reporting that independently verifies its sources and removes slanted opinions from the final product.

In no way do I suggest that JerseySmarts.com is engaging in such reporting. In fact, I would agree that I provide my personal point of view in all, if not most, of the entries on this blog. In providing that point of view, though, I do try to counter any biases that I find in the topic, should such a counter be relevant.

Anyway, the purpose of this entry is to announce a Citizen Journalism Conference at Monmouth University one week from today, November 18, 2009. Complete details are below.

CITIZEN JOURNALISM – COUNTERING THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Citizens’ Campaign and Monmouth University are co-hosting a conference on November 18 to discuss the current state of local reporting in our new media environment, including how hyperlocal websites provide a means for stepped up local coverage and opportunities for citizen journalists to report from the frontlines.

The “Citizen Journalism: Countering the Culture of Corruption” morning panel will discuss the cuts in local news room staff and its impact on the quality of local government coverage, and how new online tools make it possible for journalists and citizen activists to report what is happening in city hall and throughout the community.

Speaking on the first panel will be Michael Delli Carpini, Dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania; Richard Benfield, former editorial writer of the Bergen Record and New York Times; Ted Mann, Founder of InJersey.com and Digital Development Director for Gannett New Jersey; and Michael Shapiro, CEO and Editor of www.TheAlternativePress.com.

The day will also feature a “Citizen Journalism” certification course for beginning bloggers & citizen activists who want to submit their own local news stories to online publications; and an afternoon “Meet & Greet” panel for journalism students and activists to talk and network with online news site editors.

The Conference will be held at Wilson Hall at Monmouth University from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so please reserve your seat today by emailing heather@jointhecampaign.com.

The Citizens’ Campaign is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting and encouraging civic engagement. To learn more about the Citizens’ Campaign, log onto www.JoinTheCampaign.com.

November 18, 2009
11 am – 2pm

Monmouth University
Wilson Hall 400 Cedar Ave.
West Long Branch, NJ

11 am – 11:30: Registration & Refreshments

11:30 am: Opening Remarks by Harry Pozycki & Round Table Discussion:
The New Media Climate: How the internet is transforming modern day journalism and its impact on local government & politics

12:30 pm: Becoming a Citizen Journalist

1:00 – 2:00 pm: Meet the New Media Innovators.

Registration
This event is free and open to the public. To register, email Heather@JoinTheCampaign.com

This should be a great event and I hope that my fellow bloggers in the New Jersey area will plan to attend the conference. I’m hoping to get over there myself, schedule permitting. If you DO attend the conference, please consider sending a report on what was talked about and some of your thoughts.

Roxbury Board of Education Misses The Point

Joe — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:30:35 +0000

Each day I browse around the websites of various newspapers that I would read if I had subscriptions and had the time to sit down in the morning and look over them. These include local newspaper websites like the Asbury Park Press and the Daily Record. This morning I was flipping around the Daily Record’s website and came across an article entitled, “Roxbury student code of conduct now in effect 24/7/365.” I’d link you to the article, but these Gannett-owned newspapers don’t keep their articles online for more than a few days and then you have to pay for them (ha!). However, the point of the article was as follows:

The school board has revised its code of conduct policy to require students be on their best behavior the entire calendar year — even when school is out — or face suspension from extracurricular activities, board member Chris Rogers said Tuesday.

Now as a former student at Roxbury High School and as a former college student who fought this type of nanny-state activity at my university, I hate this decision by the Roxbury school board. And there are any number of reasons to hate it. First of all, the policy seems to single out those students that are involved in extracurricular activity. So little Susie is on the softball team and is found in violation of this vague policy in July (what IS “best behavior?”). Is she to be suspended from the first four or five softball games the following spring? Isn’t that a bit ridiculous?

What about little Bobby who doesn’t have any extracurricular activities. Does he get suspended from school if he does something that doesn’t qualify as “best behavior” in August? And if so, then is he suspended the first two weeks of school in September for an “offense” committed on August 1st? Is this insane or what?

How about Jen – the President of the Student Council. She gets cited for not being on her “best behavior” a few days after school is out in June. Is she then suspended from participating in the Student Council for the month of September?

And is it fair that Billy is suspended from school while Susie and Jen just get to miss out on their extracurricular activities?

And does this policy apply to the school’s faculty? Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that every single teacher or employee of the school district exhibits their “best behavior” all day, every day. And who is to define “best behavior?” What if my family’s best behavior is different than your family’s definition? Do you see how crazy this can get?

These types of theoretical situations can go on and on, which is typical of policies that shouldn’t be enacted in the first place. The school board is overstepping their bounds in this case in an inappropriate manner. This policy should be rescinded immediately.

Following Up with the Dueling Reports in Mt. Arlington

Joe — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:38:00 +0000

Here’s a quick follow-up op-ed that appeared in today’s Daily Record newspaper with respect to finding some way to lower property taxes in Mount Arlington. For those of you that are not up to curve on this issue, here is a previous entry that talks about what the proposal was in Mount Arlington (to eliminate their police force and share services with a neighboring squad). The op-ed as it appears in the Daily Record:

Mount Arlington officials have regrettably caved to pressure and tabled a reasonable idea to seek a cost savings by contracting with a larger town for police services. The plan would have eliminated the borough’s 13-member police force.

Opposition to the idea, which was intense, largely was based on misconceptions, the biggest being a belief that police service in the borough would have been reduced. Officials had no intention of doing that.

Of course, some criticism was legitimate. The report, which was done by former Washington Township Police Chief Ted Ehrenburg, seemed a little light for its cost of $43,500. Also, the council at times irritated opponents by not being more forthcoming with information about the plan.

Notwithstanding those problems, Mayor Art Ondish and the council were right to raise the issue. The mayor says he thinks he was ahead of the curve, and we agree with him.

If property taxes are ever going to be reduced, officials and residents have got to accept the fact that it can not be business as usual. The majority of residents who came out on this issue lacked vision, opting to remain trapped in traditional thinking. And politics being what it is, they got their way.

Over time, however, pressure to consolidate services, or even towns, is bound to increase. We may even see a day when such consolidations are ordered by the state.

“It’s going to happen in the future, It’s just not going to happen with this council in Mount Arlington,” Ondish said. That’s a shame.

Sorry, I had to post the entire thing because these Gannett newspapers are not making their online archives available any more. Rats!