I’ve said it before and I will say it again. The only good thing to come out of our involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East is that all of our nation has come together to respect and appreciate those in the military…past and present. That was evident by not only all the local events to commemorate Veteran’s Day on Wednesday but the enthusiasm shown by many in attendance for those who have and do wear the uniform. Now that Veteran’s Day is over we have to keep those in the armed forces in our thoughts and prayers and not forget the families many have left behind. The holiday season that is approaching is especially tough for military families and we should do whatever we can to help them while their loved ones are overseas.
In the spirit of events to benefit our community one of my favorite organizations will be holding a fundraiser tomorrow night. “Kevin’s Kids”
is the annual effort to bring Christmas to families in Manchester Township
who Santa Claus might forget. It was founded and is directed by Manchester school administrator Kevin Burger and his wife Peggy and I have seen up close and personal the incredible effort they and many volunteers put in to make this a great success. Tomorrow from 4-8pm there will be a “Kevin’s Kids Proceeds Night” at the Wendy’s restaurant on Route 37 and Bananier Drive, west of the Garden State Parkway in Toms River. 20% of proceeds during those four hours will go to helping the cause and all you need to do is let the cashier know you’re there to support this great organization.
That will take care of your dinner tomorrow night and I can offer a breakfast suggestion for Sunday. The Summer in the Park Business Association will sponsor a Pancake Breakfast to benefit the Seaside Park Volunteer Fire Company and Tri-Boro First Aid Squad. The delicious event takes place at the Tri-Boro First Aid Building on J Street in Seaside Park from 9am-noon.
The donation is just $7 for adults and $5 for children between the ages of
4-12 and of course you’ll be helping two organizations who routinely help others.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Remembering Ocean County's Veterans
It would be hard to find anything positive about our involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East over the last several years with one exception….and that is the new found respect many have for those who serve in the military. With the exception of Operation Desert Storm in the early 90’s we had experienced a relatively long period of peace from the end of Viet Nam until this current conflict. During that time it was easy to overlook the contributions made by those in the armed forces, past and present because as the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.”
We of course know all too well this is not the case today and young people are growing up in a time of war just like many of us did, whether it is World War II, Korea or Viet Nam. They are witnessing the pain that goes with having family, friends and neighbors serving overseas. Unlike the 60’s and 70’s when Viet Nam divided our nation, we are united in our respect for the men and women who wear the uniform even if we’re split over the cause they are fighting for.
Today is Veterans Day which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I in 1918. It’s a federal holiday although there are schools open who use today to learn about and honor those who have served. Many students will participate in and watch the annual Ocean County Veterans Day Parade, which begins at 9:30am at the Toms River Shopping Center at the intersection of Route 37 and Main Street. The parade follows the same route as the Halloween Parade, heading south on Main Street and then east on Washington Street. It’s a good way to come out and “thank a veteran” for their service.
Once again this year the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals on St. Catherine Boulevard in Toms River is paying tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. With the help of local Boy Scouts, they have placed American flags on their lawn to commemorate the more than 5,000 American men and women killed in Iraq & Afghanistan. It’s a striking and sad reminder of the times we live in and that freedom comes with a price and is never free.
We of course know all too well this is not the case today and young people are growing up in a time of war just like many of us did, whether it is World War II, Korea or Viet Nam. They are witnessing the pain that goes with having family, friends and neighbors serving overseas. Unlike the 60’s and 70’s when Viet Nam divided our nation, we are united in our respect for the men and women who wear the uniform even if we’re split over the cause they are fighting for.
Today is Veterans Day which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I in 1918. It’s a federal holiday although there are schools open who use today to learn about and honor those who have served. Many students will participate in and watch the annual Ocean County Veterans Day Parade, which begins at 9:30am at the Toms River Shopping Center at the intersection of Route 37 and Main Street. The parade follows the same route as the Halloween Parade, heading south on Main Street and then east on Washington Street. It’s a good way to come out and “thank a veteran” for their service.
Once again this year the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals on St. Catherine Boulevard in Toms River is paying tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. With the help of local Boy Scouts, they have placed American flags on their lawn to commemorate the more than 5,000 American men and women killed in Iraq & Afghanistan. It’s a striking and sad reminder of the times we live in and that freedom comes with a price and is never free.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
When Does Christmas Start?
Let me begin my saying I like Christmas…at least most things about it. I like the warm feelings that many people have for their fellow man during the season, love the excitement children get at the thought of Santa coming to their house, am awed at the site of churches decorated to celebrate the significance of Christmas and often just enjoy taking in the sights and smells that go with the holiday. Christmas means different things to different people and I understand and appreciate that. It is for many a wonderful time of year.
With that said who and when made the decision to lengthen the season to where you can get tired of Christmas well before December 25th? It used to be that the “season” so to speak started the day after Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact I seem to remember that you pretty much first heard of Christmas when Santa Claus made his season debut at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. That was your first sighting of the big guy and then of course the next day he was in the Mall or your local shopping center.
Now it seems like Santa and Halloween go hand-in-hand…one ends and the other begins. The holiday really getting the short end is Thanksgiving which is my favorite day of the year because it really comes with no strings attached. But Thanksgiving doesn’t have enough retail value to most….it’s just an interruption between Halloween and Christmas. Thanksgiving actually is like New Jersey as many view us as just that place in between New York and Philadelphia.
It seems like each year we want to move the Christmas season up by at least a few days. Here we haven’t even reached Veterans Day yet and Santa’s been around for a while, every other TV ad seems to have a holiday theme, some have already decorated their house and even put up their tree and yes Christmas music is being heard on the radio. Why do we have to rush this season? Do we like it that much or have we let others influence our own actions? I am one who refuses to give in and will do all I can to boycott the Christmas hype until AFTER Thanksgiving. It’s the turkey not Santa who deserves the headlines for now…give him his due.
With that said who and when made the decision to lengthen the season to where you can get tired of Christmas well before December 25th? It used to be that the “season” so to speak started the day after Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact I seem to remember that you pretty much first heard of Christmas when Santa Claus made his season debut at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. That was your first sighting of the big guy and then of course the next day he was in the Mall or your local shopping center.
Now it seems like Santa and Halloween go hand-in-hand…one ends and the other begins. The holiday really getting the short end is Thanksgiving which is my favorite day of the year because it really comes with no strings attached. But Thanksgiving doesn’t have enough retail value to most….it’s just an interruption between Halloween and Christmas. Thanksgiving actually is like New Jersey as many view us as just that place in between New York and Philadelphia.
It seems like each year we want to move the Christmas season up by at least a few days. Here we haven’t even reached Veterans Day yet and Santa’s been around for a while, every other TV ad seems to have a holiday theme, some have already decorated their house and even put up their tree and yes Christmas music is being heard on the radio. Why do we have to rush this season? Do we like it that much or have we let others influence our own actions? I am one who refuses to give in and will do all I can to boycott the Christmas hype until AFTER Thanksgiving. It’s the turkey not Santa who deserves the headlines for now…give him his due.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Joys Of HDTV
As I have gotten older I will admit to more and more enjoying watching sports from the comfort of my couch on my HDTV. Going to games in person for the most part is a giant headache as it involves a commute and often logistical obstacles that make you say afterwards “why did I put myself though this.” The one exception to this rule for me has been attending Penn State football games which I have always look forward to and enjoyed to the max. However I feel somewhat let down after this weekend’s trip to what turned out to be not-so-Happy Valley. Don’t get me wrong, I relish the opportunity to spend time with my brother and my son, a Penn State graduate. However these return trips with Brandon means trying to keep up his friends, which gets tougher each year and often just as painful is my brother and I always seem to pick up the tab.
None of this has really mattered because our weekend trips have just about always included a Nittany Lions victory which puts everyone in a good mood. As a matter of fact going into this weekend I believe I had only witnessed one loss by the good guys at Beaver Stadium and that was probably ten years ago. Everything was great about this weekend, especially the weather until the game against hated Ohio State kicked off Saturday afternoon at 3:30. Three hours later we walked out of the stadium dejected and depressed…it was so bad my son and his friends didn’t even want to go out later that night which did save us some money. Just when you thought it could not get worse came the drive home yesterday in which the traffic on Interstate 80 was so bad it took us two hours to go 26 miles at one stretch.
The drive is a lot more painful after a loss but that comes with being a fan.
In their first year of women’s cross country since 1995 Ocean County College has won a National Championship. Led by overall winner Jen Nelson of Barnegat, the Vikings claimed the NJCAA Division 3 title Saturday at Finger Lakes Community College in New York. Erine O’Connor, Alyssa Collier and Priscilla Anderson all finished in the top 20 to help OCC claim the championship. Vikings head coach Eddie Baynes, a former Toms River South running standout was named Coach of the Meet and also the NJCAA Division 3 Coach of the Year.
None of this has really mattered because our weekend trips have just about always included a Nittany Lions victory which puts everyone in a good mood. As a matter of fact going into this weekend I believe I had only witnessed one loss by the good guys at Beaver Stadium and that was probably ten years ago. Everything was great about this weekend, especially the weather until the game against hated Ohio State kicked off Saturday afternoon at 3:30. Three hours later we walked out of the stadium dejected and depressed…it was so bad my son and his friends didn’t even want to go out later that night which did save us some money. Just when you thought it could not get worse came the drive home yesterday in which the traffic on Interstate 80 was so bad it took us two hours to go 26 miles at one stretch.
The drive is a lot more painful after a loss but that comes with being a fan.
In their first year of women’s cross country since 1995 Ocean County College has won a National Championship. Led by overall winner Jen Nelson of Barnegat, the Vikings claimed the NJCAA Division 3 title Saturday at Finger Lakes Community College in New York. Erine O’Connor, Alyssa Collier and Priscilla Anderson all finished in the top 20 to help OCC claim the championship. Vikings head coach Eddie Baynes, a former Toms River South running standout was named Coach of the Meet and also the NJCAA Division 3 Coach of the Year.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Theeee Yankees Win
With public schools closed in Ocean County this week I’m sure some Yankee fans from this area will make their way into the city tomorrow for the ticker-tape period down the Canyon of Heroes to celebrate the franchise’s 27th World Series Championship. The Yanks wrapped up the title with a 7-3 victory over the Phillies last night as they win the series in six games. It’s ironic that the best team money can buy won largely due to a player who will probably not be wearing pinstripes come next April. Hideki Matsui homered and drove in six runs last night and would be named the World Series MVP for his performance against Philly. However the 35-year old Matsui and Johnny Damon are both free agents and it would appear there is only room for one of them to return and that likely will be Damon.
Obviously I am not a Yankee fan but I must offer my luke-warm congratulations to those of you who are real fans and don’t think the franchise started with Derek Jeter. However when you have unlimited resources you start just about every year as the favorite to win the World Series and that won’t be any different come next season. Only the Yankees could have signed CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira in the same off-season but as tough as it is for me to admit they did perform very well as a team and are deserving of the title. As for the Phillies….chokers!
The dust is still settling on Election Day 2009 with many experts scratching their head over Chris Christie’s victory in the Governor’s race despite being outspent by incumbent Jon Corzine by a 3-1 margin. It does appear that those who wanted Christie and change came out and voted while Corzine could not inspire those who were likely on his side…they just stayed at home. Even with all the attention focused on this election less than half of New Jersey voters headed to the polls although the turnout was better in Ocean County where the GOP effort was organized and successful.
Among the guests on tonight’s “Thursday Night Football Show” will be coaches Lou Vircillo of Lacey and Chris Barnes of Wall. The show is broadcast live from Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar in Toms River from 6-8pm and airs on 1160 WOBM AM, Fox Sports 1310 and via the web at shortsportsnetwork.com. Matt Harmon and I will take a look at the playoff scenarios tonight with Steve Falk of the Asbury Park Press and Scott Stump of All Shore Media.
Obviously I am not a Yankee fan but I must offer my luke-warm congratulations to those of you who are real fans and don’t think the franchise started with Derek Jeter. However when you have unlimited resources you start just about every year as the favorite to win the World Series and that won’t be any different come next season. Only the Yankees could have signed CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira in the same off-season but as tough as it is for me to admit they did perform very well as a team and are deserving of the title. As for the Phillies….chokers!
The dust is still settling on Election Day 2009 with many experts scratching their head over Chris Christie’s victory in the Governor’s race despite being outspent by incumbent Jon Corzine by a 3-1 margin. It does appear that those who wanted Christie and change came out and voted while Corzine could not inspire those who were likely on his side…they just stayed at home. Even with all the attention focused on this election less than half of New Jersey voters headed to the polls although the turnout was better in Ocean County where the GOP effort was organized and successful.
Among the guests on tonight’s “Thursday Night Football Show” will be coaches Lou Vircillo of Lacey and Chris Barnes of Wall. The show is broadcast live from Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar in Toms River from 6-8pm and airs on 1160 WOBM AM, Fox Sports 1310 and via the web at shortsportsnetwork.com. Matt Harmon and I will take a look at the playoff scenarios tonight with Steve Falk of the Asbury Park Press and Scott Stump of All Shore Media.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Election Recap
For all the talk of issues in the end it simply came down to this in New Jersey….we pay and pay and pay and don’t feel like we’re getting anything back. So Governor Jon Corzine will do like many others have in the Garden State and that is leave…at least leave his office in Trenton. In a race that was called a “toss-up” and predicted to drag well into the evening Republican Chris Christie prevailed by more than 100,000 votes and will make Corzine a one-term Governor.
I disagree with those who think that the popularity of President Obama was part of what was on the mind of voters when they cast their ballots Tuesday.
I truly believe this election was a mandate on the state of the New Jersey economy and many voters feel like things can’t get any worse so why not give Christie a chance where Corzine failed….to find property tax relief and somehow make our state more affordable to live and work in. Whether he will find a solution will largely determine what happens four years from now because the #1 issue is the economy and that’s not going to change. When times are good incumbents thrive but when they are not it’s tough to survive as Corzine found out yesterday.
You can also make the statement that it was the shore area which won the Governor’s office for the former U.S. Attorney. Christie carried Ocean County by 70,000 votes and Monmouth by 50,000….the 120,000 vote margin at the shore carried him to victory. It should mean we have a friend in Trenton because he knows that people like Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore delivered the majority he needed to prevail. I would think that would be a positive for us down the road.
Of course Ocean County is a Republican stronghold and last night was filled with victory parties as they won all but two of 44 races. The GOP domination of the Freeholder board continued as John Bartlett & Gerry Little coasted to victory and as much as some feel like it would be better to have two-party representation the fact is this current group has done a very good job even with the fiscal challenges they face.
I disagree with those who think that the popularity of President Obama was part of what was on the mind of voters when they cast their ballots Tuesday.
I truly believe this election was a mandate on the state of the New Jersey economy and many voters feel like things can’t get any worse so why not give Christie a chance where Corzine failed….to find property tax relief and somehow make our state more affordable to live and work in. Whether he will find a solution will largely determine what happens four years from now because the #1 issue is the economy and that’s not going to change. When times are good incumbents thrive but when they are not it’s tough to survive as Corzine found out yesterday.
You can also make the statement that it was the shore area which won the Governor’s office for the former U.S. Attorney. Christie carried Ocean County by 70,000 votes and Monmouth by 50,000….the 120,000 vote margin at the shore carried him to victory. It should mean we have a friend in Trenton because he knows that people like Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore delivered the majority he needed to prevail. I would think that would be a positive for us down the road.
Of course Ocean County is a Republican stronghold and last night was filled with victory parties as they won all but two of 44 races. The GOP domination of the Freeholder board continued as John Bartlett & Gerry Little coasted to victory and as much as some feel like it would be better to have two-party representation the fact is this current group has done a very good job even with the fiscal challenges they face.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Baseball, Politics & Soccer
While I know there are a lot of Yankees and Phillies fans totally into this World Series I have to tell you I don’t find it very exciting. I don’t know what it is but as a sporting event the “Fall Classic” just has not done much for me and it’s not because I don’t like either team. Maybe it’s all the rain or the fact that it’s November and we’re still playing baseball but I hope it ends tonight so we can concentrate on football. Maybe that’s the problem with the Giants…they are paying too much attention to the Yankees because it sure doesn’t like they’ve been prepared to play the last three weeks.
Speaking of ending…another trash-talking, negative-filled campaign has finally hit the homestretch and today will be the last day we’ll have to put up with the venom spewed in the New Jersey Governor’s race. It’s also the last day I’ll have to listen to those annoying phone messages on behalf of the three candidates although frankly I enjoyed hearing from Sarah Palin on Saturday. I tried to engage her in conversation about her family but she kept going on and on like she couldn’t hear me. I have been undecided about who to give my lukewarm support to but have finally made a decision and all I can say is us weight-challenged guys have to stick together. Back to those phone messages for a moment. The worst ones are those dealing with local town-wide elections…they pull no punches and frankly are a bit embarrassing.
Congratulations to the Ocean County College Women’s Soccer team as for the second straight year they’ve won the Region 19 Tournament. The Vikings needed penalty kicks to outlast Camden County College and they will now host the NJCAA District C Championships on Friday in Toms River.
The early-morning commute around Ocean County should be a bit easier this week as public schools are closed all week long. With Election Day and the NJEA Teachers Convention this week schools county-wide and in much of New Jersey have taken a recess. Word is that if you go to Disney World this week you’ll likely find it’s filled with people from New Jersey.
Speaking of ending…another trash-talking, negative-filled campaign has finally hit the homestretch and today will be the last day we’ll have to put up with the venom spewed in the New Jersey Governor’s race. It’s also the last day I’ll have to listen to those annoying phone messages on behalf of the three candidates although frankly I enjoyed hearing from Sarah Palin on Saturday. I tried to engage her in conversation about her family but she kept going on and on like she couldn’t hear me. I have been undecided about who to give my lukewarm support to but have finally made a decision and all I can say is us weight-challenged guys have to stick together. Back to those phone messages for a moment. The worst ones are those dealing with local town-wide elections…they pull no punches and frankly are a bit embarrassing.
Congratulations to the Ocean County College Women’s Soccer team as for the second straight year they’ve won the Region 19 Tournament. The Vikings needed penalty kicks to outlast Camden County College and they will now host the NJCAA District C Championships on Friday in Toms River.
The early-morning commute around Ocean County should be a bit easier this week as public schools are closed all week long. With Election Day and the NJEA Teachers Convention this week schools county-wide and in much of New Jersey have taken a recess. Word is that if you go to Disney World this week you’ll likely find it’s filled with people from New Jersey.
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