The Artfull Codger

Interviewing for the Job of President

2012-01-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It's the start of 2012. This is an election year and most media coverage is overshadowed by the competition for the Republican nomination for President. So far, we have had titilating and naughty tidbits of indiscrete behaviors, ho-hum charges of "flip-flopping", and even Donald Trump declaring his candidacy at one point.

Have we lost our collective minds? What does this circus prove? The rest of the world must think we are nuts.

When ordinary people go on a job interview, there is a long list of items that employers are not supposed to ask. Lately the question of age has been added to this rundown. However it is not appropriate for your interviewer to ask where you stand on abortion, whether you believe in birth control, how much money you have in your bank account, how much money you spent on your spouse's birthday present, if you prefer men or women as sexual partners, if you would eat meat if you had to kill it yourself, if you know how to use a gun, if you hate guns, if you pray to one god or several,etc.,etc.,etc.

Why do we think our political candidates have to answer these infernally intrusive questions?

Oh, I know, that is how we determine if they are Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, Red or Blue, Narrow or Wide...Come on now folks, this is freaking ridiculous.

We should be asking ourselves if the person has enough business expertise to know how to balance a set of books and present a rudimentary financial statement. Hopefully Business 101 would translate into knowing how to "follow the money."

If your bank account is running on empty, it makes sense to let your friendly neighborhood banker have first cracks at your needs (and then shop for a better interest rate). Whoops. That is what everyone does now anyhow...and they do it online. Tough to follow the money trail...but think of it as experience for more complicated situations...like looking down the tank at the "empty" Social Security Trust Fund.

Now let's look at it another way. Stem cell research? Other countries are charging ahead on stem cell research and technology while we cut off funding for domestic lab projects since we have a squeamishness about stem cell harvesting which frequently results in a non-viable embryo. Discouraging this form of research means that we have to pay "retail" for the results, instead of coming up with the product at home.

Republicans are still battling over a candidate's position on the question of "Choice" for the "Conservative" designation. Whenever debate gets bogged down in subjects like jobs and the economy, religious conservatives can be counted on to suck the life out of intellectual discussion by drawing the issues back to volatile abortion arguments.

Would it not be more relevant to find out if the candidate has a short fuse and hair trigger temper which would impact his response when provoked?

If a candidate is stubborn and uncompromising in his personal life, what chance would we have if he ran the country? What would happen when he or she butted heads with countries where loud noises and posturing are part of diplomatic foreplay? We must have a cool and level personality who would not overreact. The tearful display of candidates in recent weeks is troubling. Our President must deal in arenas where he is regarded as serenely powerful.

Our successful candidate should be bright, educated, and cognizant of our country's place in the engine of world commerce and culture, because there is no room for narcissistic overconfidence.

The successful job candidate should not be one who has a pocketful of cronies and fellow businessmen eager to swoop in for government contracts. He should know of such things but not be of them. You just can't expect a President to ride herd on unethical interests if he is closeted with them at regular intervals.

What qualities do you think a successful President should have to have? Looking back we got lucky a time or two, but the office has had its share of drunks, scamps and tricky business. Can't we do better?

Have the guy write an essay....like for the SAT or participate in a National Geographic type geography bee to indicate depth and/or lack of knowlege of the real world. Sometimes it seems that candidates are behaving like the world is flat. There must be more to the Presidential job description than the most recent caucuses and town hall meetings imply.

Seniors vote.

Award for Mercer County Office On Aging

2011-12-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

We have a lot to be thankful for this time of year and I am reminded of how much the Mercer County Office on Aging contributes to senior issues.

Eileen Doremus, Executive Director of Mercer County Office on Aging, was recognized by the city of Trenton Monday evening, December 19 at the Marriott.

In an email to Staff and Advisory Council Members, Ms. Doremus noted, " This is a team award." and proceeded to include each member's contributions in her thank you.

I can affirm that her leadership and teamwork is what makes this group so effective.

The City of Trenton's Annual Senior Gala is an opportunity to network and to acknowledge the concerns of senior citizens and ways to meet their needs. The presentation of the highly coveted "Community Award" noted how Director Doremus succeeded in helping older Americans "connnect" with the community. Doremus expressed her thanks again to Diane McKnight, Director of the Jennye Stubblefield Senior Center, and Katherine Woods, Nutrition Site Manager, for the certificate recognizing Mercer efforts in this area.

This community "connection", highly debated and funding compromised, is always vulnerable to funding cuts on a regular basis. The Office On Aging gives seniors opportunities to give back to their friends and families while they enjoy nutrition programs and social interaction. Hopefully, dedicated professionals like Executive Director Doremus can ensure that this positive direction will continue.

I read once that a hive of wasps, for example, sends its oldest members to the front of the hive to defend it if threatened. The theory seems to be that the younger wasps are the most valuable to the hive and have a preferred status for survival.

Thank goodness we are not shoving senior citizens to our front lines because they are considered expendable. I like to think we are more advanced on the evolutionary scale and, as such, value seniors and the elderly for the enrichment of our entire society. This is something that sets us above lower forms of life...or does it?

Congress is jammed up again on budget issues. Everytime this happens, there is a hue and cry about Social Security entitlements and the barrel of that cannon swivels around again...kapow!

When a community like the City of Trenton reaches out and acknowleges the Mercer efforts and teamwork for seniors, we all cheer. It recognizes senior issues as a productive direction for the future. The Office on Aging here in Mercer keeps chugging along, hoping for more funding, working on schedules that would knock Rocky to his knees, but always with determination and the gift of foresight that has been finally honored.

Let us keep this in mind in our next election and hold candidates accountable to our needs and issues.

Seniors rock!

Social Security "Entitlements"

2011-12-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

I am so steamed up about this debt load from the War in Iraq that words fail me.

Back in July I wrote about this use/misuse of our Social Security Trust Fund monies.

The blog date is July 27, 2011, and the article said it pretty well. Instead of sputtering in frustration today, I invite you to read it again.

This week Congress is again waffling on budget concerns and passed a "two month extension" of approval for budget appropriations. Are they kidding?

Imagine that you are an accountant trying to keep your client organized and projections relevant. Imagine that you are a SSI or Social Security recipient and need monthly income to survive. What are they thinking?

It is time to send a bulldozer down to Washington and flatten some offices. Maybe if they have to stand in the street, like the protesters in New York and Los Angeles, Congress might get down to business faster and have much more focus.

No, I do not consider myself a tea party fancier. I am a frustrated liberal who is appalled by the lack of common sense in our capitol.

Let's cut our military budget back to Eisenhower (pre-Regan days) and let states and private enterprise do their own thing. Ethics and regulation, oversight and supervision is just so much crap. I would dearly love to hear a professorial discussion between Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama. They are both teachers and of high intellect. (Really) I would like to see just what is going on. Then we can turn our sights to Congress and the apparent dim-wits who are really running our country.

To Congress: Get a life. Get some smarts. For crying out loud, get over project and pork barrel swaps and pay attention to what the country really needs.

Get rid of lobbyists because the types of industry and business they foster are not good for the long run. An example: Buffets and catered cocktail parties to sway legislation to build a "bridge to nowhere", or "let elephants perform in the circus", or "count the number of times a shrimp jerks its legs when exposed to nasty stuff".

I am not exaggerating too much; these examples are just a bit altered from the real McCoy.

The kind of changes in our economy that we need are down at the grass roots level. Forget the 50 thousand dollar loans. Do you have any idea how many really small incubator loans can be made for that sum?

There is a church project to buy a $100 heifer for a needy woman in a poverty stricken country. The opportunity the heifer represents is hope. The heifer grows and is bred. It has a calf and gives milk. The heifer is potentially a calf producer, the milk is nutritious and can also be sold. After a couple of years, the calf/cow represents independence.

For our circumstances, micro loans can do the same thing.

Large loans incur a lot of interest and this cost is out of proportion to fledgling business ideas. Micro loans are better able to let a good idea take root and grow.

Lets think about that kind of helping hand at this holiday season.

Seniors rock.

Holiday Thanks for End of Iraq War

2011-12-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

Today, December 18, will go down in history as the end of our involvement in Iraq. Well, hopefully that is the case.

From the first step on Iraq soil to our last nighttime trek into Kuwait, this has been a sad sojourn for America and its allies. Gas price per gallon today is $3.05 per gallon at the pump. That has nothing to do with winning or losing the war but it did have a lot to do with why we went into Iraq.

At the time President Bush was trying to convince the world that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, we were one of the countries that had had trouble negotiating for oil with Saddam. The French were successful but Britain and the US were not getting anywhere. I was not paying attention to oil at the time but did try to affirm those reports of the infamous "weapons of mass destruction". All the quotes and sources that both the Brits and Bush were using seemed to be repeating the same origins. Now wouldn't you think that Hillary Clinton and others who opposed going in would have been smart enough to figure that out?

If everyone else is on the bandwagon, you are labeled as unpatriotic by your peers. It gets harder and harder to stay the course. I applaud those who did have the common sense to vote against our involvement. Locally, Congressman Rush Holt voted against going in. He is and was a very smart man.

What did this war really mean for our country? Now we add up the cost.

Brown University has carried out research and one study is "Cost of Wars Project".
It estimates that it cost the US between 3.2 to 4 trillion dollars to look for the phantom weapons of mass destruction. The Department of Defense cedes 357.8 billion but that was borrowed monies so there is interest due. Expect another trillion or so in the future to care for the maimed veterans who have survived to come home.

Ahem. Borrowed monies. Borrowed from where? Try our Social Security Trust Fund on for size. I am not going to say more but if a Republican Congressman stands in front of me to insist that he "must" cut my social security benefit which I am living on, because it is a superfluous "entitlement"....well, sir, follow the bear over the mountain.

Before I finish today, I suggest clicking on to the following link for a first hand reply to Newt Gingrich's blithe consideration of poverty.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/opinion/granderson-poor-families/index.html This is a link to a thoughtful article prompted by recent Newt Gingrich's comments.

The Social Security Trust Fund is this government's largest creditor. Don't tell me you're going to take away my Social Security just so you won't have to pay the interest on the Bush Iraq War Debt!

Seniors rock.

Pre-Holiday Jitters

2011-12-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Andrea Boccelli sang "Amazing Grace" on Good Morning America today. It was a hanky box spot for sure. He is just beautiful and his voice is wonderful for these special hymns. "I was blind and now I see..." just set me bawling in front of my cat and coffee. I managed not to spill my coffee and luckily no one else caught the spectacle. I just couldn't pass it up, even if I would be late to go to school. I just felt enveloped by his warm tenor voice, the Christmas decorations, the whole holiday thing....

Wow, I just took a look at the calendar. Where does the time go?

Aside from the fact that I am a year older...and I feel a year older...But, hey that's not an excuse to stop perking along. If we were roasting coffee beans what kind would you be? (Just not that super expensive kind that is harvested from monkey dung...or whatever...geez, please.)

No, I think I would be Evergreen Mountain berries that think they grew from New England or New Zealand, or some place that coffee doesn't usually grow, because I am a non-conformist for sure. Picture a greenhouse stuffed with ripening coffee berries on the slopes of New England's Mt. Washington...and when the weather gets nippy, imagine being toasted...and then steeped into your by-the-fireplace brew.

I think this nonsense is coming out of a campus-rat frazzled brain. I have a major exam tomorrow, a filming on Friday, and another presentation next week. Phew!
It is supposed to be time for holly and evergreens and I am pricked by exam schedules. I think even my teachers are burned out.

The December angst has not settled in yet and I still watch commercials thinking that "That one is nice." or "Maybe that would be great for my son-in-law." Come to think of it, there are only a handful of shopping days left before Christmas or the other celebrations in December.

I don't think I can handle anymore stress. If you have a computer you probably already shop online. Of course there are shipping costs and waiting for parcels to arrive. I found that calling stores before time to see if they carry an item does cut down on the randomness of the shopping experience. Sometimes, the stores just do not know what they have in stock and you waste a trip anyway.

I am trying not to get overly excited about this but the holidays are almost upon us.

If you know someone who is elderly or disabled, drop in on them or at least phone. Sometimes a cookie gift just might brighten up their day.

Years ago, my mom and two daughters used to get together two weekends before Christmas and bake cookies. Through the years, when grandchildren arrived, they were also included. We have some wonderful photos of the kids helping decorate the sugar and spritz cookies.

When my mother declined to the level of nursing home care, we still kept her supplied with homemade cookies. I brought in platefuls for the nurses and staff with tags that noted that my Mom and Santa had gotten togther in order to thank everyone for their friendship and caring.

If you know anyone who is hospitalized or in a nursing home this holiday season, I suggest that you drop in and pay them a visit. It is appreciated more than you know.

As senses deteriorate in an aging person, the ability to hear lasts longest. Melody and rythmn also stimulate the senses and make everyone feel so good. Try singing with some of these elderly folk and you will all have such a great time.

As the evergreen boughs come out and the ribbons unfurl, think about the end result and having family and friends home for the holidays. Ahhh. So much better this year.

Santa's elves rock.

About Thanksgiving and Rivers and Woods

2011-11-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving. I just finished writing about the holiday and for the second time, watched my article vanish. Somewhere out there there is my neat story about the holiday. I am not sure if it is Google or the prompt that keeps asking me to try the "new page"(that is what happened the last time when I said I would try). It blipped out into the nether sphere.

Oh well.

I feel like Scrooge at Christmas time. My leg is propped up on a cushion and I am not driving to visit family. Bummer. My doctor wrapped it beautifully in an ace bandage and it felt better so I think I will follow his advice and chill.

I do miss family. I miss the connecting and conversation. Phone calls and facebook just are not the same. There is an odyssey quality to "over the river and through the woods". Sometimes we would put a log on the Franklin stove and sit back with peppermint cocoa and feel the holiday seep into our bones. Sitting in the living room, in a house set into the hemlocks and rocks with an address known as "Lime Kiln" or "Bear Cave Road", somehow says it all. It's about history and the journey.

One of the articles on TV today was about an octopus that had left his ocean lair for open air to look for lunch on land. I watched fascinated as he went to dinner "over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's House". I know many of us are also travelling this week in order to greet family and friends and share in this harvest tradition. I guess, looking at this octopus as he felt he had to seek broader hunting options, that we have something in common.

This is the time of year to be celebrating joy and family, of course. The media is full of the usual obligatory story line of giveaways and reunions. We keep tissues at the ready. But come on now, what about the shenanigans in Washington? Once again the Social Security program issue is up for grabs. I am not a Tea Party follower but we have to get a grip on our finances and it should not come at seniors' expense.

Senior centers feature donations of day old bread, damaged fruits and vegetables, foodstuffs that markets are not able to merchandise and there is a scramble as seniors pick over damaged goods to stretch limited pensions. Many seniors have a history that dates back to the Great Depression where salvage skills meant survival.

When Social Security was first designed, it coincided with the growth and lobbying of evolving corporations who were defensive of social oriented programs that might cut into their profits.

I am reminded of the woman who personally thanked President Roosevelt after Social Security was first implemented and she finally had eye glasses and coal for her furnace.

Today, our society is fractured, in most households both mothers and fathers work, and most families today are not able to care for the elderly. Social Security has become a lifeline.

The Protest Wall Street movement has spread all over the world as the basic needs for food and shelter have become global priorities. If we are not going to address these issues now, there is going to be a bigger catastrophy than global warming as social unrest floods our world.

I think back to Thanksgivings where we did celebrate harvest. That was the time when pigs became sausage, beef was canned, frozen or dried into jerky, vegetables were salted down or put in the root cellar to be enjoyed in the winter months. The jars of fruit and pickles were jewels in the basement as precious as a savings account. But now your Thanksgiving basket is likely to be store-bought bread, canned cranberry sauce, canned veggies, and the ubiquitous frozen turkey. That takes money and therefore becomes that perfect example of what has happened to our society.

With all the resources this country has, we should not let Congress lynch seniors on a limb of expediency while most of our country's resources are held by an elite one percent.

I am dedicating my comments today to my family and grandchildren, my friends, and especially to my mom and all those loved ones we lost this year.

Seniors rock.

Death Derivatives Must Be Stopped

2011-10-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

In case you forgot: I told you so. Not just once but twice.

Derivatives are bad. Betting on bundles of stuff like life insurance policies and using retirement trust funds to do it is making retirees invest in interests that would profit by their deaths.

Keith Fitz-Gerald, the Chief Investment Strategist for Money Morning, in the October 12, 2011 edition, calls death derivatives the next global "black swan". He finally picked up on what I have been harping on for over 18 months.

Insurance companies should not be in the life and medical business. Life insurance policies that pay out when a person dies, have a liability for the insurance company at the time they have to pay the claim. They are required to keep reserves to pay claims and the longer a policy holder lives, the longer they have to keep money around and the less profit they make.

If an insured dies in an expected time, the company covers it. If it takes longer, that money is tied up until needed. Worse yet is that dropped policies can be rescued if someone invests (picks up premium payments) and plans on a return soon, ie a cancer patient or someone who statistically will not live past a certain point.

Banks pick up these policies, bundle them, make money on the transfer fees or speculating on possible return, so they add them to inventory.

The SEC asked one of these companies, Life Partners to describe how they managed to set a value on their product. Keep in mind that there is nothing tangible to back these bundles up other than the possibility that the insured will die sooner rather than later.

I think derivatives are gambling, a huge Ponzi scheme that will drag down the world economy, because there is nothing tangible to back them up.

See my posts of 5/14/11, 2/14/11 and the initial one about murder derivatives May 3, 2010.

And an afterthought, I imagine that some of the profits of these billions of unsecured dollars find their way to the bonuses of major bankers and enable their lavish life styles. This is not the way our Calvinest hard work ethics is supposed to work.

What ever happened to ethics? Shouldn't Wall Street's way of doing business reflect tangible things like selling a real product instead of gambling?

Maybe those Wall Street picketers are on to something.

Seniors rock.

Is This the New Normal?

2011-09-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

I am watching Sunday morning news reports while reading Google computer generated news items and, as the scramble of images fires up my brain, I wonder: Is the ugliness of today and media presentations the sign of a new "normal"?

President Obama is faced with another budget showdown on September 30 if our legislators cannot agree on another budget extension. That means another "a-ha!" moment for seniors who wonder if social security checks will be issued October 1.

And that is not the best part....

President Obama has trumpeted that the challenge facing our country is the choice of taxing our millionaires and billionaires...or making seniors pay more for Medicare. "Its simple math..." he says.

The issues going on behind the scenes break down to scaling back tax subsidies, letting Bush tax cuts expire, or making the investments tax a flat 15%. Presently, many wealthy investors manage to pay much less or even zero dollars as they take advantage of tax breaks and deductions. The Republican alternative is to cut back on seniors' Medicare and Social Security benefits while keeping billionaires tax structure status quo.

Has anyone heard about the protests in Wall Street this week? Protests so large that 80 people were brutally arrested in just one day? There seems to be a media blackout about volatility in the heart of our New York financial district. There are hundreds of protesters, living in the streets, until their point is made. We are covering the events in Syria and Arab countries more thoroughly than we are in New York City.

What is going on here? Do any of you remember the protests of the sixties? I do. I remember Kruschev pounding his shoe at the UN. We were huddled in the Student Center at Rutgers at the time and were sure that a bomb was going to be launched at any minute. I remember protests about the Vietnam war. Getting married and dropping out of school meant that my husband was deferred from being drafted in that ill devised entry which cost thousands of American lives. I remember Kent University and the Black Freedom movement, I remember Michael Luther King before he became charismatic Martin Luther King and the symbol of African American justice in America. I remember those protests and the media coverage that let the rest of the world understand their messages.

So how come there is no coverage about this protest in New York? This "Occupy Wall Street" protest is intended to bring attention to their desperation: "We are the 99 percent...getting kicked out of our homes...forced to choose between groceries...medical care...getting nothing while the other one percent is getting everything."

Some protesters have joined ranks as college graduates with hefty tuition bills, over a hundred thousand dollars, with no job opportunities in sight. Others have lost homes and find the tent city accommodations on the street to be their "normal".

Wall Street has become demonized, but more importantly, what was once viewed as an engine of our capitalist economy is now facing transparency, regulation, more bankruptcies, for a new reality. These 21st century protestors march for the same human basic needs as those in France and Russia a hundred years ago.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Lets hope this is not the new "Normal".

Seniors vote.

Trenton Fog

2011-09-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

That mist rolling in off the Delaware River has settled over Trenton's City Hall like that bluish black cloud that follows the actor in the ad. Instead of "feel-good" snake oil, Mayor Mack has got to take some hard medicine.

The latest police director is reported in the Trentonian to be considering a hike. Isn't there anyone in these four wards who is willing and qualified to take on the police department responsibilitiy?

The difference between a city Chief of Police and a Police Director is traditionally one of accountability. The Chief of Police is a rank of the Police Department. The Police Director is a civilian, who may be a former career police officer, but in a city with diversity issues is expected to interface between officers and civilians.

It seems to me that this city will not fill the shoes left by the dismissal of Irving Bradley, Jr. for a long, long, time. This is a position that requires brains and finess as well as a degree of integrity which should both reflect the mores of the administration and the pinnacle of police policy.

So how is it that Mayor Mack has such a hard time filling this job? He got more than he bargained for when Ernie Williams put his foot down. He has not been able to convince the DCA of the suitability of most of his potential hires. Why should we be surprised that this latest Police Director appointee is about to take a hike....

My sinking feelings are matched only by the hole in the boat that is Trenton.

I think that it is time to print more recall petitions. Getting signatures to recall this Mayor one of the last things we will be able to do without holding our noses.

Rock that boat!

Trenton rocks...

Grandparents Day is September 11

2011-09-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, September 11, 2011, is the tenth anniversary of terrorist attacks against the United States. While we stop to remember those who died in the Twin Towers in New York, Flight 93, or the Pentagon, we should also stop to honor those who are still with us, our Grandparents.

Television coverage today showed the faces of children who lost their mothers and fathers in the dust and horror of those crumbling buildings. Their faces were full of hope and steadfast love in spite of their legacy.

In that horror, when a huge chunk was torn from a nation's heart, grandparents stepped up. It was both privilege and responsibility to insure that those children were given the support to become the people we see before us today.

The events of 9/11 resonated with all of us. After the dust settled and the thousands of lost lives were tallied, grandparents were there. Collectively we put our arms around the stricken, some of us rememembering World War II, some of us remembering the Korean Conflict, some of us remembering the War in Vietnam....

We held you in arms that had been emptied also from those wars...so we wept with you.

We know pain; we feel pain. May our children's children never again have to feel that boundless and unequaled pain from losing a beloved child... or grandchild, husband or lover in another wartime conflict. So grandparents were there.

Grandparents are unique and the Mercer County Freeholders agreed!

Many people are not aware of this, but Mercer County has created a special spot to meditate or picnic at closeby Mercer County Park. It has been dedicated as "Grandparents Grove" with beautiful picnic tables just off the marina area. There are lovely views and lots of activity. The tree colors at the lake are going to be changing to red and gold soon. so bring your camera.

Grandparents Day Quotes:

"No cowboy was ever faster on the draw than a grandparent pulling a baby picture out of a wallet." Author unknown...
A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart." Author unknown...
"Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting." Author unknown.

This weekend, we should spend some time with our grandchildren, or even our own grandparents, and say "Thank you."

Grandparents are always there for their families and for the community.

Revere, Respect and Remember.

Grandparents rock!

Burglars Masquerade as Emergency Responders

2011-09-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

This is a news flash from the Artfull Codger!

Ewing Township Police have confirmed that there is a team of burglars, pretending to be storm emergency electrical workers, who are preying on senior citizens.

Two Hispanic males presented at the victim's home communicating in Spanish over hand held phones. One was wearing a reflector vest and convinced the homeowner to check for storm damage in the back yard. When the homeowner realized the other male had remained in the house, she went back only to see the him running out of the home and over the fields. The first man then took off. Several items of jewelry and personal items were stolen.

We seniors are thankful for the help and rescue efforts of our electrical service providers as they attempt to bring customers back on line after Hurricane Irene.

However we must remain vigilant.

Do not let anyone into your home or on your property unless you have seen identification. These perpetrators are professional and believable and out to strip you of anything that can be disposed of quickly.

Keep your local police department hot line number at your phone. I cannot emphasize this too much. The local 9-1-1 line goes directly to the New Jersey State Police and you will lose time in a police emergency.

Keep 9-1-1 for medical emergencies like bleeding, breathing, and poisoning.

Be aware.

Be safe.

Seniors rock.

Comcast Subsidies: Are Seniors Next?

2011-08-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

Comcast was required recently to make some public relations enhancements in exchange for the Warner Brothers purchase agreement. In the Philadelphia viewing area, the result was that Comcast will service any low income household with school age children for less than ten dollars a month.

About five years ago, under Governor Corzine, New Jersey instituted a tax on cable companies which was to be put into a fund to provide a television subsidy to low income seniors and disabled residents.

When the fund got to $9.2 million, it was put into the General Fund by present Governor Christie and siphoned off to offset the State's budget deficit.

The end result is that many New Jersey senior citizens and disabled residents have had to drop service since they do not have enough discretionary income to cover the cost of cable television.

The government mandate to switch from analog to digital signal a year ago has not been a good thing for low income residents. It was enormous market potential for cable and network providers. Each digital channel can be broken up into many sub-channels so advertising and the variety of programming is potentially extremely profitable.

The hapless low income person who cannot afford to update electronics cannot use the present digital broadcast signal. The only options are to purchase a expensive digital receiver or to sign on with a cable provider.

This is a good time for Comcast to lead the way and make up the difference.

For those New Jersey residents who have been caught short by present Social Security freezes, a subsidy like that proposed for Philadelphia subscribers would mean being able to follow news, weather and emergency reports and, for many elders, would likely be their only form of entertainment.

Seniors rock.

Good Night, Irene

2011-08-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here's how to describe the day after hurricane Irene: that feeling of dampness, like trying to wiggle into a wet sweatshirt left in the dryer on a tumble cycle instead of perma-press; and the smell...pungent and doggie, mildewy musty and limberger cheese, with so much humidity that water condenses in a droplet at the end of your nose.

This is the kind of stuff you won't find on the Channel 6 news reports. No fancy videos, just moist misery that comes from being surrounded by so much water: Water in the bathtub, water in the sink, water hanging in the air, water bashing against windows when hurricane winds gust past, water-water everywhere, coming down the Delaware in dangerous cascades making folks leave Trenton's Island community once more for safety.

On the one hand we are safe. On the other, Trenton is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Flood crests are expected at record or near record levels well into tomorrow.

Governor Christie is scheduled for an update tomorrow, Monday, so resuming activites throughout much of New Jersey will probably wait until after his official update and the flood crest emergency is over.

During emergencies such as this one, the urge to find information drives members of the community to share their latest updates with whomever they come into contact. This primitive sharing is part of our social beast persona of course. However, sometimes unreliable sources and inaccurate information can lead to gossip.

Over the past 24 hours, several rumors have flourished in Trenton. Channel 6 unwittingly promoted one about the Trenton Water Company shutting down service "at 9 o'clock" and panicked residents started filling bathtubs.

Calls to authorities resulted in assurances that water was fine and in good supply, but the rumor persisted.

Channel 6, Philly, had a face/book I-pad "app" accessibility that let just about anybody post updates and someone posted a water company shutoff for Trenton. The commentators picked up on it as news.

Saturday night, it took Mayor Tony Mack and his personal interview over Channel 6 to correct the situation.

Today there was an early morning rumor that everyone in Trenton had to boil water...which was also unverified and so hopefully people will ignore that also for now.

The Trenton Police Department assures us that if there are any important changes in Trenton's Water Company service the Mayor's Office will use reverse 9-1-1 to notify residents of the emergency.

We must not spread rumors. Like the game of gossip, what starts out as a simple thought is bound to change each time it is repeated until it morphs into a fact with a life of its own although dead wrong.

The City of Trenton website for city affairs maintains updates on storm developments. That is much more reliable than gossip.

One more thing, those 500 seniors in Atlantic City who stayed behind and refused to be evacuated are doing just fine. I bet some of them are positioned to be the first AC residents into favorite casinos when the Boardwalk night-life re-opens tonight.

Seniors rock!

Hurricane More Than Another Life Lesson

2011-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

August was a bumpy month. I blasted through a concentrated biology course, was invited to an honors course this fall semester, bought my books, and just when I thought I could get a breather, we had an earthquake.

Now for heaven's sake. That was supposed to be a "once-in-a-life-time event" for the east coast, but then came news of hurricane Irene. Irene has a heck of a press agent and trumps the 5.9 earthquake with "not since 1903 has a hurricane hit New Jersey"!

I think I am out of adrenalin. Yep. Matter of fact here is my laid-back mental checklist:

Fill the bathtub so you can flush the john, find those fifteen year old matches left over from the nanny's wedding so I can light the centerpiece candles from both daughters' weddings,(I have been lugging them around for almost twenty years just because I could not bear to throw them out), run the fridge temperature up to high, fill my tea kettle with tap water, fill bottles to drink and water the kittycat...round up canned ravioli and evaporated milk, go to People's Bakery for a week's supply of torpedo rolls, check out the supply of peanut butter and jelly, change batteries in my flashlights, locate bandaids and antiseptic, surgical tape and duct tape...and of course my new text books.

Worse case scenario, I can study.

I hear that there are 600 seniors in Atlantic City who do not want to leave their high rise housing. Since they are talking about their walking down many many flights of stairs, I can identify with them. If they have comfort issues, like diapering or accessiblity, they may opt to stay in a part of their apartment where they feel they can cocoon.

I hope that they are safe. Let us not forget that seniors have life experience that has gotten them this far.

Some of the persons in our society today have a tendency to label everyone for convenience or reduce individuals to statistics.

Just maybe these folks feel their collective histories give them an advantage over a younger population that has become accustomed to "services". Give these folks room, please, to determine their own fate.

Well, here comes Irene. Stay safe.

Seniors rock.

Senior Art Show 2011 Results

2011-08-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! We are all winners!

This year's contest is history and the broad participation of Mercer senior artists and community members have made it a truly memorable event.

Kudos to the Mercer County Office on Aging, Mercer County Division of Culture and Heritage, Mercer County Department of Human Services, and the Board of Chosen Freeholders for producing this year's successful Senior Art Show.

Mercer County Executive, Brian M. Hughes, pointed out that this was the second time in a week that the Freeholders had attended an art event. That is encouraging for us because funding for seniors is disappearing in so many areas.

Keeping our art alive is important for two reasons: it benefits self expression, of course, but also produces a legacy to pass on to succeeding generations. Seniors have unique perspectives that only come from years of experiences living in worlds that will never happen again.

With that in mind, it give me great pleasure to introduce this year's winners of the Mercer County Senior Art Show.

First Place and Best in Show: Terry Goldstein's work on paper titled "Pain".

First Place and Juror's Choice: Joan Birchenall's watercolor "Waiting for Passengers".

Oil Painting---
non-pro: First Place, Raj Oberol,"Quta-Minar Tower"
Honorable Mention, Judith Tallerman,"Isabella"
pro : First Place, Jean DePietro,"Lilacs in Silver Teapot"
Honorable Mention, Norman Fesmire,"Lucas"
Acrylic---
non-pro: First Place, Carol Johnson,"Senior Tea Party"
Honorable Mention, Gerri Butcher,"Serenity"
pro : First Place,Emily Chapman, "Amsterdam"
Honorable Mention, Jean Lyndall-O'Donnell, "Stardust"
Watercolor---
non-pro: First Place,Joan Birchenall, "Waiting for Passengers"
Honorable Mention, Kuen Liao,"Street"
pro : First Place,Jackie Wouwenberg,"Winter Meadow"
Honorable Mention, Suzanne Hunt,"Hoping Hopewell"
Photography---
non-pro: First Place, Joe Schmeitz, "NYC Skyline"
Honorable Mention, Anne Benedict,"Stowaway"
pro : First Place,Janice Montervino,"Faith"
Honorable Mention, Gerald Sternberg,"Halong Bay, Vietnam"
Works on Paper---
non-pro: First Place, Terry Goldstein, "Pain"
Honorable Mention, Frank Pastore, "Little John"
pro : First Place, Ming Ji,"Landscape"
Honorable Mention, Robert Allard,"Clinton Mill"
Craft---
non-pro: First Place, Ronald LeMahieu, "The Maize God"
Honorable Mention, Pauline Weber,"Victorian Tulips"
Mixed Media---
non-pro: First Place, Nancy Scott, "The View"
Honorable Mention, Ahuva Arie, "King David Playing the Lyre"

Special thanks to the Show Judge, Margaret Kennard Johnson. Her impressive resume includes Pratt Institute, University of Michigan, Black Mountain College, just for a start. I was told that she is also in her nineties! That makes her truly a find for our show. I am so sorry that I did not have the pleasure to meet her.

This was a beautifully presented show thanks to the combined efforts of Eileen Doremus, her staff, and the folks from Meadow Lakes. My notes from the reception are incomplete so I apologize for those hard workers and coordinators I have left out.

You know who you are and I speak for artists everywhere who would not be able to have a forum or platform or venue if it was not for your efforts. Your enthusiasm and support for our art show makes you key to our success.

One more thing, the winners of this show are now going to be heading to the State Show which will be also presented at Meadow Lakes. I will post details as them are available.

Senior Art Rocks!

Uncle Sam: What Happens When A Relative Borrows Money

2011-07-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

It has been said many times that you should not lend money to family members unless you get it in writing. Collecting later could be tough because you do not want to cause trouble in the home.

Well, our good ol' Uncle Sam is no different.

Here we seniors thought we were getting straight goods. So when our congressmen told us that, because of the huge national debt, drastic measures were necessary...like cutting our Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits...we listened in disbelief!

Seniors are team players so we thought we were all pulling together...so everyone would feel the pain. Well the miserable sons of guns have been trying to make a case for cutting back "entitlements". "Entitlements" implies that seniors are standing with hands out for doles just because they are older and feel somehow "entitled" just by being retired.

Now People, don't get your shorts in a twist, I know that seniors and disabled have been paying into the system for years, and this is a benefit policy that pays out for eligible persons so they can have some security in the retirement years.

What no one has been willing to 'fess up to is that Congress, Our Government, has been borrowing out of the Social Security Trust Fund and it is now only a paper entry that shows what monies are supposed to really be there. Don't think for a minute that there is a gold depository of trillions of dollars that we are using to send out those monthly Social Security checks.

Reality is, according to my take on the subject, that there are monies presumed to be flowing through the books which enable Social Security Checks to be written and therefore cashed in the system. Social Security automatic deposits serve to make this a real time event but the money still has to come in from somewhere because there is no pot of gold to write checks against.

Now the National Debt figures in because Uncle Sam owes us.

This controversial "national debt", dontcha know, can be summarized by listing each country we owe money to and then adding numbers up to see just who is holding our national mortgage.

The biggest mortgage holder is not China (only 1.6 trillion or 8percent), not Japan (a mere 912.4 billion for 6.4 percent), not the United Kingdom (346.5 billion for 2.4 percent), not Hong Cong (121.9 billion for .9 percent) or even U.S. State and Municipal governments with 506.16 (3.5 percent)....not commercial banks (301.8 (2.1 percent), private pension funds 504.7 (3.5 percent) or even the United States Treasury (1.63 trillion)...nope, THE LARGEST MORTGAGE HOLDER IS THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND AT 2.67 TRILLION DOLLARS (19 PERCENT).

The United States Government has sucked out almost all of the Social Security Trust Fund. The Social Security Trust Fund has been lending its money to the Federal Government for decades, and now holds paper that accounts for almost Twenty Percent of the National Debt.

The Social Security Trust Fund is owed 2.67 TRILLION DOLLARS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

Congress has finagaled for decades with monies paid in by retirees who now are eligible for benefits. So now they have THE UNMITIGATED GALL to ask us to let them cut back our benefits so they won't have to pay back the whole thing.

That is like having Uncle Sam at the supper table, nodding at his sad stories of hardship while knowing full well he has been drunk on power and addicted to ready cash...whoops...our ready cash. Now he spins his tale of "woe is me" and wants us to "restructure" his obligation or better yet, "forgive" his obligation by lengthening years needed to work before qualifying for pensions, making payouts smaller for new retirees, (even if they have paid in the longest since the system was set up) or worse yet...telling everyone to take a payout and just go away.

Why should we let them get away with this? Write to your congressman, no heck, call or email or camp on his doorstep. There were rallies today at Republican Chris Smith's headquarters and not surprising, he was safe in Washington. However the rally at Rush Holt's office did have him communicating with constituents by video and conferencing.

This is a pivotal time for us. If those bozos in Washington do not take responsible action to honor today's obligations, we are going to lose more than our reputation in the arena of World Opinion. We are going to lose percentage points on our national debt interest obligations and Congress is going to use Seniors and the Disabled to mop the cobbles of this floor of shame.

I don't care if Uncle Sam is a relative.

I don't care if he is figurative.

There is much more going on here than bickering about increasing the debt ceiling. We are talking about a demented uncle taking a baseball bat to the family members who have lent him money. He is not being nice at all.

I do care about the way we are being treated. Uncle Sam must be challenged.

There are 52 million retired persons in this country according to AARP.

We must mobilize and make our concerns felt in every corner, of every room, of every house.

This is not just about seniors or the disabled.

This is about ethics and integrity, of honoring one's obligations, which right now seems to be in short supply in Washington, D.C.

Seniors Rock!

Senior Art Show Drop Off Monday

2011-07-24T16:20:00.001-07:00

How time flies. Tomorrow is July 25 and the drop off date for all artists who have registered for this year's Mercer County Senior Art Show.

So bundle your work for travel and head to Meadow Lakes in Hightstown. You can drop off your art or craft entry as early as nine a.m. If you are not an early riser, the Art Committee will accept entries up to two p.m.

If you have not been to Meadow Lakes before, follow these easy directions: From the Trenton metropolitan area, take Rt.33 east past Staples, beyond Shoprite, past Roma Bank to 130 north. Go about four plus miles further until you see the exit for Rt. 33 east, and then bear to the right. That will take you past Walmart and a lot of tempting shopping centers, but save that for later.

Halfway down the hill, make a right at the Diner which will take you to the Peddie School. At the stop sign pause, then make a right up the shady street. (I know you appreciate these little touches) and following along the school's campus, make a left heading east. Stay on that road for a short distance and Meadow Lakes' gorgeous gateposts will be on your right.

Now for those of you who will have the hubby driving, here is the official version of "Directions to Meadow Lakes":

From Rt. 1: Take Rt. 571 East into Hightstown. Turn right at the light onto Rt.33. At the Hightstown Diner, turn left onto West Ward Street (please note that I think they mean right because left would head you back to the Rt. 130 part of town)Then turn right onto Rt. 539. (This is up a little hill.) Just past Peddie School, turn left onto Rt. 571 East. Meadow Lakes is 1/4 mile on the right.

Proceed to the third entrance which is marked "Main Entrance, Meadow Lakes".

From Rt. 130: Turn onto Rt 571 East and follow directions above.

From I-195: Take Rt. 539 exit towards East Windsor. Pass over the NJ Turnpike. Go past the Peddie School golf course. Take the second right, Route 571, to Etra Road. Meadow Lakes is 1/4 mile on the right.

They say men like to use route numbers and mileage estimates but women like to go by landmarks. LOL. At any rate, it is a lovely drive and the Committee Memebers from the Mercer County Division of Culture and Heritage and the Mercer County Office on Aging will be happy to see you and your entries before two p.m.

Thank heavens the weather is going to be cooler. Trust me, you will beat the forecast for showers if you can make it by midday.

Well, good luck and have a successful show!

Art rocks!

Seniors Art Show Deadline Wednesday!

2011-07-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

This is a reminder to all of you who intend to show in this year's Mercer County Senior Art Show.

The mail in registration deadline is this Wednesday! Your registration must be received by the Mercer County Office of Aging so they can estimate for exhibit space and volume of visitors.

Please note on your registration form that the artwork dimension requirements and limitations are listed. This is important in order for the show committee to plan for the actual hanging of work.

Last year's show had a good number of stained glass entries. They were hung in long windows and glowed beautifully as the sunbeams shone through. Great care was taken to exhibit them safely and to great advantage.

The number and variety of crafts and ceramics may indicate a trend for senior artisans. The results, from these seniors expressing themselves in a tactile way, were unique, nostalgic, and sometimes thought provoking. The range of ceramics last year was truly impressive and showed a lot of expertise.

One wonders if an artist picked up this ability as a senior hobbyist or is a retired professional craft person. The art work was quite surprising and very beautiful.

The water color painting exhibits covered an entire wall at Meadow Lakes. This is a good medium for both beginners and experts and, depending on your level, is either fun or the artist's most difficult and challenging medium.

I seem to remember the acrylic painting division, based on the number of entries, as one of the most popular. Being able to work quickly and clean up with soap and water has helped to make it a good choice for seniors just starting out with painting techniques.

The oil painting division was well represented but with fewer than the acrylic division. Oils take so much time to dry that it seems traditional artists are leaning to acrylic as a medium. This is truly a shame because oils have a translucent quality and permanence that have made them the choice for artists for hundreds of years. Kudos to those die-hards who labor in this difficult medium with such inspiring results.

Now that digital photography is almost fool proof, one would think that the medium would have a common feel to it. Not so. The photography entries from last year were challenging, well composed, beautifully presented and dreadfully competitive. The judge for that category must have had a hard time picking a winner.

A note for visitors this year: If a painting has a price label on it, this could be the perfect opportunity to get a bargain from a Mercer County artist who just might be the next Grandma Moses!

There are many videos and workshops that get senior artists started and this is a great venue for them to show their progress. This is an opportunity for visitors to pick up an original work of art for the home.

Now it is time for the artist entry form to be mailed in. Think up a super clever title, ("untitled" just does not give a judge a clue), check your size measurements, and please make sure it is framed and ready to hang.

And just one more thing: Your painting may be worth a million bucks but, if you put a price on it over $400, you will have to cover it with private insurance.

So mail in your form today. And circle the drop off date, July 25, (9am to 2pm)for the delivery of your work. Keep your Part 2 label for your records.

If you need more registration forms call the Mercer County Office on Aging at (609)989-6661. You will speak to a real person. Promise.

Good luck and hope to see you at the show reception August 5 at 3:30pm.

Seniors rock!

Finally Mack-McBride Yoked Together

2011-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am reading the current controversy about Kathy McBride's confrontation with the Trenton Mayoral Recall Petitioners with some consternation. For someone in the public eye, her behavior is unprofessional and a bit over the top.

She protests that Governor Christie pulled the rug out from the city and thinks the Mayor had nothing to do with it.

I think she is a bit tunnel visioned. I have observed two things about Mayor Mack's efforts to wring funds out of the Governor. Last November, when the transitional monies were promised from the State, there were conditions to the proposed arrangement and that the Department of Community Affairs was to approve new hires for the city. My second observation was that Mayor Mack did not live up to that agreement.

So what's a Gov to do? Maybe tweak the carpet a scooch?

Now flash forward to this weekend's events.

Front page of the Trentonian took colorful note of the "F" word used by Mack supporters who tangled with recall petitioners and press persons. The resulting display has not served Mayor Mack well. Then current Council President McBride drives around the corner to check out the recall petitioners' progress and predictably runs into fireworks.

We know there is empathy between Mayor Mack and Kathy McBride because he promptly hired a member of her family after his election. It is almost a "family" kind of thing.

If you were planning a vacation would you want to bring your kids here,when even a little league game was rubbed out by fear and the perception of Trenton as a place of violence? Of course not. And this city needs tourism dollars.

I would like to point out that when Pellettieri Homes hosted "Meet and Greet the Candidates" prior to the Mayoral and Council elections, Kathy McBride was the only person invited that did not respond or attend. We did not invite all the ward candidates but calls and emails were sent to at-large candidates and persons we wanted to hear from. I used the contact information we had at the Trentonian for emails and phone numbers and attempted vigorously to get a response.

She was the only candidate who did not get back to me. Not even for a "too busy" kind of courtesy. That speaks of bad manners or worse.

Even Divine Allah attended our sessions. He turned out to be charismatic, well spoken, knowlegeable and a good representative of prevailing attitudes in his area. Marge Caldwell-Wilson won the seat but it was an objective opportunity to hear from his point of view in a non-judgemental forum.

Each candidate was given a half hour to discuss anything. And it worked. Too bad that Ms. McBride snubbed the opportunity. Maybe it was because she would be sitting down with a mixed audience and would not be able to hoorah her bias.

Council President George Muschal was sincere and vigorous in his concern for this city. I still cannot get over the fact that someone could object to George plowing out a city resident because he did not live in George's South Ward. Snow fell all over the city if memory serves me correctly...

When a farmer yokes two calves together, it should be done early in their training. Then they eat and sleep together until eventually they move only as one. With Mack and McBride now running the affairs of Trenton, let us hope that they learn to move together and forward. For better or for worse, come hell or high water (and with Governor Christie in the mix, both could happen) they are plowing our "south forty" for another year.

I forgot to mention, sometimes those two calves will never move on.... and then they become veal.

Trenton rocks.

Fallout From Failed Budget

2011-07-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Governor Christie walloped seniors and the disabled over the head last Thursday when he penciled out several items in New Jersey's budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including Medicaid funding.

In one respect, the State kept going. But items that lobbyists and legislators had thought were safely berthed in this vessel of funding for 2012 were clobbered as though with a rogue wave.

That rogue wave would be Governor Christie. Ocean currents are charted and fairly predictable, but every once in a while a ship reports an enormous over-the-bridge specimen that swamps a ship. It remains to be seen if New Jersey is going to sink under this latest wave, but our ship of State is listing.

The transitional aid cuts to cities hits Trenton hard. Last November, Mayor Mack came back with almost $30 million in his package and it was written into the budget. However it came with strings attached and the Mayor has not kept those strings tied in a bow. Hence, no aid in the State budget for Trenton.

Examining the Medicaid issue is also not what it seems to be at first blush. The Governor is pushing for managed care for Medicaid clients. This is a mixed bag.

Insurance companies are quietly buying up doctors groups. This means that doctors will be working for insurance companies. You thought that "panels of death" were something that hung over your head if the Federal Government had everyone on Medicare?

Well, hang on. Here is how managed care works:

I had a rupture in my knee. The managed care doctor was given points if he could keep his patients visits to a bare minimum and at a low tier of service. If memory serves me, the company provider was Cigna.

Well, Cigna did not approve orthoscopic surgery so I was prescribed a brace and sent back to work. I was forced to wear it, hobbling with obviously deteriorating effects, until it got so bad that there was no option but surgery. Next?

The pounding on the damaged limb shattered my ankle (previously broken and healed a decade earlier) which now required surgery on the ankle as well as the knee. But wait...here's the best part....the surgeons wanted to do the surgeries at the same time, same time same day same anesthesiogist...but Cigna said "no".

Yep. Cigna said "no way" and it had to be done as though it was a different injury. The upshot was that we went through the knee surgery, recuperation, rehabilitation, and it was only after the rehab "plateaued", because the ankle injury prevented the full course of recovery and treatment, was the second surgery approved.

Now does that sound like it saves money?

The doctor, who was my primary at the time, was furious with me and told me to get lost! He had been hauled on the carpet by the insurance company, that he lost "bonus points" because I had needed treatment, and he wanted me off his books.

From one point of view, the doctors group will cost less because they will have dramatically reduced their malpractice insurance overhead. They will become part of the process and therefore should be able to concentrate on patient care instead of business matters.

The hospitals will cut down on insurance processing costs because they will have a lower volume of providers to deal with.

But what will patients get? They will have to find new doctors in many cases. However, many seniors are currently going nuts trying to find transportation to get to sites for all the tests their doctors insist on, many times over-testing just to cover themselves for malpractice reasons.

Warning: It seems to me that there is financial incentive to undertreat these needy Medicaid patients. This is the dark side of the Governor's agenda.

Also, in this depressed economy, and with the requirements by the Affordable Medical Care Act that everyone be insured, the income parameters for new New Jersey Medicaid applications seem absurd. I find it hard to believe that making over $130 per week means you have too much income for Medicaid.

My grandparents used to tell me that "money was not important if we had our health".
I do think the State has a responsibility here.

Well, Gov? I am open to developments.

And about the nursing home issues and cuts...that's for next time.

Seniors Rock.

Mercer County Senior Art Show

2011-07-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Mercer County Office of Aging is so active in our area that we sometimes take their efforts for granted. Their programs range from Jersey Fresh farm vouchers to the senior nutrition programs, meals on wheels, and so many others it would take my whole blog to list them all. But my absolute most favorite is the annual senior art contest.

Here are some quick notes.

New Jersey's 21 counties hold individual art shows and each reflects their regional personalities and regulations. Some even charge for entries but permit more than one piece of art per artist. The county winners go to the New Jersey Senior Art Show in September. This program is a wonderful expression and acknowlegement of our seniors and their abilities.

This year the Mercer County version of the competition is held at Meadow Lakes in East Windsor. This beautiful venue has generous display area and their hospitality makes the entire show a real treat.

Notes for this year's competition:

Please pre-register your art and mail your entry form to the Mercer County Office on Aging, 640 South Broad Street, PO Box 8068, Trenton, NJ 08611. If you need a form, please call 609-989-6661 and they will get one out immediately so you do not miss the July 20 deadline for entries. This is to give the Office of Aging and Mercer Division of Cultural and Heritage personnel an idea of the number of persons in the show and how their work will be hung and displayed.

Bring your art work, (one per senior citizen over 60), to 300 Meadow Lakes, East Windsor on July 25 from 9:00am to 2:00pm. The reception will be held on August 5 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. All works not going on to the State Show must be retrieved after the reception at 3:30 pm.

This year the competition is split into professional and non-professional categories. A professional is someone who has sold artwork through commercial channels, exhibited in a professional gallery, or holds or has held a professional membership in a guild or organization. Everyone else is considered non-professional.

All works must be original,not previously entered in the county show and must be completed within the past three years. Digging under your bed for old watercolors does not meet the rules...heck that was when you were not as experienced anyway...right? The feeling is that this work truly must represent our seniors and their ablities as they are today.

Categories are:

Acrylic, Craft (no kits or molds) and does include stained glass, Computer generated imagery using a graphics program such as Photoshop and Illustrator,etc. but no scanned images, Drawing with ink or pencil and markers,Mixed Media which combines two or more media, oil painting, Pastel and charcoal,etc.,Photography using a film based, digital or pinhole camera in either black and white or color, Prints such as etching and engraving ranging to silkscreen, Watercolor and gouache... whew!

Oh, one more thing, your paintings 2-D work must meet dimensions: Maximum 36 inches, Minimum 11 inches and no exceptions. Sculpture must not exceed 18 inches in any direction including base. Please frame with plexi if your work is large over 24 inches to prevent damage and if your work is valued over $400, it is suggested that you also carry private insurance.

Wow! Just thinking about those delicious refreshents at the reception on August 5 makes it all worthwhile. Springpoint shows us terrific hospitality.

Hope to see you there,

Seniors Rock!

Art All Night Volunteer Party Tonite

2011-06-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

It is coming at last. We have to wait a whole year between art festivals but it proves worth the wait every year.

Yippee!

If you have volunteered to help out, tonight there is a staff introduction and organization party at 7 - 9 pm at the site at the Historic Roebling Wire Works.

This huge soaring structure slumbers all year long. When the Art All Night event opens the doors, the building takes on a whole different persona and for just one night, we are the "Happening Place".

Artists and art lovers flow into the city and find their way to one of the City's success stories. This production is living evidence that this city works, art works....ARTWORKS!

ARTWORKS. ART WORKS. Art Works. Any way it works.

Art All Night and Artworks are proof that volunteers and this city can do something wonderful.

ArtWorks...

Art rocks.

Recall Headache Looms

2011-06-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Two days ago it was just an interesting take on the mess at City Hall. Then the Trentonian filmed the Mayor during an interview making a comment that made my heart sink.

"I'm livin' the dream. I'm living a dream." exclaimed Mayor Mack.

If this mayor seems to think that things are peachy-keen and rosy, maybe he should take his glasses off. His years-long dream of wearing the title of Mayor of Trenton tells us that it just a title for him.

Unacceptable.

Today his law director told him adieu after many civilians filed OPRA requests to investigate his political appointees. Mack hassled him unmercifully about the number of inquiries that could result in possible future embarrassment for the Mayor's Office.

Well, Mayor Tony Mack, what ever is the problem here?

What is wrong with proving to your constituents that jobs are indeed going to qualified and law abiding citizens?

Maybe that is just the problem. Maybe candidates are not going to vet out. Maybe they are not going to be found to be law abiding citizens or qualified for their positions.

I am appalled at the can of worms city residents are left holding, squirming and cannoodling at every turn of the road, of every stroke of a pen.

Tony, Tony, Tony, whatever were you thinking?

Let's be realistic.

A recall is going to be tough because the persons signing should be signed up as registered votors. Trenton has had a hassle getting anyone out to vote.

This present mayor was elected with a token number of persons turning out. Coming up with 9,000 signatures is a monumental task for this volunteer recall effort.

But think of what the alternative would be: three more years of a judgement-challenged, egotistical, narcissistic and racist individual whose legacy right now is the quip:

"Happy Pearl Harbor Day!"

Man, sign those recall signatures everyone.

Trenton Rocks.

Memorial Day Does Hurt

2011-05-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

I drove down Hamilton Avenue today and spotted several members of our armed forces in full uniform in the area of St. Francis Hospital.

Trenton High School's crumbling facade in the background struck me as stark contrast to the promise and dedication of these spiffy uniformed young men and women proudly strolling our city streets. It gave me a warm feeling to see them this Memorial Day weekend because this is what it is all about.

Remembering our fallen and acknowleging our present...

There are many ceremonies scattered all over our local area. Multiply that by hundreds of communities throughout the state and it becomes an awesome display of support and affection for our fighting forces.

I had an opportunity to visit my brother's grave a couple of years ago. He was in the Navy when he died and was buried where his wife and sons were living at the time, far from the hills of New Jersey.

The grave was marked by a simple bronzed plate, imbedded in the sod, and embraced by wisps of grass which softened the sharp corners and renewed with the seasons. This weekend it will have an American flag planted exactly a step from its face.

Whether in Arlington National Cemetery or in a tiny village in New Jersey, the method is always the same.

The soldier planting the flag puts his boot in front of the headstone or marker, toe touching, and jams the flag pole at his heel into the ground. This provides a uniform distance for every flag marching down the rows.

Leave it to the military to find a no-nonsense way to honor their fallen conrades.

One of the most touching ceremonies I can remember was back home at our local cemetery. The cemetery sprawled over a long sunny hillside and each year the town chose a different gravesite to honor for the ceremony.

The local Memorial Day parade ended up at the cemetery location with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Ambulance Corps and Volunteer Fire Department marchers in closed ranks. Businessmen and townspeople, some wearing Memorial Day poppies, gathered and watched local dignitaries lay a red, white, and blue carnation wreath at the chosen spot.

The American Legion Firing Squad fired their World War II carbines three times in salute, thundering through the little valley, sending ground hogs into their burrows and children burrowing into their mothers' shoulders.

Finally closing the ceremony, the lone bugler played Taps.

Then down the long sunny hill, from the deep shady green woods out of sight, a second bugle, softly and unexpectedly, precisely echoed the notes of the first. Note for note.

"Day is done, gone the sun, ...safely rest. God is nigh."

By this time I was always in the Kleenex, squinting against those tears, embarrassed and knowing that my mascara streaked.

That second bugler gets me every time, notes and shivers rushing over me, with years of wishing and waiting and hoping... but knowing that the sense of loss is as sharp and painful as it was over thirty years ago.

When an elderly parent dies, or a friend succumbs to long illness, it just is not as hard as that knock on the door... and the Captain standing before you in full uniform and all that gold braid...to deliver the news.

"Regret...to inform you..."

Back then, it was so very, very personal, that sense of not being able to say good-by, like 9/11 for all those thousands of people who died so suddenly and left so much unsaid.

I cut myself off from a lot of contact with our mutual friends after my brother's death. In fact, I did not even send Christmas Cards for over a decade as I tried to deal with the scars.

It still hurts to write about it today.

Pain of remembrance? And in the end, maybe this is truly the real gem of Memorial Day. Every single one of our tears is a diamond, reflected in a pool of mutual respect.

U.S.A. rocks!

Art All Night Needs Help This Weekend

2011-05-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a flash bulletin!

Art All Night is having a work party this weekend at the site of this year's June event. All workers are welcome. Come at 10 am and coffee and donuts will be supplied to get your energy prepped.

If enough people come, it shouldn't take more than an hour or so.

Please bring:

a push broom (or any broom will do)

a dustpan for the sweepings.

a pair of gloves for safety's sake.

The address of the Roebling Wire Works is 675 South Clinton Avenue. Go to the entrance at the NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Association parking lot.

This is a great way to get your holiday weekend going!

See you Saturday.

Art rocks.

Attention: Art All Night 2011

2011-05-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Drum roll, please. Save the dates everyone!

Saturday June 18 and Sunday June 19.

Hold the spot on your calendar for the 2011 edition of one of Trenton's hottest and most successful events. Join the more than 15 thousand visitors expected to stream through the Roebling Complex on Dye Street during round-the-clock festivities to experience everything from wine tasting to glass blowing demonstrations. This is the place to be this third weekend in June, 2011.

And of course there is art. Last year over six hundred artists brought in work to showcase in the soaring Roebling Wireworks building. Ranging from professional sculpture to kids' refrigerator art, there was something for everybody.

Art All Night is scheduled for 3 pm Saturday June 18 to 3pm Sunday 19, 24 hours of non-stop paintings and music and crafts and food and demonstrations and sculptures and films and....you get the idea!

We will post news and dates for volunteers...just in...bulletin...bulletin:

More Volunteers Needed! And all volunteers get to party before the show (as we set up) and wear free T Shirts! Register at http://www.artworkstrenton.org/artallnight/volunteer2

And this just in: Lynn Lemyre has just been selected to be the new Executive Director of Artworks! Yea! Lynn! Yippee!

Lynn was the former Director of the Burlington County Arts Center and when Burlington cut back its funding to the Division of Cultural Affairs and Tourism, she lost her spot. She is a find. Way to go Artworks! Way to go Lynn Lemyre!

Art rocks.

"Shared Sacrifice" vs Millionaires Tax

2011-05-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has insisted time and again that his policies result in "shared sacrifice". The latest information from the Office of Legislative Services seems to contradict this.

The decline in income tax revenue between 2007 and 2009 was disproportionately at the high end. In other words, the wealthiest New Jersey residents paid $1.7 billion less that the previous period.

And our governor wants to continue this?

Our governor cut back schools and teachers, fire fighters and police, medical benefits for many civil service negotiated contracts, charity care for hospitals, tax rebates and senior citizen tax refunds, all in order to maintain his tax cuts for the wealthy.

Is this ethical?

According to the OLS report of the week of May 13, 2011, $1.3 billion was a decline in "tax liability" for incomes over that one million mark.

Get this: People with incomes less than $500,000 accounted for a mere $228 million of the decline. This dramatically illustrates New Jersey's top heavy income tax revenue and what happens when millionaires are relieved of tax liability.

Continued tax subsidy and relief for our states' millionaires, as campaigned by Governor Christie, perpetuate this lopsided contribution from our middle and low income residents.

Case in point is the $175 million dollar tax credit awarded to Xanadu. This financially troubled and probably worthless piece of real estate was propped up with tax payer monies because the Governor seemed to think that there was a need for "high end" retail or entertainment in that area of the Meadowlands.

Personally, I think Xanadu is ugly, worthless, and it makes my skin crawl to think that every hundred dollar bill snagged by this construction jumble is taking something priceless from a senior citizen.

Every dollar going to Xanadu is essentially diverted from being used for Medicaid glasses for a senior, prescription meds for a senior, dental fillings for a Medicaid child, transportation for a wheelchair bound adult who needs to go to a doctor or would just like to visit a library. Every dollar spent on this foolishness could be used to offset the expense of meals for the homebound, home care for recently hospitalized persons, shelter for the homeless....

These "millionaire taxes" are objectionable for our governor's purposes because he is creating an environment he thinks will protect his supporters and fund raisers.

We are thinking about the rest of us.

New Jersey State Senator Shirley Turner has introduced a resolution to place a tax of 10.75 percent on persons whose annual income is over one million dollars. This bill does not affect anyone under that one million limit. Previous bills included adjusted incomes from $400,000 up to one million, but that is not the case here. If you would like to see it on the ballot this fall, please call her office at 609-530-3277 and give her your support.

Senator Turner's bill could energize New Jersey's economy by letting the largest part of the population distribute monies throughout segments where it is needed the most. Instead of a wealthy investor buying a huge yacht, you would see average Americans paying to have their lawns mowed. designing and building a new garage or kitchen. This would put monies in the middle sector of the economy immediately, instead of waiting for the "trickle down theory" to work.

Needless to say, the Governor would like to kill the bill.

Another thing. I am so tired of people telling me so earnestly, "Millionaires are leaving New Jersey." Horse puckey.

According to an editorial in the Trenton Times (April 4, 2011), Charles Varner and Cristobal Young of Stanford found that the average migration of millionaires from 2000 to 2007 was only 459. The newly wealthy increased at this time by 43 percent to about 47,000 in 2006.

Their conclusion was amazing: New Jersey makes millionaires, not exports.

We are looking at smoke and mirrors here folks.

Governor Christie wants to hide our state's momentum and take the credit for growth by crediting his tax subsidy efforts as the reason for blossoming numbers of wealthy residents.

In the meantime, all of us on fixed income are looking at those "Peanut Butter and Jelly Thursdays"....

Seniors Rock.

SEC Finally Takes Look at Insurance Derivatives

2011-05-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have been clamoring for an investigation into derivatives trading on Wall Street, especially in the trade of bundled insurance policies. The Security and Exchange Commission started an investigation this January into the secondary market for life insurance policies held by strangers instead of the persons insured.

My February 14 column (Artfull Codger, 2/14/11) discussed the bundles of these policies and how they were transferred, like stocks between investors, by companies who profited from fees they made on the transactions. Investors could only make a profit if their insured died soon after the investor took over the "bundle" or they would find themselves paying the premiums for as long as the insured lived. This obviously diminished the anticipated return to the investor.

One of these companies, Life Partners, has been officially notified that the SEC is giving them a chance to explain themselves or civil charges may be filed. The SEC wants to know how "Life Partners" sets a value on their product. Some articles have been critical of the advertising and methods used to determine how long an insured is really going to live.

My original article last year was in protest for what could be a motive for murder. That is a situation where someone would profit from an insured dying sooner, rather than later, for optimum return on investment. I am thrilled that this shady aspect of the derivatives market is under scrutiny and hopefully will be shut down.

Finally the Obama oversight is pecking away at the problem on Wall Street!

Seniors Rock!

Easter Flowers and April Showers

2011-04-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am almost at the end of my semester and my thoughts are turning to those things I have neglected. Easter was pleasant but it took me several hours of driving to make it happen. And I drove home in one of the worst rainstorms I can remember. Making it worse was fretting about the gas I used.

The last time I looked, I was still living on fixed income. Imagine my shock this week when I realized that topping off my gas tank cost eleven dollars.

That got me a little over two gallons. I used to be in the oil business and remember how markups ranged from reasonable to gouging, and I am incensed by today's greedy gas barons. There is no shortage of product at this time.

War effects in the Middle East do not impact our supply, but they do affect our mentality and therefore market philosophy. If you can convince someone that there is a time limit or a shortage of a desirable item, it will make the sale and reinforce a high price.

Well. President Obama would put some of the nation's reserves into the public supply if there were a shortage. The only explanation for the current price level is greed. It was reported today that oil stocks have increased 60 percent since last year.

The oil companies also get enormous tax subsidy from our federal government. Why do they deserve tax relief?

It seems to me that any relief for our economy is going to be strangled by oil companies and senior citizens are getting the worst of it.

Not only are we on fixed incomes, but we have no recourse. Or do we?

This month one of our AARP members lost 20 dollars at a local gas station.

When she pulled up, the attendant asked her to park at a certain angle. She complied even though she could no longer see the pump. She handed over her cash, and after she got a mile down the road, saw that the gauge was still on empty. She called a family member who put her in touch with Weights and Measures. Subsequently, the station was shut down for some time while they measured and inspected EVERY pump of this very busy station.

I had an incident with the same station. Maybe the same guy. He filled my car but said that the pump did not print receipts and I had to go to the snack store for a receipt. I told him that I was too stiff to get out and, since he had my money, would he please get the receipt. Lots of hulabaloo and finally the manager trotted out with my receipt and an apology.

Another time the same guy told me my car was too small for his "high speed pump" and I should go elsewhere. Same station. So I called Weights and Measures. That afternoon, as I shopped at Barnes and Noble, I got a call from an officer who was at that moment at the same station. I advised him of the location of the pump so he could test and check out the pump.

Now wouldn't you think that they would have shaped up by now?

Another woman at our AARP meeting on Friday volunteered her story involving the same station!

We will give it a week and then check back to see if their performance has improved.

Who says seniors don't count? Think of the sales that high volume company lost while Weights and Measures had him shut down.

Seniors rock.

Illegal Immigrants Benefit Social Security

2011-03-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Immigrant populations are drawn to urban areas like Trenton, but now we senior citizens may want to re-examine our thinking on the subject.

Last Thursday, March 10, Stephen Goss, Chief Actuary for the Social Security Administration, addressed the National Economics Club at the China Garden in Washington, DC. The audience of seasoned Washington insiders was surprised by Mr. Goss' case that illegal immigrants benefit our economy in general and Social Security in particular.

Everyone is concerned about Social Security. Whether you are one of the present beneficiaries,(with a benefit average of about a thousand dollars a month)or one of the baby boomers who will retire in the next decade(wondering if there will be enough left in the Social Security Trust Fund) everyone has a stake in the issue. Everyone except the working illegals. They pay in and account for almost ten percent of total payments each year, billions of the trillions that go in and out of the Treasury and Trust ledgers.

Mr. Goss pointed out that Social Security was a break even up to about 1983 when the birth rate of Americans dropped. From that point on, the number of persons working to support the per person benefit was no longer working. For the average $1000 monthly payment for a beneficiary it takes about 3 people to keep things even. There are fewer people in the work force now because the population is dropping, so there are only about 2 people to carry the load that was paid in by those three. This means that the trust makes up the difference.

The fact is that immigrants have more babies and are helping to bring the birth rate back up. They work and pay into the system and unless they become legal or report under legal names, their payments are straight income to the trust fund because they will not be able to claim benefits.

In those states where there are efforts to control or expel the immigrant population, it is perhaps short sided because they contribute to the economy in ways that have not been recognized. Not only are they producing income for the Social Security Trust Fund, not only are they unlikely to benefit from the system that helps retirees to survive in old age, they use and provide local services and products and enrich their communities.

There is a strong conservative push to tighten up immigration laws in this country. We lost a lot of our naivete after 9/11. The rest of the world does not automatically think we are the greatest thing since sliced bread. We must keep our borders secure in order to survive in this new age of terrorism and no one will dispute that.

That said however, we have to take a second look at the practical aspects of the contribution that these hard working determined people are making to our culture. Unless one is American Aborigine...one's ancestors came from another country.

Perhaps an amnesty compromise now would let us have our cake and eat it too.

People rock.

Trenton High School Rally

2011-03-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

It should be interesting, especially if you have to go down Hamilton Avenue tomorrow morning and there is a good turnout for the "Repair the Roof Rally".

There is no question that the Trenton High School building is in need of repair. It is a fading reminder of the architects who designed for this capital city. Our city's legacy of late has not been able to honor and maintain edifices because city resources and residents have been depleted.

This brings us to tomorrow, when many concerned citizens are hoping to create a significant voice, to haul the Governor into line and come up with funding to save Trenton High.

I am of the opinion that this is not on his list of priorities. Save your breath. If funding to keep our firemen and police has been such a hassle and, is still not settled, we have to explore other options to get the job done.

Define the problem.

Is it the whole roof or only a part? Instead of going for the golden goose egg, how about breaking the problen into manageable parts? Instead of panhandling the governor, why not get together and, John Harmon, put your Chamber of Commerce on the job and get some volunteers!

Whoops. Silly me. Volunteer. Seems to be a foreign word. You know what I mean...not for pay, not for profit, just to get the job done.

In the Amish country, if a farmer's barn burns down, there is a barn raising and neighbors get together and build one in a day or weekend. The women feed and keep the workers fueled and they work til they can put a tree on the roof top for good luck.

Why don't you get some of Trenton's very independent and very qualified contractors together and just do this thing? If it works for Habitat for Humanity it should work for Trenton.

Trenton is worth it. Just maybe it could pull this community together.

Go John. Go Eric. Go everyone and lets get this g'dmn thing done.

Sticking your hand out for more funding is not going to fly with this bozo in the Statehouse.

Trenton rocks.

Congressman Chris Smith's War on Women

2011-02-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

Shocking reports from the House of Representatives thundered through the media today.

New Jersey's own Representative Chris Smith addressed Congress concerning funding of Planned Parenthood. His presentation was laced with descriptions of abortion procedures so lurid that a Congresswoman took the floor to protest.

Representative Jackie Speier of California admitted that she had experienced an abortion in the '90's, when her fetus was not going to survive anyway, but she strongly objected to Smith's intent.

The San Jose News reported today that the experience was one that she "endured". She said,"I lost the baby. But for you(Congressman Chris Smith)to stand on this floor and to suggest as you have, that somehow this is a procedure that is either welcomed or done cavalierly or done without any thought, is preposterous."

Her spokesperson, Tim Schlittner, said she did not regret the remarks and support was pouring in.

This occured during the debate over funding Planned Parenthood's activities. The Republicans stopped all funding of this extremely valuable service because the likes of Chris Smith channeled the testimony from the benefits of the program to a discussion of abortion.

Planned Parenthood funds totaled $317 million last year and served over 5 million low income people. It provided breast cancer and cervical cancer screening, hypertension and blood pressure checks, vasectomies, STD testing, prenatal care, contraceptive counseling and supplies and many kinds of reproductive outreach.

Roman Catholic Congressman Smith, a Right to Life activist since college days, intended to take full advantage of this chance to expand his anti-feminist views and cut off Planned Parenthood funding at the same time.

So far he seems to be successful.

Well, Congressman Chris Smith, no man is going to tell me, or any of my women friends, what we have to do with our bodies.

I have been furious for years that the men who seem to be yelling the loudest about abortion have an agenda. Both Congressman Chris Smith and Governor Chris Christie are Roman Catholic. Maybe this is the time to re-examine the separation of church and state.

A woman's right to her own body is as valid as a man's.

Interfering with that right, either by force or law, is so wrong.

If Congressman Chris Smith or Governor Chris Christie would like to salvage a fetus that was conceived by rape or incest, how about implanting the fertilized egg into their own abdomens and letting them carry it for nine months, possibly most of that time lying on one's back in bed, legs elevated, peeing and pooping in a bedpan.

The possibility of Mr. Mom carrying a fetus is closer to reality than ever before. Just don't tell me or my daughters or grandaughters that you are taking away their rights to make these horribly personal decisions.

Chromosome screening and DNA is so advanced now that patterns of incest are being picked up in routine screenings. If laws were the only measure of mercy, there will be more of these revelations and broken genetic codes. Abortions do have a place.

Congressman Smith's decisions are not ethical...they arise out of politics and convenience. Some traditions hold a fetus becomes a person only after it is born. The wrestling with the ethics of stem cell research and medical thresholds is not for the faint of heart,for sure, but this invasion of a woman's privacy and right to ownership of her person is just not negotiable.

Revisited: Could Life Insurance Policies Lead to Murder?

2011-02-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

I have been reading about an online virtual hedge fund started by Keith McCullough in 2008. Moise Silver Hedgeye, in his Valentine's Day blog for Fortune Finance entitled the "Big Ugly Business of Death", tackles the subject of third party insurance policies from an investor's point of view.

When a person takes out a large dollar value life policy, the policy holder profits when the insured dies. The only way the insured would benefit is by selling it, while alive, to an investor for a discounted amount to live on, like an annuity. When he expires, the purchaser can then cash in for the balance left in the policy.

Sometimes the reason a policy was started no longer exists so the payments stop. A third party can come in and pick up payments so it will stay in effect. However the purchaser will not make money if the insured out-lives the equity.

In 2008 there were over $12 billion worth of these policies sold. Therefore it is a branch of banking that should be regulated,legislated, or even prohibited. I wrote about this in May 2010 and want to bring it up again.

Here is my article from last spring:

Monday, May 3, 2010

Could Wall Street Derivatives Lead to Murder?

AARP is running a cute TV ad asking us to support Congress' efforts to regulate Wall Street but this is no laughing matter. Bills, in both the Senate and House, concern transparency for derivatives trading by insurance companies. The Senate bill would impose the same transaction rules for derivative trading as the rest of the market and they would have to be listed. Banks, who have bundled these "custom" derivatives without previous scrutiny, have successfully lobbied the House Bill and continue to operate without transparency or controls.

Derivatives, up to now, were "futures" intended to lock in the price of fuel or raw materials for agriculture. These futures were bought and sold with definite dates for holders to take delivery. This is vastly different from insurance industry "exotic derivatives", where maturity dates are determined by the death of the named insured.

Derivatives are not like stocks either; they are a form of trading without anything substantial to back them up, a gambler's way of continuing to play the game without something solid behind the bet. Here are some examples:

When someone takes out a large life insurance policy, say a million dollars worth, and then changes his mind and doesn't make payments, one could expect that it would be cancelled. Not necessarily.

Aunt Millie has a million dollar policy but becomes ill. She goes to her broker to cash out four hundred to spend on her bucket list. One could expect six hundred dollars left in the policy. Is the policy over?

Or, Uncle Ed's children do not survive him and he decides, "What the heck". and decides not to make payments....you would expect that the policy is dead.

Since a life insurance policy can now be owned by someone other then the named (in order for a business to carry insurance on an executive who might be hurt in a business associated risk), a climate now exists where ownership of a life policy is possible by a totally impersonal and unrelated entity whose only goal is making a profit.

In each of these above examples, you might think there is no longer a liability for the insurance company as the policies revert to the company which will no longer need to keep reserves for these million dollar accounts. Wrong. Speculators (Banks) bundle these policies together and sell them to investors. Of course, the investors will not get a payout until the person in the policy dies, but they do have to pick up and continue the premium payments. Obviously the longer the person lives, the more payments the investor has to come up with, and the more diluted the value in the bundle.

You might ask why banks do this, but the answer is simple. Banks carry these bundles (derivatives), and make their money by charging fees to move them through the market. Congress is investigating the millions Goldman Sachs made from creating these bundles, reselling them and then trading without full disclosure. Their business practices were like a huge Ponzi scheme, with success being dependent on bringing in fresh clients, fresh money, fresh suckers at the bottom of the pyramid to support the payout to the top. If the bottom does not continue to bring in new accounts, the entire structure crumbles.

My concern is for the morality of these life insurance derivatives. The longer a person lives, the less the policy and his portion of the bundle is worth. For millions of dollars seeping away as the bundle ages, and the ongoing cost of payments to keep it viable, this could be motive for hoping for an early demise.

If I knew that someone had a life insurance policy on me, and I was about to undergo a life threatening medical procedure, I would be horrified if a decision were made to let me die just so a policy holder could cash in. It would make a terrific plot for "Castle" but it really isn't too far fetched in this "insurance derivatives market".

In my perfect world, private insurance companies would not be in the medical business anyway and definitely would not be trading life policies like North Sea Crude.

Have a good day.

Seniors Rock!

Name a Cockroach For Your Valentine

2011-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Remember when we found out that Romania was going to make witches pay income taxes? Well, here is another highlight to keep seniors up to date with important stuff.

For the tiny sum of ten dollars, the Bronx Zoo will let you name one of their Madagascar hissing cockroaches. They are described on the website as brown and iridescent.

Their website is http://www.bronxzoo.com/name-a-roach. Pick the name of your sweetheart, a friend, teacher or even your legislator. The money goes to help with the wildlife preservation efforts of the Bronx Zoo.

I checked. These buggers, bugs, are huge. They grow up to three inches and live for five years. The males have horns and both sexes hiss. They hiss when they are happy, they hiss when they are mad... and they even hiss while courting. In fact, whole colonies hiss in unison although my reading did not come up with a reason for that. Imagine a whole seething colony hissing at the same time.

The Bronx Zoo has about 58,000 of these creatures. They sell for about eight to twelve dollars each but you can name one for only ten dollars.

A couple of years ago, New York jewelers sold several live bugs for holiday gift giving, complete with genuine stones affixed to each bug's carapace. One model wore it as a brooch. The prices were in the thousands.

If you have a secret Valentine and want to do something really different, how about doing something for wildlife at the same time? The zoo will email the recipient your Valentine greeting and certification of your donation and best wishes.

I think it sounds screwy but why not? As their website points out, flowers wilt and chocolate will melt, but those roaches live five years.

I am not going to post "roaches rock". Even I have scruples....but I have to admit I was tempted to name one after the Gov.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Seniors Rock.

Are Senior Nutrition Sites Closing?

2011-02-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

Last summer was a bummer. We had a free-for-all mayoral election that saw less than ten percent of voters electing a new mayor here in Trenton. It only gets worse. We seem to be mired in a muddy outdated path that would bog down a kid's bike.

It somehow comes as no surprise that a rumor is floating around once again that senior centers are closing.

To be sure, Mayor Mack had some problems keeping his promise to get seniors to and from their nutrition sites in the city, but most of that has been solved by this writing. Whatever van service is available is now overshadowed by the current spectre of shutdown because of Governor's Christie's cutbacks.

A reliable source has told me that senior centers are going to be closed on Fridays.

If you presently rely on the nutrition sites as a food source, you will be able to go Monday thru Thursday. The sites are slated to close Friday thru Sunday, re-opening on Monday.

This latest "collateral damage" of the Governor's quest for fiscal credibility among the nation's Republicans, once again comes at the expense of the elderly, our most vulnerable residents.

I am told the cutbacks are slated for this spring.

When the campaigning Governor visited nutrition sites last year, he was shown the most glamorous and nifty ones. Granted they do exist...Hamilton's even has a swimming pool. But residents from out of the Hamilton area are not permitted to enjoy those facilities. In Ewing and some other suburban areas you can find lovely tables and sunny settings that impress politicians.

That is not the case with many inner city sites. In fact, it is not the case with most of the sites which exist for real needs: a decent meal and safe place to play games and watch TV.

I have to point out that such simple things are not available to many shut-ins. Now they are going to be out of reach to many who have been attending on a regular basis.

Granted, attendance at nutrition sites has not been representative of those who are qualified to attend, either by income or age. The critical elements of transportation and site location have to be just right, or else the person is not able to make the trip. Also those elders who volunteer or still go out to work are not in the 11:00am to 1:00pm window for lunch and bingo.

Some transportation funding is linked to services for seniors and the disabled and is reported to be in crisis mode. I wonder if there is a connection here to the nutrition center cutbacks.

Perhaps the cut to senior programs could be a result of the Governor's restructuring Atlantic City Casino revenue. The Casino Revenue Fund is part of the state constitution and was instituted when gambling was approved. Seniors were to get their monies off the top. We have no update on the status of the CRF but if AC revenues are down it would make sense that the CRF would drop proportionately.

I would personally like to be reassured that the Governor did not plan to lap up our monies the way he did to the TV subsidy monies last summer.

Is your stomach growling yet? Just wait. Its a long weekend from Thursday to Monday for no real dinner for those thousands who have come to depend on the centers for help.

Seniors rock...and vote.

Governor Christie blotted out the television subsidies assessed to cable and network providers and took our money for the state's general fund. It is not farfetched to think he could be using our Friday meal money for his own priorities.

Governor Christie, you were not elected to do this to people who trusted you.

I hope that the Governor's outreach and advisors take the time to garner sufficient information to make truly helpful programs once again available in this state. Closing centers is a step in the wrong direction.

Seniors rock.

Comcast Has No Solution

2011-02-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

Cable TV is out of reach for many poor and elderly folks in New Jersey. The New Jersey Legislature's fund, intended to subsidize service for disabled and elderly, found over nine million dollars had been siphoned off for Governor Christie's priorities and did not help seniors.

In my previous blog, a comment by Comcast suggested that there was salvation on the horizon if you went to a certain web site. Don't believe it.

In spite of a little voice that said I shouldn't, I checked it out. I should have known better. Comcast searches for any mention of their company and, if a blog, you are treated to an invitation to visit their site to check out special deals.

Should'a known better. For a short time only, you can get phone, internet, TV for $33 EACH, or roughly $99 a month for 12 months. Oh my heavens. Gasp. Almost a hundred bucks, and I was worried about seventy...

Several years of using cable for both internet and TV left me empty of wallet and waiting for service. I had a tech one Saturday (could not be scheduled for a normal weekday) who was probably a part timer, who actually stood me up for his appointment and turned in his slip declaring the customer (me) wasn't home. I called the customer service rep just to see when he was expected amd she noted that I was calling her three hours before my appointment time. She had no idea why he had turned in his time slip... since I was not due yet... to not be home. I hope you followed that. She wrote him up and I started looking into alternatives.

My eventual solution was to scale down to antenna broadcast TV and Verizon for internet.

So nothing is perfect, but some of us are much less perfect than others...if you know what I mean.

Just wait if they decide that radio should also be digital. Remember how Comcast moved into the opportunity and provided converter boxes...and charged for installation...and charged for the friggin box? Ahem. We are all suckers waiting to let big business interests blot us out.

If you have relatives overseas, whether in Asia, Europe, South America or anywhere else on this globe, most of them use analog technology to communicate. If radio goes the way of our TV, and converts to digital, folks will have to buy new radio receivers that are not compatible with those other countries still on analog technology.

Write to your Congressman and let him know that big business interests should pay taxes, should hire more people like our sons and daughters, and should let the rest of the world stay in contact with us.

Seniors rock.

Fixed Income 101

2011-02-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

"Class: Fixed Income 101. 3 credits. Register soon, baby boomers filling class rapidly.
Social Security Lab Book, priceless.
Text: out of print. Updated textbook available prior to next election."

I think we should get college credits for dealing with the complexities of everyday living on a fixed income.

Fixed income is just that. Fixed. No additions, adjustments, amendments or extras.

What you get is all you get. After working all your life, that Social Security number is your bottom line regardless what happens in the ebb and flow of the world around you.

When social security was first initiated, there was considerable controversy. But if you were one of those too aged or infirm to work, it meant being able to buy a pair of reading glasses or bag of coal to keep going.

There are millions of elderly Americans whose only source of income is social security. I was fortunate enough to also qualify for some benefits based on my deceased husband's record. In spite of this, I am living at a poverty level. I appreciate the plight of those who have gone before me and acknowlege the problems that face us in the future.

That said, Congress fixed the amount of social security benefits in 2008. I am trying to budget and stretch my funds to pay for ever increasing rent, food, utility bills and still keep my mind active.

A budget is essential.

Look over the basic costs, rent, utility, phone and compare the increases to last year. The difference is what you have to cut back in other areas because social security has not kept up.

Food is next. Analyze your purchases and see what can be modified. If you eat meat frequently, change your cuts to ground or chopped and buy in large quantities. Freeze in sandwich bags so you can count out how many servings or meals it will make. Look for the manager mark-downs but be careful about damaged produce. Sometimes it makes more sense to buy sealed veggies so you are not exposed to something that could make you sick.

Hey Gov Christie, how about those peanut butter and jelly Thursdays? If I have to, why don't you?

And then there is insurance and gas for the car. Most cars run on regular. Fed Ex plans its deliveries so they only make right hand turns and we can follow their example if we want to save gas. At least combine shopping trips and errands for maximum efficiency.

Next is personal stuff such as haircuts and shampoo, detergents and Bounce sheets, even some really personal hygiene stuff that I won't mention here. I even kept my kitty expenses last year to see if my cat was worth it, just because he caught mice. (He was. I had over 30 mice before he came to live with me. And he gives me hugs.) Look for senior discounts on haircuts. I cut back to once every two months.

And my cable bill? Zilch. I used to have Comcast for my internet but had a stomach ache every time I got their bill because they required basic TV before they would let me have internet, and could not explain how that basic fee was charged twice. Service got slower and slower. When I complained I was advised that my usage was too light and I was at the bottom of a queue.

Now I use our house antenna for broadcast service. Some senior sites do not have antenna and residents must subscribe to cable. That would take another $70 out of my budget. Not acceptable.

Many seniors are incapacitated. That means that stuff does not work. Stuff like arms and legs, sometimes sight and hearing. Four walls of an apartment or bedroom are the total option for a 24 hour day. The rooms are dark to save on electricity and to keep furniture from fading. The only connection to the outside world and its culture and vibrancy is that picture window known as television.

So this Governor doesn't care about this last link with life. This governor would rather jet around at taxpayer expense while many of us who spent our lives building roads, delivering fuel, cooking in school cafeterias, teaching children, even managing businesses, must now sit around in the dark and wait to expire.

All because he does not think we can vote.

Think again.

Seniors rock.

Another Governor Christie Blow to Seniors

2011-02-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it. Just when you think you have heard it all, our Governor does it again.

I had a few minutes to surf the news today. Susan Livio, writing for the Newark Star Ledger and today's NJ.com, reported that Governor Chris Christie scarfed up promised monies that were supposed to help poor people pay their cable bills. He lumped it into the General Fund and used it to help offset last year's budget woes.

This man has raised costs for seniors by cutting back the HEAP supplements. He tried to shut down several institutions that cared for the disabled and elderly. He cut charity care funding to New Jersey hospitals which hit urban areas hardest. Is there no end to the heartless and outrageous things he is doing to us?

Six years ago, New Jersey taxed cable companies with the money going to help pay for cable TV for seniors and the disabled.

What did our outsized Governor do? He grabbed the funds, which had not been distributed yet, and used them to offset New Jersey's deficit!

Is this good business? That $9.2 million means so much to us, and Christie sucked it up.

It is heartless.

Oh, I should mention that one half of one percent of that money was also supposed to go to PAAD, to help pay for senior prescriptions. Remember last summer when Christie VETOED the "millionaire's tax bill" after the Legislature passed it so PAAD could continue?

Oh. Yeah. The funding, such as it was, eventually came from Federal funds. And then there is the Casino Revenue Fund, which was set up to help seniors and the disabled, and those millions that were not accounted for in June. (See my previous blog on this subject). I asked Senator Turner's office about the fund and they were not able to trace it for me.

I do not subscribe to cable because I am fortunate to have a TV that will work on antenna and receives both analog and digital signals. I get about 30 channels and save probably $70.00 a month.

I look around me, and most of my neighbors are using a hefty portion of their income just to keep themselves in touch with the rest of the world.

This governor is out of touch with the plight of senior citizens. His appearances at senior events are photo ops and seem calculated to keep everyone charmed into thinking he is a jolly good fellow.

We are heading for an era when the "baby boomers" will be joining our ranks. Marketing is already geared to the anticipated needs of these folks and their sheer numbers guarantees that they will be heeded. I don't know how many of us can wait. We might not be around to enjoy their new world.

We need help now. It adds insult to injury that this Governor, enthralled with Xanadu and Atlantic City, is ignoring us.

Seniors rock.

Tea Party Tackles Troubled Nursing Home

2011-01-29T10:02:00.000-08:00

I have been following and writing about nursing home situations for over seven years as my family has made its way through the health care system. My mother's roots were in the northwestern part of New Jersey and my frequent home town visits have maintained a connection that hurts sometimes...not just for what might have been, but for today's sad shortcomings.

When my mom needed a nursing home, we were not able to locate suitable assisted living facilities in Warren County so we brought her to Mercer County because, at that time, it was highly certified.

Warren County's facility, Warren Haven, tucked into Mansfield Township, is presently operated by freeholders much like Mercer County's Hamilton Geriatric Center used to be. In 2008 there was an effort to privatize Warren Haven and testimony sounded a lot like what people were saying here in Mercer County.

Freeholders were accused of lack of interest, lack of oversight, and even one lawsuit by a family whose resident had died as a result of alleged lack of care. Privatization was not chosen and the matter was eventually decided in favor of keeping freeholders involved.

Fast forward to 2011. Now one of those family spokespersons, Elaine Reichart of Warren County, has come forward with Tea Party members and asked for oversight. Her previous position had been to support the freeholders but now she challenges Warren Haven finances.

If you take politics out of it, circumstances and care can change enough in three years that you might change your opinion . So I think that, Tea Party designation aside because the freeholders in Warren are also Republican, Ms. Reichart has a point because the Warren Haven rating has sunk to only two stars. That is not as bad as the Hamilton Geriatric Center was when it was sold last fall, but still unacceptable.

According to the Express-Times today, the Tea Party "study" has involved "coffee purchases and temporary manpower". I would not be surprised if this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Based on my experience I suggest that they look into employees who have not worked any place else because they might now profit from retraining inservice sessions. I recommend challenging any contracts with companies for food service, laundry operations, turnover of rehabilitation and social service providers, office procedures and billing practices, Medicare and Medicaid accountablility....so on and so forth.

One more thing from my own experience: I wish Ms. Reichart good luck in getting her freeholders and administrators to be forthcoming in such details that can really make a difference.

Seniors rock!

New Congress Reverses Gains for Seniors

2011-01-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

The 112th Congress convened this January. Already the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging has sent up distress flares.

Last December's Congress recessed with a parting shot at seniors by passing a resolution to keep federal spending frozen at 2010 levels until March. March 4 is when Republican leadership intends to roll back government spending to 2008 levels, like Social Security Benefits!

Elderly housing legislation was enacted last year that updates HUD's grant program, Section 202, making it more streamlined and with fewer hurdles to develop and preserve senior housing. A new category of housing options has been created by providing grants for health and other supportive services ("service-enriched housing") that developers would include for residents.

In addition to assisted living, nursing homes and affordable housing, now HUD will have a new category of "service-enriched housing". The flip side of this coin is the privilege of staying in your own home which is more challenging for legislators to consider.

The Affordable Care Act presently supplies many provisions that help older adults with chronic conditions and their caregivers. The present Congress has indicated that they want to repeal it.

We should take note of the implications of what Washington can do to our circumstances. There seems to be a trend funneling the elderly from their own homes into group living situations. Whether with "service-enriched housing" or not, there is no substitute for the comfort of familiar surroundings.

Funding that helps keep seniors at home is essential, so they can live with dignity and independence. Senior incomes have been frozen at 2008 levels in spite of escalating costs for food, housing, prescriptions and medical care, and while a HUD clearinghouse of affordable facilities may make it easier to locate available alternatives, being uprooted is often the last blow to a fragile, aging adult.

One of my neighbors lived next to her church for over fifty years. When her house was turned over to the parish, and she had to move to an apartment, she was crushed. She made weekly trips past her former home but never connected to her new accommodations in senior housing.

She passed away recently and I wonder if her past three years, transplanted into a tiny apartment, might have been more comfortable for her if she had been able to stay home with a companion in familiar surroundings. The expense of a live in aide is prohibitive, but the Affordable Care Act was a step in the right direction to keep someone in their own home.

Seniors rock.

Trenton Could Use A Superhero

2011-01-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Phoenix Jones. What does Washington have that we don't? Come on down and we will keep you busy for sure...

Comic book hero brought to life is something Mayor Mack hasn't tried yet. Betcha. We have a neat collector's bookstore where he could change into his costume...bullet proof vest, taser baton, super hero black and gold rubber wet suit...ready for anything our town requires.

We have the small town shopkeeper who needs lots of help so he isn't taken advantage of. Ahem. We have lots of single ladies waiting to be rescued from abusive bullies on street corners.

We have two newspapers that could be really good cover for a mild mannered reporter type. (L.A. Parker would do a great job covering this if it turns out he doesn't fit in the suit)

The Mayor might even find a super hero squad saves money. Outfitting and promoting (Strike Fear Into The Hearts Of Evil Doers) would be cheaper in the long run than keeping the same number of pension attached beat cops on the street.

Think of it.

West Ward gets bronze and gold, North Ward gets red and green, South Ward is costumed as blue and silver and the East Ward is blazing with yellow and scarlet. Each ward can pick its hero name and, if the Mayor likes the idea, how 'bout a trusty companion. Two can romp as cheaply as one, so how about hiring a little hero to tag along with the big one? Just a thought.

Seattle Washington has a number of "super hero" types that are seriously on the street to fight crime. This might be considered vigilante justice but, if a city is laying off cops, what is a civilian to do?

I wonder how you can tell if a guy in a mask is there to pick up your groceries or is going to bop you over the head.

Talk to me.

Are we in such bad shape that a comic book type looks better than the Mayor?

Trenton rocks.

Wikileaks and Transparency

2010-12-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

Wikileaks.

Out of curiosity, I googled...and guess what. Explorer would not let me view the site.

But....I found there is a way to get to the site and I could not believe how easy it was.

There were suggestions for making secret contributions. The clandestine methods are like being in the CIA for heaven's sake, but add up to a really interesting concept.

Transparency.

As Americans and traditionalists, we think of ourselves as free thinkers with unlimited access to information and a constitutional right to free speech.

Well, think again.

I have been studying journalism ethics and we are cautioned to use our abilities in a responsible manner. I wonder if folks realize that Wikileaks is really about transparency.

Speaking out and sharing controversy is nothing new and we are sure it is possible in the United States. But you know, there is a pile of stuff with TOP SECRET stamped all over it. Some of that is relatively benign like what came out in the past two weeks about diplomatic relations among the countries we have been dealing with. One country commented to Secretary of State Clinton that "you should hear what we said about you..." Now that sounds like adults, giggling a bit but not taking things too seriously.

What is serious here is CENSORSHIP.

Since the internet started about 40 years ago, it has been mostly self policed. Now there is a possiblity that things might change due to this "Cyber Gate". I heard that term today but can't remember where so I am unable to attribute, but think it is going to be a term you hear many times in the next weeks.

Wikileaks performs a function. Truth is absolute and truth is good. There is a conviction that popping a blister makes it heal faster. Wikileaks has spent four years as a non profit entity in order to let whistleblowers of all kinds have a platform. Sometimes facts should be made public because revealing them will make society better in the long run.

As a journalist, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. To think that I would have to avoid stores with cameras, avoid purchasing CD's that can be traced if one wants to use them for filing complaints with WL, to watch for surveillance when preparing documents, choosing a post office that is far from home...on and on....

Whistle blowing or divulging the truth about some entity or issue should be encouraged not censored. The current Wikileaks' discussion really underscores the threat of censoring.

The jury is out on Wikileak, but as the world continues to exploit the details of the current WL scandal, let us not forget that this is really about censorship.

This is not about spreading untruths for malicious intent or personal gain, but rather about sharing truth with the world in order to make it a better place for everyone.

Have a nice day.

Turkey Day

2010-11-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone. Six months since the election and I am feeling the itch to comment on some of the stuffing in our municipal turkey.

Tomorrow is a first for Trenton, at least in recent memory, as the Trenton Thanksgiving Parade winds its way from the State Capitol to City Hall. This could be lots of fun and the weather forcast is sunny and cold. No snow for the trip to Grandmother's house but who cares...maybe Santa/Mack will be at City Hall,

I can't believe I said that. I better concentrate on the other turkey...no pun intended.

Any recipe for stuffing (or dressing if you will) contains a traditional balance of bread crumbs, onions, celery, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

Lets start with the traditional crumb stuffing for our turkey...usually this is when opinions pop out about corn bread vs. Italian bread.

Trenton's Trentonian newspaper has been toasting Tony's crumbs so long that they can sop up lots of gravy. Come to think of it, at $100,000 per exec, there may not be enough gravy to go around.

Chopping onions always makes me cry and do they stink. I hate to say it, City Hall does the same thing.

Celery gives the recipe a little crunch and flavor, not unlike the colorful collection of employees that now work in mayoral offices. Usually herbs like parsley and sage flavor the mix, but I think sage (wisdom) is in short supply, judging by the lack of ordinary common sense used to find qualified city staff.

Salt...it is rubbing salt in the raw wounds of taxpayers to keep promising that police, firemen and even dogcatchers will stay working while making some of them quit and other take demotions, knowing that the money issue has not been solved.

It is troubling and a tummy churning dilemma. I hope this holiday does not come off half-baked because I don't have a lot of confidence in the recipe ingredients.

I keep wondering if there is a hidden strategy in Mayor Mack's administration that will pull some of these problems out of the fire. I really hope that something works because ordinary citizens seem to have lost a lot of clout. I hope that city council is able to stay ahead of the issues constantly being tossed their way.

Have a good day.

First Amendment 5K Run-Walk October 2

2010-09-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Picture this, joggers: bright sunny weather and beautiful autumn foliage, a flat well-tended USATF certified course, and free T-shirts to boot. Serious runners and wannabees alike are invited to participate in Mercer County Community College's 5K Run-Walk this first weekend in October.

The address is Mercer County College, 1200 Edinburg Rd., West Windsor, NJ. Coming in from Hughes Drive or Edinburg Road, follow the signs to the Athletic Department on the northeast part of campus.

Registration starts online, but runners can register on location this Saturday, October 2, before the 9:00 a.m.start.

There are going to be trophies and awards of course, but if you are someone who is just out for a good time, consider that your running "costume" might qualify for the "Best Depiction of a First Amendment Right" or "Most Expressive Outfit".

A live DJ is planned for post-race festivities. There will be refreshments, goodies, and T-shirts until the supply runs out. The website suggests that there will be also scavenger hunt postings related to first amendment rights and journalism notes.

The cost for runners is $20 for early registration, $25 the day of the event. If you can put together a team you will qualify for a discount.

Contact information for registration is email: kellysmith369@gmail.com.

Proceeds from this event provides income for journalism supplies and educational opportunities for the staff of MCCC's student newspaper, The Voice.

We take freedom of the press for granted sometimes. It takes an event like this to remind us that we should not take our constitutional liberties for granted.

People rock!

MCCC Aviation Program Flight Fair Benefit

2010-09-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here it is almost October and I just realized that I have not visited with you folks in a while. I promise to write more frequently. Going back to school is tough enough mentally, but I totally underestimated the physical effort and time management challenges.

One of my assignments for class found me at the Trenton-Mercer Airport today, writing about the upcoming "Flight Fair" to benefit Mercer County Community College's Aviation Program.

Aviation Program?

This seems to be one of New Jersey's best kept secrets. Although flying teams from New Hampshire south respect MCCC competitiveness, efforts are largely unrecognized by local press. These flight students, training through Mercer's aviation curriculum, have won many trophies and championships. We should be darned proud of them.

Mercer's flight school has reportedly produced a Navy Top Gun,military pilots, blimp pilots, State Police pilots, commercial airlines pilots, even banner planes pilots.

The MCCC Flight Fair is held a couple of times a year to raise money by taking visitors on senic flights at a fee of twenty five cents a pound. Folks line up to book a ticket and be weighed, and that determines the charge for the 20 minute ride. There is a minimum of ten dollars, even for kids, and a maximum of twenty five dollars. Actual weights are tactfully kept confidential.

Its sorta like pony rides in the sky...for adults as well as kids.

This year the event is scheduled for Saturday October 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rain date is October 3.

Take 95 to exit 2, Scotch Road, and then follow signs to the airport. The MCCC hangar area is the far side from the terminal area, adjacent to the Ronson hangar.

Come on out and enjoy the airport and visiting with our latest generation of up and coming pilots.

I got such a kick out of a sign hanging in the office,

"Its That Time Again, Please Check For Bird's Nests."

The dispatcher on duty told me that this time of year has a lot of migratory bird activity. Birds coming in from the north set up housekeeping in any part of the airplane that has an opening. So this advice is a real part of preflight check.

Well, its time to move on to another project.

Have a nice day.

Should Witches Pay Taxes?

2010-09-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Here we are almost at the close of another tax quarter. If you are in business for yourself, or pay an accountant to keep your millions out of harm's way, you still march to the rythmn of the taxman.

New Jersey is not alone in struggling to make taxes cover expenses. Governor Christie could use some new ideas for economic stimulus. The following is something out of the ordinary.

The economically challenged country of Romania recently considered taxing witches and soothsayers.

According to an article in the UK Telegraph, Romanian Senators Alin Popoviciu and Christi Duqulescu of the ruling Democratic Liberal Party recently proposed a levy those who charge for occult services.

Of course the witches protested.

The Senate proposal would require them to keep receipts and track their revenues. As if that was not bad enough, the new law would also make witches and fortune tellers subject to fines if their predictions proved false.

Talk about "quality control". This item alone could provide a lot of work for international law litigators. False predictions...might be under the category of laws of commerce?

The Romanian Senate eventually voted the bill down. It is widely assumed that there was fear that the witches would retaliate with a curse.

Romanian Gypsy soothsayers roam throughout Europe. They are colorful and traditional nomads, many still traveling by horse drawn vans. There is a whole breed of horse now known as Gypsy Vanners, gorgeous black and white spotted beasts with flowing hair at their fetlocks. With their caravans and campfires, the Gypsies draw attention in every town they visit. They do odd jobs or tell fortunes, but tales of chicanery and theft follow in their trail.

Recently France stepped up its efforts to expatriate itinerant Gypsies back to Romania. This has been met with protests on both sides but the French Government does not seem to be as intimidated by the threat of the "evil eye" as Romanian Senators.

This is an interesting slant on the news this close to Hallow'een. I will keep you up to date on developments.

Have a nice day.

Taking a Break

2010-08-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

The end of August is here.

The sweltering hot days of a record breaking summer are now relieved by cool evenings as the temperature drops down into the fifties or sixties, sure signs of Fall.

Parking lot asphalt still smells oily but the air now also has a hint of smoke. We are almost out of barbecue Sundays. Only two more weekends to go before September swoops down and envelopes us with falling leaves and swirls of Indian Summer.

Labor Day comes later this year, September 6. Most college students started on August 30. For some of us, the more serious endeavors of Autumn are here. If we were back in the country, we would be cutting corn stalks and bringing in the pumpkins.

I have to say it's been interesting. I had quite a season blogging here at the Trentonian, but I think I am going to take a break.

Artfull Codger will still be blogging but not as frequently as before. There will be times, for sure, when Town Hall events prompt a lede and I have to comment, but...

Time is catching up with me so I am looking ahead. I hope to stimulate these aging brain cells and meet new friends. It will be good to see how the rest of the world tackles its issues. A broader point of view comes with the learning process.

Grammy is going back to school.

Yippee!

Stay tuned and wish me luck.

Yep.

Have a nice day.

Cheating? Rules Are For The Other Guy.

2010-08-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

It has been drummed into us since we were children to honor our elders, but why? Just because..because seniors and sages are supposed to be wise, law abiding, living examples of the golden rule. That said, I have a hard time with some attitudes here in the capital city of Trenton by folks who should be setting an example.

I am talking about cheating.

Cheating in the capital city of New Jersey?

Puleeze.

Did you know that seventy five percent of Mercer County's non-profits are in the city of Trenton? This makes us kinda top heavy in tax exempt properties, but I was flabbergasted at how many buildings are churches. This must mean we are one of the saintliest cities in the state, perhaps even in the country.

So what would a church be expected to do? Provide guidance. Set moral levels and help those who are marooned or sinking in the morass of the current economy. Churches must be the north star in a moral compass, propping up the complex local society, maintaing a comfort zone for the average resident, while defining the separation of church and state.

Doesn't the Bible say "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's"?

In a society that has to collect taxes that never seem to meet expenses, why do tax exempt entities exist at all? Well, taxes are waived for those entities whose value in society is helping homeless, addicts, the disadvantaged, those situations not as tangible as police, fire, mayors and clerks.

Has anyone ever considered that city essential services have to be paid for? Not with hat-in-hand monies from Governor Christie, but with licenses, permits, various charges and fees that keep our wheels turning.

Then there is the sense of helping our city. Local requirements and permit regulations for repair to your home or to have a garage sale are based on the expectation that you are helping to carry the freight.

On any given weekend, tables and vendors are scattered throughout the city. Sometimes the stuff is in front of stores, sometimes in front of houses, but they are all accounted for by city ordinances and fee schedules.

The vendors sell everything from mattresses to teddy bears, sneakers to motor bikes. Some are gypsies, many are floaters that change location every week, not in front of their own house, for sure. This is a quality of life issue; sometimes you see someone zipping up his pants and you know that corner of the building is going to stink tomorrow morning.

Trenton has made an effort to regulate the issue by limiting the permits issued for each location and reserving and documenting the date for the inspectors. When you see a rental van with the vendor selling at the tailgate, you wonder if the stuff is stolen. If an inspector were to walk his beat and ticket, he would have to do it a street at a time because it is such a vast problem.

Has anyone ever told these dim-witted knuckleheads that whatever monies are collected for marriage licenses, electrical permits, pedlar licenses, even float rentals and flea market permits, are all part of a complex and very challenging financial picture?

I guess not. Cheating is a way of life.

I wonder sometimes if this a left-over from an attitude that law must be "the Man" and does not apply to whatever "you" want to do. Wake up, you guys. The money that these permit requirements call for help us to run our city.

If parents have the attitude that law-abiding applies only to "the other guy", is it any wonder why we have such problems in the schools and on the streets?

All the parades in the world will not solve this problem if we do not internalize the Golden Rule.

Have a nice day.

News for Rutgers Football Fans

2010-08-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

I got a call last week that the Rutgers Knight is going to have a new steed this year.

As you know, the symbol of Rutgers University is the "Scarlet Knight". This romantic tradition comes to life every fall during football season, when the stadium is full of alumni and students, dates clapping and cheering, as a real-life, real-time armored knight inspires fans.

You know that glorious white charger flagging his tail, dashing down the field, carrying the triumphant Rutgers Knight? Well. Let me introduce "Zeus".

I never knew him by any other name, although I am sure he had one, probably Sam or Spotty because he was piebald when I first met him a decade ago. He was shipped on a trailer from somewhere in the middle of the country and, as he clambered down the ramp, the thing that first impressed me was his attitude. He was purported to be a cross between a pinto and a percheron. One look at his head carriage and noble face and I thought of Andalusian or Lippizaner... except for the spots.

He lifted his head and there was the regal look of eagles...but he was marked like a mustang.

He snorted like a stallion, loud "woofs" from his nostrils. He had been gelded but that apparently was not going to stop him from showing off for the other horses as he pranced down to the barn. He was not as tall as the 17 hand thoroughbreds already in the field, but his nicely balanced deep body, good straight shapely legs and a crested neck made him look like a heavy set Arabian...with big black patches.

That first week was a challenge. He was so strong all he had to do was walk up to a fence and lean on it until it collapsed. There was real danger that he might teach the other horses to crash fences as well. It was necessary to string paddocks with electric wire to stop him, and soon all the horses knew when the fences were "live". With that settled, the piebald started to pay attention to people.

Eventually Zeus became a part of a family that included a momma, poppa, two little girls, pony, dog, cat and three other horses. He learned the basics, walk-trot-canter (simple, my dear Watson) and then proudly took his policeman rider on long trail rides with the rest of the family.

He learned to jump. He took to fences like they were not even there. Then the worry was that he might jump out of his paddock like the fabled Snowman, but thankfully that never really became a problem. Besides the whole family would ride to hounds and as one huntmaster said, "That whole family, even the pony, rides hell-bent to leather!".

The family toured Valley Forge and rode on horseback through the historic battlefields. Visiting with friends, they rode to hounds in the Carolinas. Zeus and his policeman boss even led family trail rides into the waves at Long Beach Island. Zeus loved his new life.

As the years went by, his coat lightened and spots roaned out so he seemed to be one silver white color. You could see black patches as changes in his coat when he was bathed and his hide was wet, but he appeared white. Lippizaners are born bay or dark colors and become snowy white as they age; perhaps he carried their noble genes after all. That could also explain his attitude and ability.

Zeus went to many horse shows as the mount for both girls. He learned the finer points of dressage and the championship ribbons covered bedroom bulletin boards and the walls of the tack room. An enormous photo of him jumping a fence even hung in one of the meeting rooms of the historic Clarksburg Inn before its recent devasting fire.

One of my favorite Zeus memories is of watching him one glorious day in Maryland. This white Pegasus streaked over the cross country course, long silver tail streaming like a banner over each jump, as he confidently carried my 14 year old granddaughter to many, many ribbons. He was magnificent.

This year one of the girls graduated high school and was off to college. Now there were too many horses in the barn so Zeus became a companion horse, enjoying semi-retirement with a local stable of horse-smart people... because, after all, he was not just a backyard horse.

And then suddenly out of the blue, through the grapevine, a college recruiter for Rutgers heard about Zeus. His resume was impressive so he was interviewed, just like anyone trying to get into college or get a job. The contact was made... and the rest is history.

So if you go to the Scarlet Knight's stadium at Rutgers this fall, breathe in that river air, scented with mum corsages and popcorn. Take a really big breath so you can bellow out a lusty cheer for our latest college freshman....er...freshman-horse.

"Zeus!"

"Zeus!"

"Zeus!" Yeah, Rutgers!

Horses rock.

Quentin Keynes: Our Darwin Connection

2010-08-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

I was scooping out dark corners of my apartment over the weekend, determined to fill garbage bags in a pre-fall cleanup campaign, when I happened upon my chunk of petrified wood. As I regarded it in the afternoon sun, it reminded me of the man who gave it to my husband and me as newlyweds, Quentin Keynes, III.

My husband met Quentin Keynes when he was a student at St. Andrews School prep school for boys in Middletown, Delaware. Quent was a self described African explorer and the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin. He was very tall, about six feet four or five inches, blonde or light brown hair brushed over Donald Trump-wise. He stooped sometimes and I seem to remember one arm was a bit withered, perhaps a left-over from a bout of polio. He spent his summers in Africa chasing elephants and photographing wildlife for the National Geographic Magazine. In the winter, he went back to the States and toured various prep schools and venues showing his slides and lecturing on his adventures. As if this was not enough to fascinate his young audience, he also owned a Jensen car.

My husband was fascinated by anything mechanical, especially automobiles. This Jensen was made by the same company as Jaguar but was more valuable because there were limited numbers produced each year. I cannot recall precisely but it was very limited, like sixty per year... At any rate, Quent was thrilled to have his car serviced for free and ended up leaving it with my husband's family during the summer time he was touring Africa on safari with his paying schoolboy charges. When they all returned in the fall for the next lecture circuit, he dropped in, picked up his car and set up his next visit.

This was the arrangement for years until my husband and I set up housekeeping. Much to my surprise, even after we married and started a family, Quent presented himself on our doorstep to stay for several days until his next lecture engagement. Then he would take his marvelous one of-a-kind car off on the tour du jour.

In the Victorian era, persons of repute frequently drifted from one household to another with their welcomes predicated on principles of hospitality and the novelty of having a celebrity houseguest. Attitudes changed however and in the sixties and seventies this celebrity became a bit of a nuisance.

I remember once, in an effort to impress this sophisticated Englishman, I pan fried trout for breakfast and served up biscuits, home-made preserves, home canned tomato juice...and he complained he was still hungry so I went back and cooked eggs, skillet potatoes, then oatmeal as a chaser. He did not care much for my version of porridge but ate it anyway.

We had moved recently to a larger home and now had a guest room. We were quite pleased to be able to give him some privacy. The next morning he came thundering down the front stairs of our small colonial and sputtered,

"My laces are gone! Your cat ate my shoes, my laces are destroyed!" He shook his suede shoes at us and exclaimed,

"They were brand new. What am I going to do?"

This was the era of Pat Boone and blue suede shoes were still popular although I think this pair was tan. Before the day was out, his rawhide laces that must have tasted pretty good to the cat, were replaced by conventional braided ones.

Quentin Keynes continued his visits up through the seventies. He left a huge trunk with us that was filled with notes, letters, even a metal sign that had marked the border of Kenya. Africa was changing. Quent's photography was not selling enough to support him and his novelty lectures were waning in popularity. His stories now mentioned the "monkey fever" that seemed to be mysteriously killing people. That later was identified as AIDS and would spread throughout the world.

Sometime in this decade, he showed up with a friend and managed to load up all his belongings in a single trip. As they drove down the driveway I confessed to my husband to having mixed feelings. By now we had two children and a business to run so there was not much time for hosting guests like our Englishman. He replied,

"I wonder if we will ever see him again. Probably not." We were concerned because Quent was showing the toll of years of exposure to the disease and strife in Africa.

Quent became a bittersweet part of the past and recently I found out that he passed away in Connecticut in 2003. His obituary did not give a cause of death but it was June, and, in another time he would have been off to Africa for the summer safari...but at 82 when he died, I like to think he had settled down.

Quentin Keynes represented a cross between the Darwins and the Wedgewoods that produced many scientists, writers, philosophers, doctors, politicians. One uncle was Lord Keynes, the famous economist, another was Physician to the Queen. Even today there is a Keynes at Cambridge University. I have a very old brown earthenware type cup and saucer stamped Wedgewood and I wonder if that came from Quent. Both Quent and my husband are now gone so I guess I will never be sure.

Now it's back to cleaning up the corners of my life and dusting off some more memories. Isn't that what seniors are all about?

Have a nice day.

Mercer County Senior Art Contest Winners

2010-08-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

Mercer County will be handsomely represented in the State finals for the New Jersey Senior Art Show in October. Awards for 2010 were presented in ceremonies at Meadow Lakes, East Windsor, New Jersey on Friday, August 13 on what turned out to be a lucky day for nine artists and artisans.

The Best In Show award went to a watercolor of turkeys by Elizabeth Peck entitled "US Senate". It was a viewer favorite and well deserved the honors. Needless to say, it also won first place in watercolors so it is going on to finals.

First place in acrylics went to "Lake Drive" by Pearl Busch. Her painting was vivid in those colors possible only in acrylics. Good choice.

Ronald LeMahieu's ceramic breadbasket entitled "The Loon" was wonderful in its shape and texture. At first glance, it appeared to be constructed of bottle caps, but then a closer look at the many segments revealed its complexity. Its first place moves it to the State finals.

Ming Ji won first place in drawing for her black and white "Forested Mountain". The size of the composition was remarkable and is a sure hit for the October show.

Jackie Wouwenberg's "Nantucket Cottage" was a water color accented by inks and placed first in the mixed media category. This is going to be an interesting entry for October because mixed media can mean any variety of paint combinations and this work is strong enough to hold up to potential competition.

First place in oils went to Norman Fesmire's "Movin' On", a sailboat soaring over the sea. Now it is "movin' on" to finals.

Photography had enough entries for both a professional and non-professional category. First place for the professionals went to Tito Cascieri for "Standing Tall: Navarro California Redwood, 2000 Years Young". First place for non-professionals went to Janie Montervino for "Hidden".

County Mention Awards were awarded as follows:

Acrylic: Beth K. Wham, "Tear Drop Lake"

Craft: Robert Kendall, "Night Flight"

Drawing: Luba Model, "Persian Capbearer"

Mixed Media: Mary S. Johnson, "Meeting in November Woods"

Photography: Walt Varan, "Lifeline"

Oil: Lina Chao, "Africa"

Watercolor: Stephan Marusky, "Still Life"

Our congratulations to the winners and to everyone at the Office of Aging, Division of Culture and Heritage, Meadow Lakes and to all the volunteers who made this event such a success. In a time of belt tightening, this was unexpectedly delightful and well presented. Special thanks to the Mercer County Officials who attended the awards and helped with the acknowlegements of the artists' achievements.

Yesss.

People rock!

Peanut Butter Thursday's "Mack Attack"

2010-08-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here it is, that time of week again. Peanut butter and jelly Thursday and here I am having a "Mack Attack". That is not to be confused with that big M sandwich of a similiar name....

I had cereal for breakfast, not that you really care, but with so many things on my plate today it seemed like a good way to save time. Now it is lunch time and I am kinda zoned out dreaming of food...

Lettuce, onion, pickle on a sesame seed....

Ha! The only lettuce we see today is strictly the imaginary green stuff. Money, money, money. Come to think of it, our latest generation of township business administrator was a lawyer from Atlantic City or thereabouts who came on board the Mack transition team (at no pay) and stayed to carry on for Bill Guhl....until his firm was in line for a no-bid contract for legal services right up to this week's Council meeting whereapon Mayor Mack opined it would be "foolish" to award the $50,000 plus contract to the Atlantic City firm of Cooper Levenson. I think we are now looking for the next generation of township administrator...

Onion...ahhh fresh pungent sliced onion that makes you weep. Just like this present City Hall. Not only does it make you cry, but the smell just does not go away.

Pickle...c'mon do you really think we are in a pickle? Not only have we been heat cured but now the salty shenanigans of our duly elected representatives have us in a perilous position where Her Clerkness, Ms. Staton, may sue Mayor Mack for a job she got used to, if only for a couple of weeks, and that is going to be defended at our expense. How 'bout that. She works, he squawks, she walks, he crows...and we are all going to pay the attorney fees. At least the Atlantic City guys are out of the picture...or are they going to sue His Honor too?

Sesame seed. The only sesame we have here is wishful thinking as in,

"Open Sesame!"

And we are, all waiting for that magical mountain to crash open and divulge glowing streams of golden funding Federal-wise and treasure chests of silver spilling out of our sterling State bonanza. Ahhh. Right about now we cannot get this genie back into his bottle.

I cannot believe that this new Mayor has been in office a matter of weeks and already we have become front page news for almost every minute of that time. The election was the middle of June and it is only August 12.

Fox news tonight happened to cover Camden luncheon costs for the Delaware Valley Port Authority. I have to check my notes but I think that was the group...and they were running over $400.00 for sandwiches to discuss development in Camden. I am not commenting on their business concerning development in the city of Camden instead of their care of Delaware bridges and ports. But their menu charges? If they were having peanut butter and jelly, even if they had croissants instead of whole wheat, they could have saved 75 percent, including tips.

Mr. Christie....Governor Christie, let's put it in the Constitution. Make every Thursday "Peanut Butter and Jelly Thursday" for all State Business!

People rock.

Hambletonian Made the Day

2010-08-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a perfect August day, hot and sunny, air like a feather... even if it started at 4:30am. I was traveling with a group of horsemen who were invited to participate in the Hambletonian's opening activities, and it felt like a country fair.

We were assigned stabling with several mounted police groups and other non-racing entities. The walk from the barns to the paddock area of the grandstand had to be almost a mile, pleasant enough with inviting brick-lined walkways shaded by tall trees for a country fair effect. Add hot dog vendors, beer, pretzels and hordes of people in lawn chairs and you get a hopeful feeling that maybe racing has a future.

I soon found a spot in the paddock in some shade, opened my Hambletonian program, sipped my beer, and watched people and horses with a degree of contentment. I met a cute blonde lass who looked about 20, who told me that the Hambletonian was so honored in her native Denmark that on the day of the Hambletonian, all racing would be suspended from that 3 to 4pm slot until the USA broadcast was over.

"All racing stops".

She was at the Hambletonian as an assistant trainer to Jimmy Takter. I commented that I saw where he had trained three horses that were all running in the big race. Quite an accomplishment in this day and age. She agreed and invited me to visit the stables in Monmouth County. I accepted, of course.

Later in the afternoon, I scanned the list of assistant trainers in the racing program and spotted a name that looked like it might be Swedish or Danish. I made a note of the horse, number 6, and turned my thought to other things like the woman standing behind me now in the paddock.

Let me mention here, that I find if you are in a walker or wheelchair, it breaks the ice. Sometimes people are awkward, sometimes they turn away, but for the most part, being disabled is mainstream now and most people have a comfort level dealing with it. Even one of the track employees, in his sixties I'd guess, spent several of his breaks chatting with me.

Now this quietly well dressed lady standing at my elbow struck up a conversation. Her name matched her down to earth appearance,... Miller. I looked her up later and she and her husband, Larry W. Miller were from Springport, Indiana. She told me that she and her husband had a small barn and had been involved with racing for about ten years. When I asked her if they were racing today, she told me that it was easy to remember,

"Horse number 8 in the eighth race. His name is Mercedes but we call him Duke. Eight in 8...easy to remember."

I was still chuckling at that when my son-in-law dropped by and asked if I would teach my gorgeous grandaughter, who just turned 18, how to bet horses. She was one of the original riders who thought the Meadowlands was going to be just "Ho-Hum and So Boring" but had succumbed to the music of the Nerds, the awesome crowds and young horsey males milling about.

I told him that anyone who bets on horses is nuts...but that I could help her read the program, at least. Then, as an afterthought, I said,

"Oh, yeah, maybe that number 6 in the Hambletonian."

Well to make a long story short, number 6, Muscle Massive by Muscles Yankee, trained by Jimmy Takter, driven by Ron Pierce, won the Hambletonian. That is the 84th running of the most prestigious race in trotting history...

Yep.

'Nuff, said.

And I don't bet on horses. Who knew?

Turns out that earlier that morning everyone in the horsemen's group had been looking for a quick escape home after the parade. After their commitment was over, all they wanted to do load up horses and boogie. That was... until...they found out that they were having heck of a good time! Most of our group did not start back until well after 4pm in the afternoon. That is a full day.

Now if Meadowsland track management can take some of this successful Hambletonian atmosphere and bottle it, maybe this Eau de Succcess will convince Governor Christie that this industry is truly worth saving. There were thousands of people in the grandstands, paddock, and lawn area.

The country fair venues of the Meadowlands and the family barbecue areas of Monmouth Racetrack should give Governor Christie an encouraging glimpse of how family friendly this sport can be. The betting areas are far enough from the fair activities that gambling can be managed and secured.

Personally, I would like to see slot machines at the track because there are some gamblers who find the intervals between races boring. The income from slot machines will mean larger more profitable purses for horsemen. The State subsidies now carrying horsemen could be backed off to free up money for other areas in the State budget. Also, if the same 8 percent gross revenue tax, dedicated to seniors and the disabled (which now pays for nutrition programs, transportation, PAAD and Senior Gold prescription programs)were in place, it would be consistent with the present NJ Constitution.

One of the horsemen told me that the Governor is hoping that the Standardbred Breeders in New Jersey might buy the Meadowlands. Now that is not a bad idea if they can get financing. Has anyone thought of combining them with a casino entity like Harrah's which has casinos in many states? It does not seem fair that over $171,000,000 in tax credits has been bandied about for rescuing a dead fish like Xanadu when harness racing so obviously has a popular base already in place.

You do not have to bet to have a great time...and I had a ball.

Have a nice day.

Mayor Mack: Clever or Clueless?

2010-08-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

I was greeted yesterday morning by a friend who wanted to know if I had seen the front page of the Trentonian. "Tony Mack In Foreclosure" was not that much of a surprise.

I commented several times in the past election season that I was concerned about turning over the books of this city to someone who apparently could not even balance his checkbook. Money troubles have dogged His Honor for years, but he never gave up his goal of becoming this city's mayor.

It is too simplistic to say that he ran because he had a grudge with Doug Palmer. Admittedly there was a lot of troubled water under that bridge, but they had an amicable transfer of power.

The present appointments in this regime are being questioned on many fronts. I spoke to Tony Mack several times when he visited here at Pellettieri Homes and had an opportunity to point out the need to change the face of this city to the world, the need to help felons back into society, even expounded on the need to sell the outlying parts of the city water company.

I see now where Eric Jackson is working as an assistant at the water company. Tony had the smarts to put him under Bill Guhl's wing for several weeks to give him a taste of the city administration. When he transferred him to the water company, this gave Tony an opportunity to get Eric's input on the real status of the financial headaches of that organization and maybe set some real-time goals.

I am hoping that this outsider viewpoint will help Tony,the Mayor, make some informed decisions about this albatross around the city's neck. I have known of several towns who thought that the maintenance of pipes and meters, replacement of aging structures, so burdensome that they sold their whole kit and kaboodle for $1.00 to anyone who could take over the problems.

As to the appointment of Mr. Badger to housing and development duties: Unless this chap is presently involved in skulduggery, let's give him a chance. The real estate licensing authority saw fit to let him be active to date. When does this society forgive and let felons who serve their time back into the real world? Also, we have a Republican Governor with a prosecutorial background just a few doors down in the State House who will be peering at this administration with a magnifying glass.

If there is something amiss, the Trentonian will sell a lot of papers. And that brings me to one of the most important issues facing us today. What does the rest of the world think of us? Do you really think that these headlines are going to bring tourist and business dollars into our economy?

We have to turn down the smarmy opportunists who are hovering like vultures. We must have an honest administration. Having financial problems can be a result of bad investments, bad luck or just plain stupidity but are not necessarily indicative of illegal activities. Throughout the city's history, some of her most successful characters were charismatic frauds and speculators, with suckers drawn to them like moths to a flame.

Let us hope that this administration is different.

Have a nice day.

Mercer County Seniors Art Show

2010-08-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

The combined efforts of almost a hundred exhibitors, the Mercer County Office on Aging, and the Division of Culture and Heritage have once again proved a winning combination.

Entries for the 2010 show are now being exhibited at the Meadow Lakes complex at 300 Meadow Lakes, East Windsor. This is the grounds of the Springpoint Foundation and truly a spectacular venue for the variety of entries.

Visitors may call at Meadow Lakes from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm weekdays until the last day of show, August 13. Groups of six or more are asked to call with 24 hour notice, so as not to disturb the elderly residents of Meadow Lakes. The closing reception is Friday, August 13, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, after which paintings may be removed to take home.

The classifications of entries for this year's show were well attended for the most part. The variety and quality of the art and artists is a warm reminder that Mercer County harbors more than one candidate for the Grandma Moses crown.

Hope to see you all for the reception on the 13th...

Art rocks!

Goldsmith Maid: "Queen of the Trotters"

2010-08-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Goldsmith Maid was born in 1857 in the shadows of the Kittatiny Mountains of Sussex County. Her owner, John B. Decker of Deckertown, named his new filly "Maid", a good one syllable name for a potential work horse. She was a handsome bay with no white points but never grew taller than 15 1/4 hands, (61 inches high at the withers). She was described as being "wiry" and even "tucked up" towards her hind quarters, but pleasant enough to look at, especially with nostrils flared and the fierce look in her eyes.

Her dam, known as "Old Ab" after her sire Abdallah, was sweet and docile. Decker bred Old Ab to Alexander's Abdallah,(formerly known as Edsall's Hambletonian), who was sired by Rysdyk's Hambletonian, also a grandson of Abdallah. Horsemen refer to this inbreeding as line breeding. John B. Decker was hoping for a farm horse, but this breeding gave him a fire cracker.

According to an account by John Dimon in the November 29, 1877 edition of the "Cultivator and Country Gentleman", Maid was "nervous and fretful" and a "wayward child". Once when farmer Decker tried to hitch her to a harrow, she reared up, tangled herself in the harness, and threw herself in a tantrum. She was lame for quite a while after that.

About once a month, possibly coming into season, she would get loose and gallop for a visit over the neighboring farms and fields. She was skilled at clearing fences, streams, ditches, everything in her path, plowed fields or whatever, finding her way home after six to eight miles of the grand tour only to land back in the same field where she started. This burst of spirit and energy would hold her for a while and then it would be off to the neighbors' corn fields again.

This was 1863, the time of the "great rebellion", and horses were in short supply for the army. Mrs. Decker was so annoyed at the problem mare that she prevailed on her husband to sell Maid to one of these recruiters staying with them overnight. In the dawn, the deal was struck for $260.

Well, the next morning traveling down the road, the poor chap realized he had more than he bargained for. When a neighboring farmer, Mr. Thomkins, stopped him on the road and expressed interest, he happily resold the filly for $360.

Mr. Thomkins tried to drive her but she was too much horse for him and he found her gaits "dangerous". He sold her "in trade" to Alden Goldsmith of Blooming Grove in Orange County, New York for $600 in cash and a second hand buggy.

Her new owner changed her name to Goldsmith Maid and turned her over to his driver, William Bodine, who must have been the 1800's version of a horse whisperer. He saw that the 8 year old mare was unbroken and also had a troubling upper respiratory infection. Bodine figured out that this mare had to set her own pace. She hated being encumbered so they worked her without check reins, martingale, blinders or a whip. This meant she could finally work and breathe unimpeded. Thus a compromise was struck. The mare responded and it was like harnessing lightning.

Goldsmith Maid trotted her first race in August 1865, won some local races, and then set track records in Goshen, New York (a mile in 2 minutes 26 seconds in three heats), and a record in Mystic Park racetrack in boston in 1868 with the time of 2:21 1/2.

It was a shame that her career started so late. She was broken at the age of 8, raced brilliantly for three years, and now Goldsmith realized that as an 11 year old she was running out of time.

In 1868 she was sold again to Budd Doble from Trenton, New Jersey for $20,000. He was the son of Willian H. Doble who kept Trenton's Eagle Hotel and had five sons who were all horsemen and drivers. This was the beginning of the Trenton connection.

Doble raced Goldsmith Maid for another six years, winning races from Buffalo to Sacramento, California. He was the PT Barnum of this horse era, fitting a private custom railroad car for Goldsmith Maid, advertising appearances and making a lot of money. Maid was immensely popular with the American public, appearing in match races with locals' top horses and even making it to Currier and Ives popular prints.

Budd Doble maintained his horse business at the site of the Trenton Fairgrounds. There was a mile track, grandstands, stables and several fields of hay and grain. In early 1870's, he became involved with Henry N. Smith, the financier with a love for horseflesh. Smith had stables in New York and started buying up land in the Trenton area with the idea of setting up a premium horse breeding operation.

In 1873, there was a terrible fire at the stables, now known as the Fashion Stud Farms, and Doble managed to save Goldsmith Maid. Nine other horses, including two road-mares owned by President Ulysses Grant, were killed. A year after this setback Goldsmith Maid was sold for reportedly $35,000 to Henry N. Smith.

For the last years of her career, her glory days, she defended her title with Budd Doble driving. Her record of a mile in two minutes and 14 seconds held for some time. She earned a total of $364,200 in her career and that record would hold for almost a hundred years, until the 1950's.

She died suddenly on September 23, 1885 at the age of 28. She had developed pheumonia in an age before antibiotics, and an autopsy showed she had an enlarged heart. She was buried on the grounds of Fashion Stud Farms and her monument is in Hamilton Township at Kuser Park.

If you go to one of the Hamilton Township Sunday night concerts under the stars at the gazebo in Kuser Park, look over at the tennis courts. Look where the elbow of the driveway meets the Mansion's service road, where those flowers have been so carefully planted. That engraved granite marker is her public's monument to the forever free-spirited and famous Goldsmith Maid.

Trenton rocks.

History Makes The Case For Racing In New Jersey

2010-07-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

In one week's time, New Jersey will be privileged to enjoy one of horse racing's premier events, the Hambletonian. This horse race is one of trotting's Triple Crown, on a par with Thoroughbred Racing's Kentucky Derby.

You have that right. New Jersey is the host of "The Hambletonian"!!!

The Hambletonian is going to be run next Saturday, August 7, 2010. The gates at the Meadowlands open at 9:30am and the first race post time is at 11:35 am. If Governor Christie continues on his present course, harness racing in New Jersey is an endangered species so experience it while you can. This Hambletonian could be New Jersey's last.

The Meadowlands Race Track was designed for harness racing. I remember the first time they talked about bringing in flat racing and how they would have to change the track material and grade, etc. to accomodate Thoroughbreds. This is a wonderful venue with a home stretch that just seems to go on forever. It means that harness horses get a chance to have that heart-stopping duel in front of the whole grandstand and noone has a bad seat. I invite you to come out for what could be the final year for this milestone in New Jersey's history.

The three preliminary eliminations for the Hambletonian race have already been run and there is now a field of ten horses qualified to compete for harness racing's most prestigious crown. As I understand it, the top three finishers of each of the three heats qualifies, in addition to the one fourth place finisher who has the top lifetime earnings. That makes up the field of ten who finally race in the Hambletonian.

There are two reasons I am writing about this today. One is that I love horses and the threat of losing one of New Jersey's most vital and historic industries to some cockeyed economy move by our present governor just sends me up a wall. The other is that there is a wonderful feeling of connection to something in our traditions, threading through the fabric of our present, but atoms and molecules of what make us "Trenton now".

The history of the Hambletonian goes back to the very origins of the standardbred horse itself. In the 1724 the Goldolphin Arabian arrived in England, with his mute groom as the story goes, and crossed with the native English mares to produce the very beginnings of the Thoroughbred horse. In 1780 a 15.3 hands grey by the name of Messenger was foaled. His sire was Mambrino, great grandson of the Goldophin, and his dam was the "Turf Mare", also a great grandaughter of the Goldophin.

Fast forward to 1849 and the foaling of Hambletonian 10, by Abdallah out of the Charles Kent Mare. Abdallah was extensively inbred, or "line bred". His sire and dam both had Messenger as grandsire. The Kent mare was descended from Messinger, and her great grandsire and great grand dam were also by Messenger. With those concentrated Arab genes, the Hambletonian was destined to be a gorgeous horse, maybe not when he was foaled, but as he grew up...oh my.

Hambletonian 10 was foaled May 5, 1849, in New York State. The owner of his dam was Jonas Seeley, who bought the Charles Kent mare from his butcher. She was crippled, used only for breeding, so not much was expected of the cross to Abdallah since the stallion was reportedly both ugly and nasty. As expected, Hambletonian was rather nondescript as a youngster, but Seeley's hired hand, William Rysdyk, saw something special. He persisted until he finally convinced Seeley to sell him the dam and foal for $125.

As is still done today, young trotters start their careers in Goshen, New York. Hambletonian was shown, probably in hand, at the age of six months at the Orange County Fair in Goshen. He covered (bred) his first mares at the age of two, not always a good idea because the young studs don't always want to go back to real work after having a taste of the ladies, but he was only allowed four mares by his savvy owner.

By 1852, he was trained well enough to compete against another Abdallah son, Abdallah Chief, hitched to "skeleton wagons" at Long Island's Union Course. Hambletonian won but had to run against the clock in a second race and, at that time, the youngster clocked 2:55 1/2. After this huge success, Rysdyk placed the stallion at stud for fees that reached $500 at times. This was in the 1800's so that was a significant amount of income.

Hambletonian sired 1,331 foals during his career in the breeding shed, (and traveling). Rysdyk loved his stallion and made a small fortune from him before he passed on in 1870. Hambletonian outlived him, living to the age of ripe old horse age of 27, and died in 1876. Both were buried in Chester, New York and local folk placed a granite monument over the grave on Hambletonian Avenue as a tribute to their memory.

The present day Hambletonian was set up as the ultimate test of trotters. Although Standardbreds today race as either pacers or trotters, this event is open only to trotting horses and carries the name of it's most prominent sire in tribute.

According to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame, Hambletonian bloodlines have squeezed out most of the other contributors to the Standardbred breed. Messenger and the other early ancestors were registered as Thoroughbreds or cold blooded "grades". Standardbred, as a separate breed, evolved later, after requiring that all candidates for registration meet the "Standard" of trotting a mile in two minues thirty seconds. When a horse met the standard, it qualified to become a Standardbred.

Before the era of automobiles, owning a Morgan trotting horse was like having a roadster instead of a minivan. Morgan bloodlines competed with the Throughbred breeding and many races were set up between favorite horse celebrities. One was the famous Ethan Allan (Morgan) vs. Dexter (Messenger). Ethan Allan won the first and then it was Dexter's turn. That was the pattern of the future. Morgan prestige and influence was eclipsed by the taller Messenger trotters. Their longer strides and tremendous ability won races and they eventually took over the Standardbred breed bloodlines.

There is a Trenton connection to the Hambletonian traditions and I discovered it quite by accident. I enjoy stopping at the Kuser Park in Hamilton to eat my lunch, sitting under the shady trees and enjoying the view of the Kuser mansion and broad grounds. On one of these visits, I spotted an engraved granite oblisk surrounded by many carefully tended flowers. Getting closer with my reading glasses, I read that it was a memorial to Goldsmith Maid.

"Goldsmith Maid. The Queen of Trotters for Seven Years". The inscribing continues,

"Born Sussex County 1857, Died Here Sept 23, 1885. Best Record 2.14, Made at Boston 1874. Earned $364,200, the World's Record. Driven By Budd Doble, Owned By Henry N. Smith". I had to learn more about this because there is no evidence of a track or barns within the area of the granite slab.

A world famous trotter here in Trenton? Who knew.

After many hours of research and printing obscure newspaper articles from the New York Times, the Atlantic Reporter, and even the 1877 Cultivator and Country Gentleman, I have put together a dilly of a yarn about Goldsmith Maid. She deserves some time to herself so I will wrap this up now.

The Hambletonian race is being held next Saturday. For a glimpse into the past and a chance to help the equine industry in New Jersey, make a trip to the Meadowlands for this great event. It usually is not an expensive outing, not like Atlantic City, because there are no slot machines as yet. There are restaurants and other attractions for the holiday that make it worth the trip.

Let yourself back in time and imagine the country fair atmosphere, the stands full of straw hats and cotton gowns, the band music and smells of popcorn and horse sweat. The start of this race is different from flat racing. Thoroughbreds enter a gate and then leap out at a bell. Standardbreds start trotting as soon as they enter the track. There is the drama of the post parade, as the horses settle into their gaits, until they are all in a row...and then,

"They're off!"

The time it takes the field to make the circuit of the Meadowsland track is a lifetime. I have seen crashes, buggies so close that they tangle wheels and one comes off, horses running up on each other, dreadful races where the winner is the last one left trotting...and yet nothing compares to that streak of sheer speed drumming down the track, stands full of cheering patrons stomping so hard you think the grandstand will fall down. There is nothing like standing at the finish line as the horses and sulkies come thundering down, whips snapping and spit flying, to cross that invisible beam of light that records the winner.

Whew!

This is not a video game; this is the real thing.

Have a nice day.

Bear Steak Anyone?

2010-07-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife notes that the current bear census numbers almost 3,500 in 2010. Black bear have been spotted in all 21 counties in sufficient numbers to support a hunt. As a result, the Division of Fish and Wildlife are going to have a bear season this upcoming December. Pregant sows start denning in October or November so active animals in December will likely be boars.

New Jersey has the most people per square mile in the United States. The resulting demand for agriculture and building development took wildlife habitat and there was just not enough room for bear who can range as much as forty miles. Bear hunting was suspended in 1971, research commenced to bring back their numbers, and they became a protected species.

I had mixed feelings about the announcement of this current hunting opportunity. At this point I do not know if a lottery for permits is involved, but there is a wisp of memory that supports hunting.

Years ago, I was visiting my girl friend who lived on a farm at the foot of one of the Kittatiny Mountains. We sat at the kitchen table playing with the farm dogs and enjoying the warmth from the wood stove. Her mom had a platter of steaks and slid them into the hot cast iron skillet. As they spit and sizzled she invited me to stay for lunch. The smell from the frying meat was too strong for beef. We had milked the goats and they seemed to be all accounted for...so what was in the pan?

It was bear.

Her brother and father went up the mountain looking for deer and happened on the bear and you ate game if you shot it.

Hunting was a privilege in those days and a sport in the tradition of our ancestors. My mom and dad even had matching shotguns with custom fitted stocks. New Jersey does not permit rifle hunting so they had invested in custom shotguns. Everyone in our family participated. To this day I can clean fish, skin and butcher anything for the pot, from squirrel to venison. Bear meat in the frying pan didn't seem unusual.

Flash forward to 2010. I was talking to my daughter just last week and she told me a story that I want to share with you.

Earlier this month, she was enjoying a day at the shore when her cell phone rang. Her next door neighbor was on the phone, so agitated that my daughter said she could hear her gasping for breath and her heart pounding right over the phone.

The neighbor was calling from my daughter's house to report a home invasion by a black bear sow and two cubs. From from her kitchen window's line of sight overlooking my daughter's house and driveway, she could everything the bear did to get into the house.

The sow and cubs were neighborhood visitors since March. At first they were neighborhood darlings, cute as the dickens. Everyone took pains not to feed birds, keep garbage in bearproof cans, not to leave food in cars, and keep pets inside. As the cubs grew, the mother bear taught them everything she knew...and that included the finer points of "Breaking and Entering". "B&E" is the common term that residents in the know use when reporting an incident to the DFW.

This time was heart-stopping.

The sow approached the garage and stopped at the screen window next to the first garage door. Like a careful handyman, she stood up on her hind legs, put a paw on each side of the window, and lifted the screen off. She pivoted and put it down meticulously. Then she went back to the window and climbed in.

As the bear's furry butt disappeared into my daughter's house, the neighbor rushed over to stop the ransacking. She entered through the upper level of the house and then ran down the steps to the ground floor garage area to confront the bear.

As she opened the inside door to the garage, she yelled and screeched at the top of her lungs. She could reach the automatic garage door opener without actually going into the garage, which gave her a degree of protection, and began beating her cane on anything and everything that would make noise.

I don't know if she actually hit the bear, but she reported later that there was a surreal aspect to the whole scenario. She looked out past Momma Bear at the cubs on the macadam driveway. The agitated cubs were going from one side of the driveway to the other, each one on a side, crossing and making diagonals with each other like they were in a maypole dance. In spite of years of observation, she could not recall seeing this behavior before.

The first phone call was to 911 to make the emergency bear report and then the call to my daughter, hitherto enjoying a day at the ocean. Eventually the Department of Fish and Wildlife would decide on a procedure to deal with the obviously too experienced bear.

My daughter tells me that this year alone, local townships recorded four bear hit by cars and several more that had to be trapped and relocated. This sow had been reported previously so the DFW set out to trap her. The foot-note here is that she was captured and probably was euthanized as a repeat offender. Those B & E abilities were evidence of practice and are not tolerated by authorities who try to maintain that fine balance between civilians and the bear population.

It is terrific that there is enough habitat reclaimed in New Jersey for the black bear to have made a comeback. This means that our state can be proud of efforts to reclaim a species and that contributes to the ecology and spirit of our state.

I have been looking through my grandmother's cookbooks and just want to caution anyone who bags a bear and would like to eat it. A bear killed in December is likely to have quite a bit of fat. Trim the meat of fat as soon as possible because bear fat turns rancid. This is something that marinating the meat will not cover. The gamey aspect is not a bad thing, and pot roast and braising will tenderize an animal that might have been angry when shot, but that bear fat is so famous that Indians used to use it for conditioning their skin. Present day tastes will most likely not appreciate that very characteristic rancid odiferous part of the meat. On the other hand, do not let that stop you from cooking and enjoying bear meat.

Here is a recipe for bear pot roast:

Cut the meat into manageable chunks. Toss in a plastic bag with enough flour to coat lightly. Brown in a Dutch oven in chicken fat, lard, or a good vegetable oil until seared on all sides. Take the meat out to a platter while you deglaze the pot with one cup beer or red wine, then replace the meat and add enough broth (vegetable, chicken or beef) to cover. Sprinkle with a packet of Lipton onion soup mix, a splash of ketchup, a bay leaf or two (this is because the bear grew up with mountain laurel, bay leaf is a laurel, plus I think it is compatible) some juniper berries if available, and black pepper. Simmer for a couple of hours and then add salt to taste. Add more ketchup and beer if you prefer at the end of cooking time. Top off with dumplings cooked in the stew for a real campfire meal. You can add vegetables like carrots, parsnips, potatoes to the pot but I prefer to cook the meat for a long time and they don't hold up.

A grown bear can reach over four hundred pounds. That is a lot of meat to waste. If you do not want to stuff your bear, think about giving the meat away. It is awesome to think of the culinary potential.

Bears rock.

Governor Christie: It's Peanut Butter and Jelly Thursday

2010-07-22T12:33:00.001-07:00

Yep. My calendar reminded me to look in my pantry. Its about that time of the week again to enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, just to stretch the budget, you understand. I invite the Governor to join us because he insists every Jerseyite will share "the pain" as services are cut across the board.

Today the Governor tackles a pet project: getting a handle on the corrupt entities in Atlantic City's gambling venue. Somewhere along the line, the Mafia was mentioned.

Now the Mob in Philadelphia is something else. I remember when Joey Merlino was credited with buying his South Street neighborhood Thanksgiving turkeys. I don't think that anyone here gets Mob turkeys. Come to think of it, the Black Panther has sent food out on the street with the raised black fist on the side of the boxes. So how come we have the Mafia brought up now?

I think Mob talk is a red herring. Governor Christie is bent on cleaning up Atlantic City and he may have the tools to go after unlawful persons, but I personally think he is after the money.

According to the New Jersey Constitution, eight percent of the Atlantic City casino gross revenues, off the top, is dedicated to the use of the disabled, senior citizens, and funneled to nutrition and transportation programs. The monies were thought to be so vast that they were also supposed to to fund the Senior Gold and PAAD prescription drug programs. In today's financial reorganization climate, that seems to be up for grabs.

What would happen, for instance, if the Governor is unable to stabilize the Casino Revenue Fund adequately enough to fund senior programs? What would happen if he drops the Meadowlands sports arena and shuts down the race track and betting? He rashly proposes to let the struggling Xanadu project to continue and subsidize it because of some exotic premise that it will attract "high end" clients and party goers?

Cut me a break.

In this economy, we cannot afford $175 million in tax credits to a puffy bloated dead fish like Xanadu when the real minnows, senior citizens, need to be cared for. In the world of fishing, the small fry feed the larger fish. If the bait fish die off, the larger ones eat each other until the pond is bare.

In many societies in the world, the aged are revered and when they die, their bones are even worshiped. I don't think we have to go that far, but where is the respect? I am concerned on behalf of my fellow seniors that we are on the fringes of a world that considers our lifetimes and spirits expendable.

We must cherish and honor and support our senior citizens and disabled. It is the test of a society's strength how it cares for its weaker members. We should be ashamed of ourselves if we do not provide the shelter and caring environment to help retirees live out their declining years untroubled by desperate poverty.

We must not forget that policemen and garbage truck workers, architects and ticket takers, brick layers and dentists, apron clad housewives and former mayors are all going to be retirees someday. They may end up in public housing or may live with their children, but everyone will need prescription benefits and medical services that are backed up by public funds.

If we all eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Thursdays, turning down take out or businessman's luncheons, think of the money we could save. Think of the money we could put to other uses.... even... adopting a senior.

So Governor Christie, if you must put an amendment in the NJ Constitution, how about Peanut Butter and Jelly Thursdays?

Have a nice day,

Seniors rock!

Mayor Mack vs. Diversity: Round Two

2010-07-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

You know those awkward moments when you stand in front of someone and can't think of anything to say? A good icebreaker is talking about the weather. After looking over our city's current events today, here goes.

It was a beastly hot day today. Tomorrow is supposed to be humid and more like a sauna. Don't worry, just hold on to your fans, because Friday and Saturday are definitely going to be in real or near hundreds.

Whew!

Hot enough to melt asphalt and I haven't scraped last week's goo off the soles of my sneakers. I stepped in the stuff and did not realize it until I tried to put on the brakes and my foot stuck on the accelerator!

That was interesting.

Well. Living through the heat wave is almost as challenging as living through this city's problems. Money is at the top of the list. Mayor Mack is intent on putting as many minority contractors and vendors in city supply situations as possible.

In theory this would keep more taxpayer money in the city.

In practice, the businessmen and purveyors who would bid these contracts, which seem to go to interests out of the city, either do not follow up with paperwork or may not qualify for the bidding process in the first place.

There are a slew of regulations for any business who would like to be considered for city contracts. From my experience, they could involve providing work experience and references, ability to get a bond, and proof of financial viability, and so forth.

The most obvious part of the process is the bid itself. In spite of efforts to submit the lowest estimate, if the bidding process gives the bidder different options to get the job done, the job may eventually go to the "best qualified". That may not be the lowest cost in some instances.

This process is tough and it is hard to be successful and not discouraged. For a businessman who has come up from hard-scrabble and is now large enough to seek out city contracts, there may not be office resources to manage the process. The sorry result is that the contracts are "let" to interests who may be from out of county or even out of state but more familiar with the bidding process.

It seems once a contractor successfully finishes a contract, and he has made connections it is easier to get "at will" jobs. These are opportunities too small for advertising and may be billed out by the hour.

I once challenged laundry contracts of the Mercer Geriatric Center with the Freeholders who owned it. I was prevented from getting knowlege of the business entities involved for the years that I was investigating. I was told that local contractors "did not qualify" or were "in litigation" so they had to use entities many counties away in spite of the obvious local contractors. I could stand on my head but I did not get specifics. Come on folks. That might mean that you did not pay your bill and were just looking for a way to get out of the terms of the contract.

In the case of the City of Trenton, one of Mayor Mack's campaign platform planks was a commitment to local businesses to get the city contracts. If Trenton depended on that plank, if Trenton were the Ark, it would be sinking. Mayor Mack is finding out that our businesses may not be financially viable, sophisticated in the bidding process, or are the result of hard working folks who cannot handle the elaborate paperwork required.

That sorry possibility brings up the deficiency of our school system, Mayor Mack's second plank. We must restructure our schools. The partnership with the State in these matters must be gracefully negotiated or we will end up with both Charter Schools and the Public School System continuing to fail our citizens. If education were available to adults as well as underperforming students, perhaps these painful real life short comings could be overcome.

Diversity in our society is more than race. If you built a stone wall with smooth pebbles, it would not be as sturdy as one fitted with rocks chipped so each stone took advantage of the corners and knobs of its neighbors. It takes both men and women, from youth to the aged, many races and religions, gays and straights, to produce a really strong involved city. We can learn from each other. The most important thing is that we will stand tall and strong if we stand together.

This is not a "family" thing, this is a "city" thing.

Just Having Another Heat Wave

2010-07-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Can you believe the forecast for this next week? Holy Smoke!

It gets so you find it hard to differentiate between the nineties and hundreds, between an orange alert and the big red one.

Once the temperature goes over the high eighties, the only way to tell if you are in a heat wave is when you can't catch your breath. A red alert means that ozone levels are high enough to recommend staying indoors. Asthma or COPD make things worse so this is good advice for everyone.

There is a primal instinct to seek water as temperatures rise. Life originated in the seas and today most of your body is water. If you are a senior, accustomed to sips of tea rather than chugging slurpies, it may be hard to tell if you are stressing from the hot weather.

Critical amounts of water can be lost by perspiration. This can be life threatening if not replenished on a timely basis. There is a saying that once you are thirsty, it is already too late to drink. Of course that seems a little simplistic. I personally feel that was created by a marketing rep for a bottled water company, but there is a valid idea here. Keep up your fluid intake and drink plenty of liquids.

Water can keep us cool in other ways. If you do not have air conditioning in your home, water filled lasagna pans place in front of your electric fans can make dog days more bearable. As the fans evaporate the water, the process can cool the air temperature as much as ten degrees. This is most effective on days with low humidity, but even on high humidity days it can work.

Make sure that you open windows on the upper floors of your house to vent the build up of hot air. Heat rises and the top floors will be unbearable if the heat cannot escape. When you vent your house this way it also helps circulate air. Opening some windows on the low levels at night will let in cooler air and help this effect.

If you are concerned about safety, consult with your local police department on advice on keeping out predators. You do not want to compromise your security of course, but keep in mind that merely running a fan in a closed up house is like sitting in a convection oven.

Watermelon really hits the spot when it is so oppressively hot. The stores have melons on sale for as little as $4.99 each. A whole melon seems like an awful lot to carve up so I cut it in two inch chunks and freeze it in gallon plastic bags. Every two hours I take the bag out and whack it on the counter to keep pieces more or less separated. When the contents are completely frozen it will keep for months. There is nothing as tasty as these watermelon ice cubes in iced tea or a mixed drink. After they thaw, you have a nutritious portion of fruit in your glass.

Some other tips to deal with this weather are:

Keep your refrigerator full and try to stay out of it as much as possible. LOL. What I mean, of course, is open the door as seldom as you can. This saves energy.

Keep the curtains or blinds on the sunny side of your house or apartment closed. Open them late in the day or early in the morning when the sun is not shining in. As the sun moves around, shut them for the hottest part of the day. The shade makes it easier for your air conditioner to handle its territory.

Wear light colors and loose fitting clothing and learn the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. At the first sign of discomfort or confusion seek help.

The combination of medication and effects of age make it difficult to deal with the heat so we have to be more careful. Use common sense. Buddy up with a neighbor and check up on each other. We're all in this together.

Have a nice day.

Did You Snope Today?

2010-07-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

It is a gorgeous July day, partly sunny, partly stormy, with enough heat to make for a sauna-like forecast and lots of cold showers. I never expected that one of these cold showers would be in an email.

I clicked on the email from one of our local activists. He is a dynamo and someone I thought I had really connected with on many levels. He seemed to be going in a very positive direction channeling concerned citizens into constructive community projects from cleanup to attending council meetings. Imagine my surprise to open and find that I was being implored to "send to 20 or more" of my friends because this was so important. What the heck? I felt a chill...

I started reading and then got as steamed up as the July afternoon.

Connecting with friends and businesses is taken for granted if you have a computer. Writing notes are now emails and shopping is no longer physical because you can shop on line. We seem to deal in fast results, instant contact, instant information, sometimes passing on items without a second thought because something makes us mad, inspires us, or is just so funny that you have to share with your bsf.

Today you can look anything up. Writers don't need to keep index card notes. Cooks don't need to keep huge recipe files. Students can find courses and even class notes on line.

Remembering lots of detail doesn't seem to be such a problem now, even if you are a senior and worrying about forgetfullness. (I forgot my keys...so do I have Alzheimers? My doctor tells me that if I forget the keys, not to worry, but if I forget what they are supposed to do....that means a problem.)

We have become demanding and casual in this instant world. Along the way we may have lost the sense of responsibility that goes with decent human interaction. When an email comes in that seems to be just right, relevant to a current social issue or event, something that you really connect with, have to share....please reconsider.

Please check it out.

We are heading into the lazy dog days of summer that will shortly morph into the election-driven days of autumn. The September and October days will be energized by electioneering controversy and for sure there are going to be emails.

When someone you know sends you a post, you open it because you recognize the address. When a group emails you representing a political interest, they will likely be spamm. It seems to me that we have to be vigilant and start now to sort out the crap from the shavings.

When you get an email from someone you know and you think they have more brains than to send you political drivel but something nags at you, it is easy enough to check the questionable information out by going to SNOPES.

www.snopes.com/urban legends.

www.snopes.com has cataloged rumors and urban fables for years. They can show you instantly if your topic is true or false. Accuracy and truth are tools for every really informed voter, probably more important this year than ever before.

One of the current rumors going around now is a request for a 28th amendment to the Constitution with the intent to overturn the present medical bills passed by Congress. It mentions that our elected officials have elected themselves exemptions from law and not beholding to the new plan provisions or even to various laws of sexual harassment, etc. Snopes shoots that down in a hurry and even gives the background that led to the current rumor going around the internet.

Most rumors do die down after a while. Then, thanks to the internet, someone will find one, send it to a friend who considers the source(the first friend) and then sends it on. Like laundering money, it gets harder and harder to detect the start of the story. That is where Snopes comes in. Snopes has the original version, plus updates, so Snopes can tell you what is true and what is false.

Remember the story about praying for the demise of Governor Christie? That joke made the rounds when President Obama was running and the Republicans had used it to pray for "favorite President Obama". Back in those days it seems that Republicans did not object to the joke at Democrat expense, but when a Republican is the butt? There was a call for firing the teacher who started the NJ version. Oh, if they had only "Snoped". Snopes had the joke online for almost forever.

So to all my friends, (especially those of the conservative bent who seem to pass on so much of this stinky stuff) I suggest that you either delete me from this baloney, or look it up first and tell the folks who sent it to you that they are mistaken.

Snopes rocks!

Update for Senior Art Show

2010-07-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Senior Art and Craftsmen news!

The brochures are out from the Heritage and Cultural Commission and they look great. If you have not received yours by the end of this week, contact the Office on Aging at 609-989-6661. They will get one off to you because the registration form must be received by their office by July 22.

Important dates are:

July 22, registration forms completed and in MC Office on Aging for processing.

July 29, delivery of your entry to Meadow Lakes from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

August 2 to August 13, duration of show. Hours for visiting 10am to 4 pm. at Meadow Lakes, 300 Meadow Lakes, East Windsor.

August 13, Awards reception 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

August 13, Pick up entries after show reception is over. No earlier than 3:30pm. Winning entries are to be left in the custody of Mercer County Office of Aging and will be transported to the State Senior Art Show by Committee members.

Entry specifications are:

Must be original creation of the artist. No glicee or reproductions of other original art work or artists, no kits, no copies.

Dimensions of paintings and 2 dimensional work may not exceed the maximum 36 inches in any direction INCLUDING FRAME. Work must fit into a 36 " template. Any hanging over....sorry, not accepted.

Also there is a minimum for you miniature lovers...may not be smaller than 11 inches. If it does not measure up, it does not show.

Sculpture and 3 dimensional crafts may not exceed 18 inches in any direction including the base. This is to permit as many entrants as possible in our limited show area.

Please have your artwork ready for hanging. We are not framers and would not be permitted to do anything even if we could, so have your fishing wire all hooked up, or whatever you prefer. Artwork must be matted, mounted, framed with screw eyes and properly labeled on the back side. No saw tooth hangers. They just do not hold and we are not able to hang them in our gallery system.

If your water color or mixed media requires glass and is over 24 inches, plexiglass is suggested to protect it.

If you have a piece valued over $400, you must have private insurance.

If you are in the wrong category, the committee will move it to the correct grouping.

Categories this year are:

Acrylic

Craft. No kits or molds may be used.

Computer-generated Imagery. No digitally altered photos and images made with a scanner but there is a new grouping called "Computer-generated Imagery. You may use a pixel based painting or graphics program such as Photoshop, Illustrator or Corel Painter.

Drawing--pencil, pen, ink, graphite, markers

Mixed Media. A combination of two or more media, includes collage and assemblage, and no one of which predominates.

Oil.

Pastel, chalk, charcoal, oil pastel.

Photography created using a film-based digital or pinhole camera, scanner, including color, black and white or tinted or digitally manipulated photos, photogram.

Print. Etching, engraving, lithograph, woodcut, monoprint, monotype, silkscreen.

Watercolor, gouache.

There must be three entries or more in a category to be judged and qualify to go on to the State Show.

I think I mentioned previously that you can't show a work that was entered in a previous year, and works must be young. Artists have to be over 60 years of age, but sorry seniors, works must be less than three years old. One entry per artist...but look at all the categories. It is hard to pick out your favorite but only one per person, please.

This is the second year that Mercer has been able to offer first place awards to both professional artists and the hobby artist. That means two in each medium get to represent Mercer County in the State competition. And we have Meadow Lakes to thank for that because they have made sufficient gallery display area available that we can really present our Mercer County artists.

Don't forget, call Office on Aging for more info and brochures. 609-989-6661.

Seniors Rock!

Mercer County Senior Art Show

2010-07-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Attention artists! There is one good thing about being over sixty years old...you qualify for the Senior Art Show.

It's about that time again. I understand that the flyers with application forms are in the mail. If you have not participated in past years, don't let that stop you now. They have room for lots of entries and are split into amateur and professional categories. I hear that they might be able to handle crafts and stained glass entries this year.

The Mercer County Senior Art Show is a joint effort of the Office on Aging and the Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission. Entries cover a range of mediums from water color to acrylic, photography and sculpture. The winners of each category represent Mercer County and go on to the State Finals.

This is really a big deal. The State show exhibits upwards of 300 pieces by winners of each County's competitions. I've won locally a couple of years and it feels great to go on to represent Mercer County.

Keep in mind there is a limit on the size of each painting or sculpture because of the obvious logistical headaches displaying so many works. Your entry form will list the permitted dimensions so you can frame accordingly. You are permitted one work. Also the work must be totally original(not workshop or class work), and created within the past three years.

Please, if you have exhibited a work in a previous year, do not present it again. This year's entries must be fresh stuff, if you know what I mean. One year a water colorist sneaked in an old work and his wife spent the whole reception telling on him. Ahhh. Too much excitement.

The Mercer County Show is going to be held in August but the drop off may be the end of July. I will post as soon as the dates are firmed up. I believe that the County show is going to be at Meadow Lakes, the site of the 2009 NJ State Juried Show. It would be great to exhibit in the same venue as the 2010 final competition in October, so stay tuned.

Art rocks.

Seniors rock.

ARTWORKS TONIGHT: Mercer Reception Celebrates 40 Yrs.

2010-07-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

Recognizing that local history, diverse culture and treasured traditions of varied elements in the community should be documented for posterity, the County Executive and Board of Chosen Freeholders created the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

Their mission was to encourage County artists to focus on their unique Mercer identity. Since that St. Patrick's Day inception in 1970, as an advisory board to the Division of Culture and Heritage, they have provided welcome support to the art segment of the community that all too often cannot sustain itself.

The Annual Mercer County Artists Show and the biennial Mercer County Photography Exhibition are two venues for artists. Each year, some of the works on exhibition are chosen for purchase. Subsequently, they become part of the Mercer County permanent art collection. These purchase awards are coveted as much for the prestige as for the support they give to the artists.

Selected works from the Mercer County collection are on display at ARTWORKS from July 9 through July 31. This is a wonderful opportunity to see these works, some of which can only be otherwise viewed by visiting Mercer County offices during business hours.

There is a reception tonight from 6 to 9pm. There is going to be live music by the David Adolph Quartet and food catering by Revere's.

In this time of suspended and cut back funding, please come out and show our policy makers that the arts are alive and well in Trenton.

Make sure you sign the guestbook!

Trenton Rocks!

Mack vs. Diversity, Round One

2010-07-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

The new Mayor of Trenton is digging in. His first appointments have been pulled out of the old Mayor's basket. He just pulled those old boys out, dusted them off, and propped them up on his shelf and... after they stopped wobbling, turned back for another look.

Maybe that is too simplistic. When Eric Jackson was salvaged, privately I cheeered!

This is a very bright and enthusiastic young man. I was once involved with excavating contracting and can relate to the challenges that the Roads Department faces and appreciate productive solutions. Listening to the one man pothole truck solution, with permanent results as opposed to three man temp patches...why I was just blown away. I am so glad that Tony Mack has him on board.

Now the Police Director business is another story. Irv Bradley was truly a find. He came into the Police Department helping to set up the new computer technology and became a very talented and savvy community minded interface between the Mayor and Police Department. I heard one comment that officers were so happy not to be looking over their shoulders or needing to "pay for promotions". Personally, our seniors loved him.

The new appointment to Police Director is a fellow brought out of retirement to help Mayor Mack. I am sure that he is a fine fellow but I can't help wonder if this temporary position may be to enhance pension benefits. Can someone update me on this possibility? I think the Police Director should be chosen on a basis other than living in the city of Trenton. Dipping down into his history, it seems to me to be a colossal step backward into the "old boy system".

L.A.Parker writes today that Mayor Mack is "under pressure to put as many of City Hall's best jobs into the hands of African-Americans families". L.A. is a stout defender of black interests and I was flabbergasted that he dared to say this. Since he has brought up the subject, and having hosted all those Meet and Greets for Mayoral and Council candidates, I can attest to the concern that black candidates and businessmen felt about losing some of their political clout with the change of administration.

For a while, Tony Mack even invited Frank Weeden to his transition team. You never hear about that. The sea of black faces at the inaugauration of Mayor Mack is reassuring to the black interests in town but it really does not indicate a progressive direction for this city.

I suspect that the latest census is going to show that the demographics for Trenton are over fifty percent Hispanic and Hispanic mixed, about twenty percent black, and about twenty percent white. That is not enough to support the white supremacy argument for Divine Allah, that is not enough blacks to support Mayor Mack's administration, that is a sign instead of a segment of the city that is not being represented.

Instead of worrying about paying off political debts, I implore Mayor Mack to look ahead and plan for the future. We must get a handle on the way this city feels about itself. We cannot afford to keep the same policies and procedures in place that so bogged down the Palmer Administration.

If we are going to present a desirable and marketable image to the rest of the world, we have to be inviting and safe for tourists. It seems obvious that the rest of the world thinks of Trenton as a sea of gangs and black faces.

There. I said it.

Diversity. Mayor Mack, what are you going to do about it?

Have a nice day.

How to Beat the Heat

2010-07-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Summer is here. After more than ten feet of snow this past winter, Jack Frost has turned his weather record over to Mother Nature. Not to be outdone, she has treated us to heat wave after heat wave and today sent temperatures soaring to 101 degrees.

Yipes!

The city pavement is so hot you can fry an egg. Really.

We watch from our windows to see if there are any problems in the mall parking lot because the homeless do not like to go to shelters. We have a tiny park not far from our building and there is a fountain and some shade trees. Folks are very respectful and there are a lot of mothers with their children. It is, nontheless, possibly a lifesaver for someone in this oppressive heat.

We think word is out about our "Senior Citizen Police Academy" training and Police connections because we have noted better quality of life in this area. Incidents are almost nonexistent. We credit the outgoing Trenton Police Director Irving Bradley for including the community in Police efforts. The "professionals" seem to have gone to greener pastures.

I think enviously of my girl friend on a cruise in the Caribbean...I think of my friends under a tree or on a boat in the Atlantic Highlands...but then I look over at my window seat filled with ferns and flowers. The air conditioner is cranking out steadily and I can reach for my ice cubes. Not too bad. Not too bad at all.

I remember days ago sitting on the shady porch of my old farmhouse, rocking in my father-in-law's grapevine bentwood rocker. I remember the sound of cicadas and the dripping glass of lemonade. The city streets and parking lots are a lot harder to cool off and the smell of asphalt and diesel is not as nice as lilac and peonies, but coping with what life puts in your path is essential to achieving a degree of contentment.

AARP mentioned a while back that the senior population is generally more contented and happy. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has lived through many a rough patch. Lo and behold, it's amazing that you have survived. Being thankful is a fulltime job.

I guess it might be more glamorous to have glossy green palms waving over my dewy brow, but heck, I am just fine with the scents of basil and sage and the purple geranium peeking from behind my peace lily. I just had a note from a friend who recently reconnected with me, I have a tall frosty glass of ice water at my elbow, and I think in general, life is good.

People rock!

Mile Posts and Memories

2010-06-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

June is halfway through the calendar year and marks the semester end for most local schools. For high school seniors it also marks a rite of passage as they move out into the world.

My granddaughter's high school graduating class this year numbered almost 300 students. The stage was packed with students in caps and gowns, shoulder to shoulder and aching to get through the hour. Parents and family members in the audience could see rubber bands and spitballs soaring into the air among the back rows behind the speakers.

Never mind.

The messages delivered to graduates were punctuated by toots from a horn somewhere off in the distance.

No problem.

The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of diplomas. Each student went through a receiving line to get the coveted award. Suddenly one chap pretended to trip over the Superintendent's feet crossing the stage and fell to the floor.

Splat!

There were shocked gasps in the audience. He clambered to his feet and continued on to accept his diploma and shake hands. Later we heard that there was a bet riding on the dare.

Ahh. Too much reality TV. Wait until these bright and talented youngsters get out into today's barren economic climate. We should applaud their spirit and shenanigans while we can.

Finishing up the week, I attended my fiftieth alumni gathering.

Truly, it does not feel like so many years have passed. Teetering now at the precipice of old age, the hard part is realizing how the present holds up that memory of yourself at the brink of adulthood. Passages. I sense canyon walls and buttressing arches looming over me, halfway to my goals, still struggling to climb up out into that clear blue sky.

I had planned for months to polish myself for those pals I hadn't seen in years...to lose twenty pounds, get a knock-out outfit, prep a resume like applying for a job.

What am I? Nuts?

I stopped to think. I came to the conclusion that since we had been a very small class, and spent our school years in an intimate context that just was not competitive, there should be no pressure to stand out because it would probably be enough just to show up. Thus relieved of guilt and inhibition, I sallied off in high spirits.

Possibly the best part of this weekend was the pre-banquet picnic we had in the middle of the day. It gave us time to mingle, show pictures and cover some of the intervening years. Our hostess and her husband did a great job providing a spread to keep things lively. Fifty years is a long time. People come with baggage and it takes a while to shed shyness. This was a great chance to let the old personalities shine through. The picnic definitely was a successful ice breaker and, by the time we went to dinner, we were relating like back in the 60's again.

As I headed to my car, one of my classmates asked,

"Hey, Barb. Would you like to see live fish in the back of my car?"

It was a blazing ninety degree day and I looked over at his wife who nodded. Everyone else was headed for hotel rooms and a shower and I could not imagine fish surviving for long in this weather.

"You have got to be kidding. I bet you have gold fish, like an aquarium?"

I followed my classmate and his spouse back to their car which was parked on the lawn under a shady tree. He moved to the rear of the car and opened the trunk. I did not know what to expect but my mind was searching possibilities trying to create a rational situation. I was expecting to see maybe plastic bags of gold fish from a pet store or the stuffed bass mounted on a plaque that sings a song when he is wound up. At any rate, I was in for a surprise.

He did indeed have live fish. Swimming in his trunk. Yep.

I looked down at a very large cooler filled with killies, minnows, bait fish that I was used to seeing in the shallows of White Lake or along tidal marshes of the Jersey shore. I couldn't get over it.

"We thought we might go fishing tomorrow before we headed home. This is a pretty good way to keep the bait, don't you think?" he said with a proud grin.

As he spoke, he lifted a small battery pump pack about the size of a Boy Scout canteen in the palm of his hand. Eight inches long, it fit nicely into the beverage side of the cooler and had plastic lines running through it that kept the killies' water aerated and cool. Neat.

As I changed my clothes for the banquet, I was already chuckling. I was enjoying myself.

Well, our gathering of alumni was warm and we were singled out for corsages because of our fifty year status. The air conditioning had been turned on the day before so the hall was thankfully cool. The food was better than last year and the cash bar reasonable. Everyone mingled with the classes that were represented without regard to specific years and the feeling of returning home, to home base, was the best of all. There was an air and uplift of good old fashioned optimism.

It was bittersweet to see alumni attending who were obviously dealing with infirmities, some greeted with glimmers of recall, some who were just pleased to be included...but realizing that the years take their toll and that our numbers are diminishing is just so sad. Our townships have moved on to a regional school system and our alumni organization is fading as members die off. It was like we are tacked to a bulletin board and, one by one, we come down until the board is bare.

The evening finished up with a disk jockey playing a nostalgic medley of do-wop and rock swing tunes. Watching those dancers swaying in the soft lighting was like the old sock hops all over again. It was the second time I heard Tennesee Waltz this week...the other at my Mom's nursing home. And that thought brought me full circle to thinking about going home. My present home.

Reflecting on the weekend, we had the usual work updates, retirement stories, yearbook albums, family pictures, but I have to say that the fish in the trunk beat everything.

Here's to the class of 2010. May they have the blessings and good fortune to get as far as we have.

People rock!

Trenton Loses Director Bradley

2010-06-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Wednesday. Tomorrow is also the last day that Trenton Police Director Irving Bradley, Jr. is on the job. I wonder what kind of thinking has led to this good man being cast aside like a usual political appointee.

What are you thinking, Tony Mack?

In the last discussion I had with candidate Mack just before the election, I tried in vain to assert how vital Director Bradley was to the present great morale in the Trenton Police Department. I tried in vain to let him know that Irv Bradley is one of the best things to happen to Trenton in years.

Because Mayor Palmer hired Director Bradley, Mayor Mack is going to let him go. What kind of logic is this? I suspect that computer friendly Bradley just may be too qualified for the lumbering candidates that are presently on the radar. Trentonian reporter LA Parker tried to get Mayor Mack to let us know just how much trouble we are going to be in if Bradley is sent off, but Tony reverted to his defensive boxer stance and did not come up with the answer.

What are you thinking, Mayor Mack?

Here we are, sitting on the Water Company because you guys thought that there was a golden goose out there and the city wasn't going to be ripped off if you could help it....well guess what? Almost a thirty percent rise in taxes just happened. And the thirteen pages or so of tax sale candidates is just the beginning of your goose egg.

I sit here tonight hoping that one of the Director candidates you are considering may be at least computer literate. I am hoping that somewhere out there is a man or woman who will lead the Trenton Police and inspire them to flourish and be productive like Irv Bradley managed to do. I am hoping that this new candidate will have the moxie and imagination to reach out to the community and follow in his footsteps. If the newbie is going to be like Santiago or even before him, I have to say that I was really turned off by their attitudes and personalities.

Director Irv Bradley had finesse. He had an empirical view of city problems, based on practical observation, and the networking skills to implement and coordinate operations that have led to the lowest murder rate in this city in years.

I think that the smartest thing Mayor Palmer did in recent years was to reach out to this unassuming man who turned out to be a real diamond in the rough. Kudos.

Why in Heaven's name are we letting him ride off into the sunset?

Dumb.

Dumb.

Dumb.

Have a nice day.

Have You Been Googled?

2010-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

Google is part of our life style.

Google has become a noun, a verb, an adjective and even an adverb. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that Google has become so powerful that it does pretty much what it pleases...sort of a cybernet version of Governor Christie.

This blog has been down for some time this week because Google advised me that it was noting "suspicious activity". I practically stood on my head to try to get the darn thing settled.

The crux of their solution was to ask for a mobile phone number, to send a text message to, so they could send me the security password that would unlock the account.

I figured it was a marketing ploy to get a cellphone number to spam. I called the Google New York number to speak to a real person and was told by the answering machine that the "mailbox is full".

Yep. Figures.

I told the Google site online that I had no phone. No response from the Google people. That was days ago.

I tried again, noting that I wanted to speak to a human and was sent to a site that asked me what I wanted to pay per hour to talk to a real person. What is this? Extortion... or... Google porn?

I called my stepson who gave me a phone number to use. Lo and behold, when I put it in today, a text message appeared on the phone.

Yep.

Figures.

Google sent me a text message that encouraged a reply.

Yep.

Figures.

Yep.

There was a perky message that advised me of their services and now I can receive, on the mobile phone, all sorts of stuff... for a fee because "all applicable charges will apply".

Yep. Figures.

Now if I can only get this stuff stopped.....yep. Figures. A week ago they tried to change my Google page to a huge distracting desktop and I spent a long time trying to tell it to go white. I understand that they finally took that down.

Based on my experiences, Google is not people friendly.

Can't blame this one on the Governor.

I wonder if this post will stay up or if they will freeze me again for "suspicious activity".

Love ya,

Have a nice day.

Governor Christie: "Mother, May I?"

2010-06-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

I was going to write about Art All Night because it was such a hit and I loved being part of this phenomenal home-grown success story. As I signed on, Fox News was covering Governor Christie's remarks after the NJ Assembly's feeble attempt to override his veto of the "Millionaires' Tax". I got mad all over again.

Senior citizens in New Jersey have just had a $1,300.00 increase in their real estate taxes this year. The Millionaires' Tax proceeds were supposed to cover the expense of senior programs not covered in the upcoming budget. Some items were tax rebates, Senior Gold, PAAD, senior tax relief...now scuttled because of this bill's demise. The Governor huffed and puffed and exclaimed that he was running the state and basically we had to get used to it. He does not think that he has ask anyone's permission, he does not have to say, in his words,

"Mother, may I?"

I think his own mother, who was a school teacher and waged a gallant battle with breast cancer, would not have been pleased at his arrogance.

The point is that this Governor does not share our pain. This Governor has not spread the pain over every citizen in this state. This Governor has taken a stand that he does not care for the elderly and the disabled and even has gone so far as to put it into words.

There is no point in asking him to walk in our Dr. Scholls. There is no point in asking him to share our "Peanut butter and jelly Thursdays". There is no point in asking this galloot to put his Colt back into the holster.

Save your breath.

Ask him if he wants to adopt a senior.

He is making hundreds of thousands a year, maybe more. (Governor Corzine did not take a cent.) Betcha he could afford to adopt a senior.

I know of elderly homeowners who had to give up their prized cars because the tax man came before the car insurance. I know of diabetic seniors who, nontheless, eat pasta because it is cheap. and because this year's tax bill in Trenton went up beyond belief.

This Governor seems to be rather self serving. His share of our pain, as he insists we are all sharing the same hardships, is certainly not obvious to me.

His words are alien to us. His "eloquence" is lost on us. We have links to decades of hardship that we would express in dramatically different terms.

I remember when you mixed margarine with flavor and color packets because butter was rationed. I remember when my folks could not drive ten miles without being challenged because you needed a permit for using the gas. I remember making rugs out of short pieces of cotton underwear and shirts. I remember panties and nighties that my grandmother sewed out of parachute cloth after the war was over.

The seniors in my acquaintance are not cast-offs. They are mothers and fathers who worked hard all their lives and Roosevelt's Social Security was a welcome safety net. They knew hard work, like drawing steel in the Roebling Mills or building the streets that make up this Capital. They were mothers who used to watch the neighborhood. They made sure that the kids still talked Italian in the home but learned the new language because the homework was in English. They were mothers who made sure that the kids went to school because they were just as sure that college was the guarantee of the future. The unexpected problem was that the college kids left the city...and parents are left trying to keep up the house or ended up in "Affordable Housing".

There is a senior shift going on right now. I have heard rumors that the senior centers are to be consolidated...not the end of the world if transportation is adequate for the change. Many elders would sure appreciate a warm meal to carry them over the hump because they are short of cash thanks to Christie's shenannigans. However the range of activites is not attractive to many seniors who think the centers are boring.

The activities at most senior centers include TV and reading. Sometimes there are "programs" where community reps come in and discuss items that they think should be of interest to the elderly. There are occasional games, but prevailing throughout most of the centers is bingo. Since the Catholic Church started Church Bingo, the locals forgot that the Church had special permits. Now they have become conditioned to gambling. They will bet on lottery tickets, lotto, fifty-fifty,but the original fund raising intent has been obscured.

Hey, Governor, are you going to raid these illegal senior bingo parlors?

If... you want to make exceptions for Senior Bingo...then you could make exceptions for those seniors going bankrupt and waive these obscene real estate taxes. It is not "sharing the pain" to let a millionaire enjoy his farmland tax-exempt property on the flimsy pretext of harvesting hay or cloning herefords while Chambersburg residents have to eat macaroni.

Seniors should be treasured. Seniors deserve respect. Governor Christie, maybe you should have asked "Mother, may I?"

Have a good day.

Art All Night Is Here

2010-06-18T06:42:00.001-07:00

Grab your painting, tote that T-shirt...the one that says "STAFF" on it....yeah!

ART ALL NIGHT is here!

It only takes nine months to have a baby but it takes a full year to pull Art All Night together.

Artists: You have from 6:00pm to 9:00pm tonight to bring your art work to the show. Of course if tonight doesn't work, bring your sculpture, your kid's refrigerator art,(TrentonKat, tell Matty he can make something), craft items, even needlepoint, to the show tomorrow before 2:00pm. This gives the staff a chance to hang everything before the show starts at 3:00pm.

Every year presents challenges and, somehow, every year produces a champion event.

The soaring Roebling Wire Works, just off South Clinton Avenue, is the perfect setting for the hundreds of volunteers and artists who make this "happening" happen. The action begins at 3pm on Saturday afternoon and ends officially at 3pm Sunday but in between....

Bands ranging from gospel to jazz, with some folk and reggae thrown in for spice, perform non-stop on both indoor and outdoor stages. There are vocalists, bands from soloist to orchestra...jazz ranging from sexy to raucous improv until the wee hours. Sunday morning from 3am to 7am, the action moves indoors and a succession of DJ's keep the energy flowing. This gives neighbors thankfully a chance to sleep.

Saturday night includes an "iron pour"... which is as dramatic as it sounds. Molten iron will be poured into molds while in front of the evening crowd. This is scheduled for after dark, so you get the full effect of glowing like hot lava. Some of the older residents of Trenton might remember this part of our "Trenton Makes" heritage. It is fitting that we watch from what was formerly grounds of the Roebling Wire Works.

There will be food. We had a sampling of some of the vendors at our first volunteer session and it was delicious. There will be beer and wine tasting, barbecue, snacks of every kind, but personally I have to think about something else besides food or I will pay for it for a week.

And of course there is art. Live Art Fusion---by Timeless Tattoo...a number of artists working on a canvas that rotates slowly...I have no idea what this is going to be so I sure don't want to miss it.

There is glass blowing, live T-shirt printing where you can design your own shirt and they print Art All Night limited editions right in front of you... "Graffiti Demo" by local Trentonian Leon Rainbow...(really, and can he tell stories), "Graf on Girls" features Leon and other artists who will work on the human body....oh, my goodness.

I am looking at the lineup that includes "Fire Tiki's". Not your usual poolside torch, Glenn Moore makes his out of steel and you can barbecue on them.

There is plenty of room for social commentary while you rest on the "Up Cycled Lounge" or observe the "Streets As Living Space", an artistic effort to describe the parameters of the homeless as you picture living without walls, on the street.

And of course, there is yoga, master classes on night photography, video screenings on Saturday from 3 to 10pm, a local music roundtable on Sunday, and an opportunity to expound on any subject in a forum called "Ignite". You have a 5 minute chance to tell the crowd why your idea might change the world. Or not.

It is going to be hot so be prepared. It is going to be a heck of a good time.

Trenton rocks!

Marketing Trenton: Are You Nuts?

2010-06-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to the day after the day before.

I just finished watching L.A.Parker's video of the mob scene on Hamilton Avenue as the polls closed. If anyone outside Trenton reads the Trentonian today they will see what I viewed! Is this what we want a potential market prospect to see? What kind of opinion are they going to get of this city?

Tony Mack won the election for Mayor with a significant sixty two percent of the vote. But even before the polls had closed, Trenton police were setting up metal barricades on Hamilton Avenue to contain an angry mob of Tony Mack workers as they converged on one local store. Many of them had worked for over ten hours and had been issued food vouchers instead of cash. In what has become Trenton tradition, they chose to "act out" their frustrations.

I have only lived in this city since the late 1990's. I hesitated to come here because my car insurance and other costs would be higher. I decided to take a chance because I was alone, trying to support myself, and became one of the first residents in my new senior affordable-housing apartment building.

Some of my hesitation to move to Trenton was the result of what I read and been told of the city's crime and racial unrest. I liked my job, which was close to Trenton, and I liked the people I met.

I thought that the city had turned a positive corner. I applauded the election of Doug Palmer and watched the city hold its head high for the first time in years. There was hope. Everyone wanted to see the city rise above obvious limitations and be true to its historical significance.

Here we are a decade later. Has this city learned anything? When someone who is considering this area for investment, business or personal, they will conclude that this is a city that has not been able to haul itself out of its own sewage...so how in heaven's name, can you expect to make a case for Governor Christie to support new efforts?

Mayor Tony Mack has got his work cut out for him. Running a campaign and getting elected is not even the half of it. I do think Tony is gritty and street-wise enough to communicate with the elements who are in his way. I hope he has the foresight and flexibility to go after the new goals that have to be set.

Our new Mayor Mack must work on a marketing strategy with a much broader appeal. This city was founded and grounded in history. It grew out of its industry. We must put special interests in their own special little boxes and reach out to the rest of the world.

Whew.

Trenton rocks!

ps: Good video, L.A.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

2010-06-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

The lyrics from "Annie" keep running through my mind. "Tomorrow, tomorrow, the sun'll come out tomorrow". Tuesday is Election Day and personally, I have a headache.

When voters go to the polls to vote on the referendum concerning the sale of Trenton Water Company outlying pipelines and they vote no, there is not going to be a dramatic difference in the state of the city by the end of the week.

Tony Mack is on record as hoping you vote no. I talked to him for about twenty minutes on this subject and, although he finally admitted that unpleasant steps would have to be taken, he thought that there was "millions" of income that would be there if we kept the present business intact. I told him that "if your trucking business lost thirty percent of your income and you had to cut back what would you do..." I admit that I almost put words in his mouth but he admitted, "sell trucks." Yeah. Tony. You would sell assets just like Mayor Palmer tried to do and reorganize.

Now Manny Segura on the other hand, and I thought he would be in favor of the proposed sale of assets because he originally voted yes in Council, is now vehemently opposed to the sale. Several of the original sale opponents are now on his wagon.

I think both candidates have knuckled under to the outcry and protests of the activists who were incensed that Mayor Palmer was selling something without full disclosure.

I want to point out that the opponents insisted the "Trenton Water Company was going to be sold". Well that was not exactly the case either. In fact, we did not find out that the only items for sale were the aging outlying pipelines of Ewing and Hamilton until we visited with Mayoral Candidate Paul Pintella at the Pellettieri Meet and Greet in April. So both sides were fibbing for the sake of making their point.

So right now I have a lack of confidence in both candidates ability to make their points. Is the sale of the outlying pipelines to raise cash a good thing? Or is the sale of the outlying pipelines a scheme to gut the city of a significant source of profit?

This city is on the brink of bankruptcy. I have told both candidates that I fear a takeover by the Governor because we just do not have a handle on our own affairs. I also fear that if the Governor comes in, a Federal Trustee will decide to bless the American Water Company with our whole shebang and we will kiss off The Trenton Water Company, water rights to the Delaware, and any future hope of expansion in a positive way. The Governor has appointed the hopeful purchaser of our water company assets to one of his pet projects, "Choose New Jersey". I feel, pardon me, Governor, that we have to acknowledge that there may be an elephant in the room.

It may be that we just can't get anything right.

Don't forget to vote.

Trenton rocks.

Baby Needs Booties

2010-06-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

I was only trying to stretch out expenses...but after the third flat tire, my mechanic over at Mercer Automotive pointed out that my problems were not going to go away. My tires, although replaced within the past three years, had evidence of dry rot.

That was when I first heard that tire retailers were not required to disclose the age of supposedly "new" tires they were selling to consumers. The prevailing attitude in the industry was that tires did not "go bad".

Maybe tires don't spoil like potato salad on a summer day, but they do age and respond to the way they are stored. Tires are subject to weathering influences like heat and sunshine.

In recent times consumers have raised the issue about the quality of the product at the eventual time of purchase. Since the year 2000, the US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires that tires be branded in a code that identifies the manufacturing location, tire size, manufacturer's code, and most importantly...the week and year the tire was manufacturered.

The last four digits of the tire identification number are two digits identifying the week the tire was made, the next two digits are the year. Therefore: 1406 would be code for the fourteenth week of the year 2006. A tire made Valentine week of this year would be branded 0810 because February 14 falls on the eighth week of 2010.

Armed with this trivia, I gathered my tire ads and finally called about the Memorial Day sale at one of our local retailers. The chap who answered the phone told me the sale would carry into June. Wonderful. That meant that I could spread the costs over two months of Social Security income.

I presented myself this week to the BF Goodrich dealer and asked if the sale was still on. I was fascinated by the personable redheaded young man who was taking my order and I commented on his extravagant tattoos. My grandson has a huge EMT tattoo on his forearm, but it still takes me aback because, jeepers guys, it is permanent. The tech waiting on the person next to me commented to my clerk,

"Careful, George, or those tattoos might chase her off!" We all had a chuckle at George's expense and then I sat down to wait for the car.

I read a couple of articles in ESPN and then picked up the trusty Trentonian. I had only gotten to the comics when they told me my car was finished. Wow, was that fast. So I picked up my keys and headed out the door.

You know when you leave your car at valet parking, sometimes it seems as though it was visited by an alien. Your seat is moved, the mirrors are different, once a coffee cup I left in the holder was spilled all over my carpet because the valet parking it did not know how to drive a stick shift and he jerked the clutch all over the place. Well this time...my change was even left in the coin holder at the base of my shifter.

How 'bout that. Not only was the car done in a very professional manner, speedy and clean, but it has been a long time since my Aldi quarters were safe in the hands of a stranger.

Way to go, R.W.Tire, Route 206 Bordentown! Way to go, George! I suggest, if you want to put them in your contact list, they have an email: rwtire@aol.com. and their phone is 609-298-1011. :)

People rock!

Follow Up on Derivatives

2010-06-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have had requests from readers to follow up "Could Wall Street Derivatives Lead to Murder". For basic information on derivatives, you may refer to Wickipedia. This will give you the basic premise of these "futures" trading items. You can develop implications of the subject by reading some of the web sources I found.

I invite you to read the following:

The Wall Street Journal "Market Watch" article by Paul B. Farrell on March 10, 2008. The title is "Derivatives the new 'ticking time bomb'".

Also: Minerva School, MA & PhD in Critical Thinking Blog, article of September 6, 2009 titled Wall Street Now Creating "Death Scam" Derivatives.

Also: October 7, 2009 article by Moon Kil Woong's Instablog titled "Derivatives and Securitization: 'Is your life insurance about to become detrimental to your health?'"

Also: Time magazine article by Michael Scherrer, April 14,2010 titled "On Derivatives, The White House and Senate Dems Hold A Line Against The Bank Lobby".

Also: Seeking Alpha article by Avery Goodman "Jail Time for Wall Street's Derivatives Writers?" published April 25, 2010.

In "futures" the element of time is used to secure a price on a commodity at a point in time in the future, so a farmer could stabilize his costs before his harvest by fixing the contract rate. On Wall Street, this element of time has morphed into life insurance policies... where payout happens when the insured dies. "Time" here is hardly the original intent of "harvest".

I am amazed at the range of the readers who follow this blog. I hope this give you insight into my thinking.

Have a nice day.

People rock!

All PR Birth Certificates Expire July 1

2010-06-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

A new law went into effect January 1 that affects persons born on the island of Puerto Rico even if you live in the US. As of July 1, 2010, all existing Puerto Rico Birth certificates are invalid. I don't think that many people picked up on the press releases but time is running out.

The following information is gathered from those press releases.

The new law was enacted to address the unlawful use of Puerto Rico issued certificates and affects some 4.1 million people. The US Department of States Bureau of Diplomatic Security found that 40 percent of some 8,000 cases of passport fraud involved identity fraud using Puerto Rican birth certificates.

Something had to be done. Our Homeland Security Department has not yet defined a policy or solution to deal with this, but Puerto Rico did take action and has come up with improved "state of the art" technology to produce new certificates which will be issued as of July 1, 2010.

After July 1, Puerto Rico will issue temporary 15 day certificates if you need one for an emergency, but the regular process is two fold: You can apply online at www.prfaa.com/birthcertificates and www.prfaa.com/certificadosdenacimiento. You can apply by mail using forms also available on line. The new certificates are issued from the PR Health Department's Vital Statistics Office for a charge of five dollars.

If you are a senior over 60 years of age or a veteran, the five dollar application fee is waived. If you were born before 1931, it is also acknowledged that there might be record difficulties and you may have to write to the Local Registrar (Registrador Demografico)in the municipality where the birth happened to get verification.

Forms of identification documents to back up your application could be a scanned copy of a driver's license, U.S. passport with your photo, or another form of acceptable photo identification. If you have a New Jersey driver's license, you have already been through those Homeland Security procedures so please do not be intimidated.

Because of the current climate of identity fraud, it would be a good idea to update your birth certificate to be on the safe side while the process is so easy. You need proof of birth for many senior assistance programs as well.

I will post updates as they become available. If you have questions, I will do my best to find the answers.

Have a nice day.

Art All Night Update: Volunteers Needed

2010-06-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Artworks is asking for more volunteers for Art All Night. This is the region's biggest free 24 hour event and they expect over 600 artists to participate. Come to think of it, probably 15,000 spectators. Music, bands, dancers, food and art. Wow!

The location in an old Roebling factory building is perfect for this gallery "happening". It is everything you used to associate with the New York/Philly art scene, painting/sculpture, layered with today's music and urban culture and even includes senior citizen needlepoint and kids' refrigerator art.

Something for everybody is an obvious understatement.

All volunteers get the thrill of being behind the scenes for all the activities and are awarded a t shirt that will bring back memories years later. Personally, this is going to be my third year. I can see how the venue has expanded.

I have had just a small part in the success of Art All Night but success is a feeling that many people in Trenton do not get to experience. Give yourself that feeling too. Call Candice Frederick at candicefre@gmail.com to sign up. You can get more info at the website: www.artworkstrenton,org/artallnight/ and you can catch them at Facebook as well.

Volunteers are needed for Sunday June 20 for 3 hour shifts starting at 3 am. They go 3 to 6, 6 to 9, 9 to 12, and 12 to 3.

Also if you can help hang art on Saturday, Candace and her helpers could use your assistance from 8am to 2 pm. Also for take down on Sunday, June 20 from 3 to 6pm. They have a very organized system to account for artwork so most of the volunteer work is just carrying the art work from the display area to the artists at the intake area.

It looks like a heck of a good time.

Trenton rocks!

NJ Needs Peanut Butter and Jelly Thursdays

2010-06-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Coming back from my art workshop today, it hit me. Peanut butter and jelly. The perfect solution. Here I am, trying to stretch my fixed income over a month with an extra day in it, chomping on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I am thinking,

"Self", I said out loud to the car in front of me, " If it works for me, might it just be THE ANSWER for the Governor?"

Senior citizens have spent the last five months, since their Social Security benefits were frozen, coming up with inventive and affordable ways to continue to be able to eat. More and more, we have found that the time proven P & J sandwich is the "go-to" solution for that end-of-the-month shortfall.

In spite of escalating expenses, increases in utilitiy bills, increases in PAAD and Senior Gold deductibles, loss of homestead rebates, loss of the senior tax freezes, and cutbacks in many programs and transportation needs, seniors carry on with forebearance and patience, as they learned to do in the first Great Depression.

How many of today's legislators can remember tomato soup made up of ketchup and water...of sandwiches spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar to hold you til supper because you did not eat lunch...of gnawing on raw potato sprinkled with salt...of making the best chocolate cake out of flour and mayonnaise because eggs were hard to get? How many of today's sophisticates can remember the heartbreak when the hail beat down the corn rows... because they would not grow back and it was too late in the season to plant again?

The rural elderly now find themselves living in urban settings, in order to receive the services they require, where freezing their incomes has meant cutting back the very essentials they need to live.

Yesterday Governor Christie announced that a new non-profit, Choose New Jersey, was going to help in promoting new business throughout the state. Its intention is to market new business and also to help retain businesses presently in the state. There was no announcement of the location for the new corporation, but both Ewing and Trenton have complained about the amount of tax exempt assets in their cities, pleading for relief.

The wording of the announcement was eerily like that of previous Republican press releases in which the "Keep millionaires in New Jersey" mantra repeats, repeats, repeats. The purpose seems to be that if you hear something often enough it must be true. Since millionaires in New Jersey are not leaving the state in droves, (see my previous blog), because this is a falsehood...the purpose to "keep" business in New Jersey is unnecessary.

The directors of the new non-profit are: Joe Colalillo, president, Wakefern Food Corporation; Don Correll, CEO and president, American Water; Robert H. Doherty, state president, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Laurence M. Downes, chairman and CEO, New Jersey Resources; Bernard Flynn, president and CEO, NJM Insurance Group; Edward Graham, president and CEO, South Jersey Industries; the Rev. M. William Howard, pastor, Bethany Baptist Church; Robert J. Iacullo, president and COO, United Water; Bob Hugin, Celgene, president and COO (representing the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey); Ralph Izzo, chairman and CEO, Public Service Electric and Gas; Vincent Maione, president, Atlantic City Electric; William J. Marino, chairman and CEO, Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey; Raymond M. Pocino, vice president and Eastern Regional manager, Laborers International Union of North America; Kevin Rigby, vice president of public affairs, Novartis; and John R. Strangefeld, Jr., chairman and CEO, Prudential Financial Inc.

They are going to come up with incentive programs that would attract "job creators" which I take to mean new businesses. They are also going to provide "policy recommendations" that would make New Jersey a business friendly environment. Not bad when you consider that you have both the American Water Company and United Water represented, both NJM Insurance Group and Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NJ, both Public Service Electric and Gas and Atlantic City Electric, etc. It could be a heck of an opportunity to make "policy recommendations". Heaven help the little guy. Oh, yea, the Bethany Baptist Church is represented so I guess that means that heaven can help.

Actually most of their mission is probably unnecessary because they are obviously successes in their respective fields. But, looking over the members of the new non-profit, I see where it is a heck of an opportunity to get together over lunch---at taxpayers' expense. (see my blogs on tax exempts) The worthy gentlemen in this new non-profit corporation are fine and upstanding members of the economic engine that runs the state. All of them look like they would enjoy getting together to discuss how to network and run the state, so I am thinking, that to save money,

"How about Peanut Butter and Jelly Thursdays?"

You could still have your meetings because, after all, the most important thing is just getting together and sharing testosterone...right? How about giving the taxpayers a break and sharing our joy with our end-of-the-month peanut butter and jelly? Honestly.

Just think of it: no more "Greek salad, hold the olives, hold the cheese, no onions and blue cheese dressing on the side"...no more "corned beef on rye, provolone, no lettuce, has to be Grey Poupon mustard"...."that's right, no peppers on the roll, just olive oil and balsamic"...How simple for everyone on Thursdays to get P & J.

I suggest tea with that.

Hear, hear!

I propose that Thursdays be proclaimed "Peanut Butter and Jelly Thursdays" throughout the fine State of New Jersey.

Trenton rocks!

Issues and Updates

2010-06-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Today is June 1st. Almost half of 2010 is already gone and I am taking stock. Governor Christie is still trumpeting that the legislators are wrong to try to continue (that's correct, continue) the "Millionaires Tax" for the year 2010.

Governor Corzine's original millionaire's tax was intended to be a boost for one year only but did not produce the anticipated revenue because many of the targeted group supposedly just filed elsewhere or deferred payment. Anticipated revenue was not forthcoming.

The lie here is that if Christie's Administration renewed the tax for 2010, we would see those 16,000 filers "leave the state".

The truth is that two states, California and New Jersey, did not lose millionaires due to higher rates of taxation. Quite inexplicably New Jersey has millionaires filing IRS returns in spite of the rates of taxation. Part of the reason just could be that adjoining states are higher, and this makes New Jersey look good, but I think it is favorable treatment and our ambiance that makes our state so popular.

What fun is money if you can't show off? New Jersey is dab smack between New York and Washington, DC. This is perfect for hobnobbing in the arts, music venues, recreation. Perfect for politics...so close to the Capitol. Perfect for business and financial interests who can commute to Wall Street but drive home weekends to their sprawling estates and farms...which have been greatly discounted taxwise because of New Jersey's farmland assessment. Get the picture?

Yep. I find it hard to believe that a millionaire would want to leave. Now on the other hand, if you have more than one home, and many wealthy folks do, you might want to have your accountants look into advantages of filing and paying taxes from an address of one of those states who do not provide New Jersey's services...like rural states who do not have to maintain the road networks of this corridor state, like rural western or southern states who do not have the school challenges that New Jersey faces, like states with fewer persons per square mile and as a result have demographics that do not require the medical or welfare services New Jersey supplies. You bet they would not have our taxes.

Susquehanna-Roseland tower project, proposed by the PSE&G and apparently boosted by the Christie administration because its President was part of the new governor's transition team, still has not gotten permits to proceed in the Highlands and Delaware Water Gap area. Activists have made their voices heard about environmental issues and PSE&G has not so far come up with a story that will change their minds. Everyone in this state will have to carry the bill on this one so it would pay to get involved.

The Mayoral and Council Run Off Election is scheduled for June 15. Hopefully there will be a larger turnout because the choices are easier now that there are fewer names on the ballot.

Also coming up on June 15, is the Referendum on the sale of Trenton Water Company assets. The affected outlying pipelines of Lawrence, Ewing and Hamilton are to be sold to the New Jersey division of the American Water Company. The Trenton Water Company is not for sale. For some time now, the leaks and inability to collect receivables have made administrating these lines a real headache. It looks like the Palmer administration thought to kill two birds with one stone. Namely: to cut down on the collections and at the same time to bring in monies that could keep a raise in taxes at bay. Well we see how that turned out. Because of the delay in the sale, the State stepped in and dictated a horrific tax increase on homeowners and small business folk in this city.

The tax exempt properties in Trenton are more than half of the total area of the city. Three quarters of all of Mercer County exempt properties has decided that "This is the place." If a Trenton address is so great, then maybe we should tax for the good will that implies. Anything.

When I was touring the city at the invitation of one of our candidates, we were amazed at the number of churches. This might be truly wonderful if it was not for the equally amazing lack of progress we should be seeing as a result of their efforts. Jeepers, guys,as the Bible directs, it is time to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's". We all have to help out.

Have a good day.

Hey, Here's the Weekend!

2010-05-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

It is a warm and humid Friday night and the news is filled with weather and updates about Memorial Day celebrations. Some folks have already taken off for vacation destinations.

Here in New Jersey we take so much for granted. If you live in the Kittatiny mountains of the Delaware Water Gap area you probably go to the shore for your vacation. If you live along the shore, you might want to go to Wild West City and Lake Hopatcong for a change of pace. Both family friendly options are within a day's drive.

New Jersey has more millionaires and more horses per square mile than any other state in the Union. I guess it follows that we have thoroughbred horse racing at Monmouth and Meadowlands, standardbred racing at Freehold and the Meadowlands and marinas full of yachts all along the Jersey shore. And then of course there is the luster and luck of the Atlantic City casinos.

We have many baseball farm teams all the way from the Skylands to AC. The Meadowlands is home to both the Jets and Giants and soon to be the site of the Superbowl francise. And then there is hockey, basketball, soccer...

As I lay out plans for this weekend, I see that there are specials in most of the grocery stores. I plan to take advantage of the fresh watermelon, corn, strawberries and other goodies. Hot dogs and relish are also on sale so even cooking for a crowd does not need to break the bank.

I can hardly wait for the fun to start. Millhouse had their barbecue today and the weather could not have been more cooperative. Even if there is a shower or two in the outlook for the weekend, most of the parades and celebrations should go off without a hitch.

The closest parade is in Hamilton Township and there will be lots of horse entries. I know a couple of riders who are going to be participating so I think that I may end up holding a horse when they take their breaks. The route is along Nottingham Way and starts at 10:30 am.

The Trentonian has a listing of the observances for the holiday and the Lone Bugler is going to be playing at many locations throughout our area. In years past, I remember putting red geraniums and American flags at veterans' graves which now include my brother and my dad. For me, Memorial Day is rounded out with those final mournful notes of Taps as they drift over the wooded cemetery hills.

Have a safe and memorable holiday. Hope to see you all this weekend.

Springtime Field Trip at the Nursing Home

2010-05-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

My Mom is in a nursing home. I have put off sharing because it is tough to talk about it.

Put yourself in her shoes. Ninety some years of age. Imagine the sense of loss, of dislocation, because your husband of over 50 years has passed, you have outlived a son, your home is now just a memory in a photo album, your heart still beats and chocolate pudding is one of the few things you recognize on your dinner tray.

Imagine:

...That you have not felt the touch of sunshine on your skin in over a year, in part because your meds have made you light sensitive.
...One of the first things that your caregivers did was take away your hearing aid so it did not get lost, and then your glasses, because you spend so much time in bed.
...Your partial bridge is missing and no one can account for it. When trying to replace it, the dentist exclaims, "No one makes a Maryland bridge anymore!"
...You tried to get up to go to the bathroom, like you did at breakfast, but this time an attendant rushes into the room and yells,"Don't you ever try that again! You are not to get up out of bed by yourself." And then puts up the bed rails with the result that you become incontinent.

These are, generally speaking, how you become oriented to the ebb and flow of a nursing home. Heck, how are you supposed to watch TV or respond to someone coming into the room? Not surprisingly, you hear the comment, "She doesn't seem to respond to visitors so she must have sundowners."

It seemed to me that any resident protests or complaints were disregarded by staff once a diagnosis of "dementia" was in the record. This is where I became involved. Mom and I had experiences with many doctors, three hospitals, and five rehabilitation/nursing home facilities since the time she first found herself hospitalized and I can tell you that the elderly do need advocates.

Back in 2005, my Mom drove herself nearly twenty miles to her regular doctor's appointment. He picked up on something serious enough to admit her to the hospital, called us to let us know what was going on, and she never saw her home again. Now that takes courage.

Eventually we found that Mercer County had more services that rural western New Jersey, so we managed to find her a place in the Trenton area. Her first nursing home had been perched on top of a rural mountain, twenty minutes from emergency care, so it was not too hard to justify the decision to move her here. One of her nurses later confided to me that Mom cried herself to sleep every night. That almost broke my heart.

Presently she is in residence at the Millhouse in Trenton. At first glance, the immense brick old mill building seems imposing. But, as we found out, the care and caring of the staff and administration is like macaroni and cheese on a cold winter night...warm, wholesome and satisfying.

The older style of building must have resonated with my Mom because she seems to be more relaxed in her surroundings. For my part, I welcomed the Staff's ready answers to my questions, the down to earth approach to my Mom's care. I think I relaxed more too.

Being out of the mainstream of regular city life might be boring for someone living as a shut in, but the Millhouse has found several solutions to this. I visited with my Mom during some of the church programs...complete with drums, horns and keyboard. Baptists came with greeters who lavished attention and hugs on residents and real affection flowed through the hall bringing tears to my eyes. My Methodist Mom does not miss any church services and has even taken communion from the Roman Catholics. I think there is a splendid ecumenical lesson here, because she has become superbly tolerant in her old age.

Residents drift outside for smoking privileges at the front stoop, but for the most part are engaged in activities inside the building. Regularly Millhouse schedules shopping or field trips to engage those who physically up to it. Everyone is still talking about one of these recent outings.

Last Thursday, some of the Millhouse residents and staff visited the Golden Corral. Not only was it a trip out but it was also dinner out. A change of scenery does wonders for the appetite.

Residents were enjoying themselves hugely at their meal, when suddenly they were approached by a fellow diner. From his hesitant demeanor, some folks thought he might have physical issues himself.

Nontheless, he reached out to them. He chatted for a bit and then asked what was going on. You know when you are having a heck of a good time, it can be contagious.

After they explained what they were doing and answered his questions, he seemed impressed by the "fun time". Then, to everyone's surprise, he donated a one hundred dollar gift card to the group!

No kidding. People like that just make you smile.

People rock!

ART ALL NIGHT 2010

2010-05-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Preparations are going full steam ahead for this year's ART ALL NIGHT. This is one of the most fun and exciting venues I have ever experienced. There will be twenty four hours of art, music, demonstrations and food. What makes this so amazing is that it is free, anyone can participate, and it puts Trenton on the map.

I missed the first year which was held at Art Works. We live next door to the antique factory building that housed the activities the second year and we have showed every year since then.

Participants range from toddlers to one of my students who was a cheerful hundred and two years of age. The music runs from belly dancers to jazz. Demonstrations change every year and could be silver smithing, welding, pottery, etc.

I remember "happenings", "hippies", and Pop Art as a product of the 60's. I studied under Roy Lichtenstein and we trekked cross-town to see Andy Warhol, Alan Kaprow, Ray Bradshaw, and lots of other artists teaching in New Brunswick at the time.

I remember painting classes with Roy, perched on a stool, sharing stories with me about his Morgan car (my boyfriend was driving a Jensen at the time) and commenting on my painting. During one evaluation, he asked if he could keep one of my charcoal drawings because he wanted to keep it "for the day" when I became famous. He didn't do that with everyone...did I let him down?

Back in the seventies, visiting my sister-in-law in Chicago, we found ourselves at the Chicago Art Institute. There as an enormous exhibit of Lichtenstein. I was sharing some of his design theories, marketing philosophy and even some start up techniques before he landed on pop art. Suddenly we realized that we were the middle of a group of twenty or so people who thought I was a tour guide. That was so fun.

One or more of these artists bringing their work in to this show may even turn out to be the next Lichtenstein...or Warhol.

Trenton Rocks!

The Governor Backs Down on PAAD

2010-05-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

The word is out that the Governor is backing down on PAAD and Senior Gold.

Governor Christie is going to speak at the AARP meeting at the Marriott today. I was scheduled to go but just did not feel up to it. There was going to be a presentation of the Governor's excuses that led to the very hurtful and controversial increases in prescription coverage for seniors, namely the PAAD and Senior Gold programs, and the battle plan was well laid out by AARP and its members to counter this.

Here is some background on this matter:

May 5 of this year, I emailed the AARP legislative laison here in Trenton and tipped him off to April's extra monies coming into the Casino Revenue Fund which were supposed to be dedicated to senior programs. Given the climate in the Governor's Office, I was concerned that they would be diverted to other areas in violation of New Jersey's Constitution.

Senator Shirley Turner's office told me that senior programs in NJ were not entirely covered by the Casino Revenue Fund and extra monies were coming out of New Jersey's General Fund. If that was the case, and they did not send me the info to back that up, then it is not a stretch to imagine the Governor glomming onto our Casino monies.

With this in mind, today's news is very welcome. In fact, according to the Trentonian, he has incredibly found enough monies that the deductibles may now be only five dollars.

Hoot. Snicker. You think?

There is no mention at this time that the transportation part of the Casino Fund directive has been addressed. The Casino Revenue Fund is dedicated to the senior and disabled transportation needs, prescription drug programs, property tax rebates and tax freeze issues. We have yet to hear how that is going to be handled.

During the Mayoral Meet and Greets here at Pellettieri, I presented each candidate with written concerns about senior transportation dilemmas. I guess I should tackle the Governor's Office next.

Now if Governor Christie can just hook up to those 16000 millionaires and get them to agree that "it's only going to be 10 percent and you've got all that money and these old folks will vote nice" just maybe the millionaires tax will mean that property taxes will not make seniors lose their homes.

If the aging population in New Jersey is permitted this life line, the economic impact will be felt across the board. Taxing millionaires is perfectly respectable, neat and tidy, and will employ many accountants. Every senior homeowner, who can retain his dignity and lifestyle, will continue to support local businesses. Every displaced person, funneled off to assisted living or a nursing home, is a loss to the community.

I wonder what the Marriott is serving my AARP buddies for lunch. Shucks. Wish I could have been there. Especially to expound on "Could Derivatives Lead to Murder"....lol.

Have a great day.

Trenton-Ewing Tax Exempt Issues

2010-05-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Guess what?

Ewing's Mayor Jack Ball is reported to have asked Governor Christie, while schmoozing at the Governor's Mansion, if they could have State Aid in lieu of taxes because twenty percent of Ewing was occupied by tax exempt properties. A mere twenty percent? Extraordinary, my dear Mr. Ball, please wait your turn. The City of Trenton is home to seventy percent of all Mercer County non-profit tax exempts. Fifty percent of our city assets are tax exempt. If this is a competition, Trenton wins hands down.

Of course, we could join forces and lobby the Governor for attention together. That might be the best and most obvious course of action. And it is possible that someone has thought of this, but if so, I have not heard of it.

I personally have found Mr. Ball to be a singularly uncooperative individual. Aside from the terrible animal shelter kill policy that brought animal lovers to their feet, his refusal to send Farmers' Market vendors to our senior location presented me with some unnecessary challenges.

Some casual background: The Federal Government gives money to Agricultural Programs. Some bright light figured that these millions could do double duty if laundered through the country's senior citizens first. As the money was used by seniors, upgrading their access to fresh vegetables and fruits, it would eventually reach the farmers as originally intended. Thus the voucher program was born.

Federal monies of Aid to Agriculture are split up among the States. New Jersey's share is a couple of million dollars and is directed to senior citizens in the form of checks or "farm vouchers" which can only be used at farm markets, farm stands or directly at the farm. New Jersey vouchers are presently handed out by WIC and are income qualified. (By the way, I am told that income exempt WIC is in Ewing, Mr. Ball). Before Mercer County decided that WIC would be involved "for efficiency", vouchers were not supposed to be income qualified. The only requirement I recall in those days was that you had to be a senior citizen. I repeat, the main purpose of this bill was to aid farmers. The senior aspect was the "two birds for one stone" and would make for good political hay.

Seniors in the Trenton area have transportation issues. Since they have trouble with getting out to shop, the trucks delivered to us. We had no problem when the Farmer's Market first came out. The following year timing of delivery and selection of produce was not as desirable and sales dropped.

The next year Mr. Ball told me to get lost. I could not accept that and contacted the 4 H kids from Trenton. They were happy to come out and set up their striped canopy in our tree shaded car park. They had watermelons and lots of veggies that they grew themselves. We enjoyed their visits and invited them back but 4 H funding was cut back in 2009 and they were unable to deliver.

I was at the Farmers' Market one day in June. One of the vendors who had brought his truck out previously asked me why they were not invited back. I related that Mr. Ball had squelched the idea. The farmers got together among themselves and told me they would be pleased to come to us. The upshot was that we had a summer schedule of visits, we could tell our friends and families, and the trucks were almost always sold out. No thanks to Jack Ball.

I think the Trenton Mayoral runoff election is set now between Tony Mack and Manny Segura. Both candidates have had their medical issues so that concern is not uppermost in my thinking. Segura's office told me that Manny did not take a paycheck from the taxpayers the whole time he was a councilman and would turn his monies back into the treasury. If this is indeed the case, then electing Segura means an automatic saving of Six Hundred Thousand Dollars over four years. Holy smoke!

I wonder how Tony can top that. I have not seen a sky banner since my last trip to Long Beach Island and wonder how much it costs to hire one to fly over the city. I am sure that Tony got the best deal because he is in training to watch our finances.

Trenton needs a strong representative to present our issues to the Governor's Office. The next Mayor must be focused. If we do not get all our Capital Aid, we are going to have to take a hard look at all tax exempt assets in the city...

Seniors rock.

Why Not Free TV?

2010-05-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I read that Governor Christie's budget cuts included our New Jersey Public Broadcasting. It does not even get a ripple here in Trenton, but the Newark Star Ledger has been covering it because the privatizing of New Jersey News is not to be taken lightly. The State contribution to NJN's local coverage is only $11, 000,000 but all the network employees have been given notice to update their resumes.

I love public broadcasting. I do not use or pay for freaking-expensive cable TV. Aside from saving money, one of the benefits of being an antenna viewer is that I get a variety of PBS stations and programs. When lunchtime PBS on cable features that purple dinosaur or TelliTubbies, I can flip to the next PBS and watch Hamlet, sports, or even a cooking show. I get roughly thirty channels, broadcast in English, Spanish, Hindi, Italian, Greek...etc. It is a rich brew, this stuff of PBS, and I could not access it if limited to cable.

I got so sick and tired of Comcast deliberately nipping back coverage in order for my favorite programs to be available only as add ons, that I went to PC Richards and got myself an "Analog-Digital" combo. My set has a built-in internal switch that lets me receive and view both types of signals. I know that sounds naive, but the upshot is that I do not have to face a huge monthly bill for TV. Most of my friends are coughing up $60.00 or more every thirty days and, when they opened their envelopes last night, there was even a two dollar increase for May.

If you are on a fixed income and the Governor has increased your PAAD deductible, your Trenton City taxes have increased by almost a third because of the Capital City controversy, your insurance co-pays have increased in knee-jerk reaction to the Obama Medical Bill, this latest Comcast move is the last straw.

I recently got a request to respond to a News 12 survey. They promised that it would not take more than a couple of minutes. However, when I answered the first question, what cable, dish, satellite or "other" service I used and I said "antenna"...suddenly the survey was over.

PBS is a terrific source of local news. I watch two Philly PBS stations, which I could not do if Cable TV filtered the ones for my viewing area, and then go to NJN for my New Jersey legislative updates. I get such a kick out of watching televised hearings because it is obvious that most of the people around me rely on what other people report.

I submit: If you want to make constructive and informed contributions to your elected officials, please do not repeat what someone else has told you. Watch and listen for yourself. This opportunity for first hand observation and reporting will not be possible if public broadcasting goes off the air.

As Comcast/Time Warner keep gobbling up venues, I am concerned that there will no longer be enough options to keep information unbiased. Their programming emphasizes the entertainment aspect of their product. I look for the news. I do not give a hoot what News 12 thinks we want to know. I want to see and hear what is happening and what is real. Forget the graphics. Forget the sound bites. Lets get real.

Just a thought...the Trentonian is going full tilt on video clips. Some of them are kooky, some are gritty, some are really good news. Who needs cable?

Comcast? Humbug!

A Language of Their Own

2010-05-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

The plaintive mewling from under my window was so gut-wrenching that I got out of bed to investigate. My cat sat right up to the edge of the window screen, not moving a muscle, tail hanging straight down, as we listened to the soft, almost human sobs coming up from the bushes. I bent over and rested my cheek on my own furry friend as we kept watch together with the sad little fellow far below.

I recalled earlier that evening watching one of our residents lead her elderly Puerto Rican dog out for his usual walk. He was a typical apartment sized dog, a bit larger than a Chihuahua but smaller than a beagle. He was never aware of his dimunitive stature and carried his curled tail like a banner. In spite of arthritis, he never walked, he pranced.

Sometime during his evening strolls, he had acquired a buddy, a stray cat from one of the parking lots, who took a shine to him. We were never able to explain it. It was extraordinary to see how these normally antagonistic species became such fast friends.

The black cat was shiny sleek and must have been a pretty good hunter because he was well filled out in spite of sleeping in culverts. He lurked under the bushes at the entrance of our building, waiting for the first sight or sound of his little black and white canine pal, then he would spring out to play.

They were more than casual aquaintances. Picture the dog on his leash, preoccupied with finding a place to take a leak or pooh, and the black cat pouncing and dancing in front of him. There were lots of kisses on the greying muzzle from the frisky feline, but no nonsense, and without breaking stride the unlikely pair would continue their way to grass, or mulch, or tree. Every so often they touched noses, but just kept going until out of sight.

Once I tried to get a picture with my cell phone. I had the feeling that this was a minor miracle and wanted to document it for skeptics. The cat was so shy that his instincts did not trust me to get close enough for a photo and, as it turns out, I missed my chance.

Thursday night, the little Puerto Rican dog had a stroke. We heard him crying during his trip up the elevator. When he came back down for the last time,we did not need to be told they were taking him for that final awful trip to the vet. His mistress was weeping, her daughter was crying, and soon we all were in tears watching them carry the little fellow out to the car, swaddled in his quilt. The vet did have to put him to sleep.

His mistress was known for her wonderful way with animals and some of her gentleness no doubt gave this unlikely pair the environment to become friends and blossom. Who could have guessed that this bright little spotted dog, who only understood Spanish, could have fallen in love with such a dashing streetwise feral feline? Their simple delight in each other was special and precious.

Now the desolate cat lingers by our front door, waiting for his friend who isn't there.

Tax Exempts Are Killing Trenton

2010-05-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

I have spent most of this past week sorting through the mayoral and council candidates we interviewed over the past several weeks. The elephant in the room is the huge deficit facing the Capital city of New Jersey. Now that everyone has pulled back for the weekend's frontal assault on voters, the monster looming out of the dust is that shortfall. The tax burden on the residents of Trenton is just unforgivable.

Of all the total nonprofit tax exempt assets in Mercer County, over 70 % lie in the City of Trenton. That is seventy percent of assorted nonprofits, including the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, houses converted into churches, central offices for everything from the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, Inc. to the Woodmen of the World Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society,(really), and incidentally includes all the offices and legislative functions of the State of New Jersey Capital.

Phew!

In another day, we enjoyed the prestige attached to having an office in Trenton. As the capital city we were proud of the attention and people it attracted. However, someone has to pay for the services necessary to keep all these workers safe, clean, and able to host their respective business interests, legislative functions or otherwise. This has become an enormous, lopsided burden on the taxpayers left in the city.

Senator Shirley Turner presented a gutsy bill to the Legislature that would affect the tax exempts in the City of Trenton, especially the State owned properties. I am presently trying to determine its status. If passed, it could go into effect July 1 of this year. In the meantime, the State has stepped in and clobbered this City with an unconscionable tax increase impacting the few responsible businesses and citizens that have the courage to remain here.

Call or write to Senator Turner's office and give her your support for this David vs Goliath initiative. Her phone number is 609-530-3277 or fax her with your signatures at 609-530-3292.

I could make a case for the senior citizens victims on fixed incomes being hit the hardest, but today's circumstances are the result of many years of Capital association and affect all of us.

Don't forget that Trenton goes to the polls next Tuesday.

How much more do we have to take?

Vote.

Senior vs Treadmill

2010-05-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

Even if you are 60 or 70ish, there is the moment of truth when you contemplate the New Jersey beach season. Your favorite suit is only three years old, hardly used, but your physique fills it out in ways its designer could not have imagined.

Remember your last trip to the mall, when shopping was more like musical chairs, judging your afternoon stroll one bench to another? It's more than reminding the doctor's assistant to use the larger blue cuff when taking your blood pressure, ('cause that tastefully tiny grey one can be guaranteed to register many many points higher); it's more than avoiding the movies because you feel crunched in the seat...it's about feeling good about yourself in the mirror.

A couple of months ago, I was fortunate to have a friend of mine donate a slightly used treadmill to us here at Pellettieri. It came with a companion "Gazelle" glider and some instructions. Residents were overjoyed and their enthusiasm, citing TV shows like "The Biggest Loser", concerned me because I didn't recall anyone of our age group being a contestant on the show. Some of those morbidly obese participants did have stress fractures, respiratory problems, and medical issues that the show glossed over for the sake of the story line.

Our exercise machines did not come with the medical information that would give us a direction for sensible senior parameters. Like any computer nerd in my situation, I googled. (I guess by now that is considered a legit verb, lol.)

I found that according to the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, there are definite guidelines to help you improve your cardiac health without killing yourself.

This is from the AHA publication:

"If your goal is to improve the fitness of your heart and lungs, you should bring your heart rate to a range called the "target heart rate zone." When you stop exercising, quickly take your pulse to find out your heartbeats per minute, bpm (beats per minute). Figure your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Your target heart rate zone should be 50 to 85% of your maximum heart rate. So, if your're 50 years old, your maximum heart rate is 170 and your target heart rate zone is 85 to 127." (This last number is a typo, it should be 144 for someone 50 years old and I am trying to get the AHA website to correct it.)

This is important because the heart performance range for a person twenty years younger than you is vastly more demanding and attempting to those numbers could result in a heart attack. So much for the reality show examples. As with any program where there is going to be a life style change, there must be commitment.

Things to consider:

1. Set specific but realistic goals. You can broaden them when you are successful
2. Anticipate potential roadblocks. By now you know what doesn't work.
3. Figure out how you might deal with problems. Share with your fellow gym rats.
4. Don't let yourself get discouraged by setbacks; Be flexible.

They also suggest keeping an activity log listing the date, type of physical activity, the total minutes, how you felt. Keep it for 4 to 8 weeks and then tally the results. One activity could be walking 30 minutes five times a week. Another could be taking the stairs, parking away from your store when shopping, doing flex exercises while doing house hold chores, etc.

If combined with an "eating plan",(no one uses "diet" anymore), you can enhance your physical goals and dramatically accelerate progress. My daughter just started work with a bio-med company that is trying to get a diet drug combo on the market and that brought back such frustrating memories of Slim Fast, Nutri System, Jenny.. et al. that I am not even going to comment. You know what you eat! You know who you are! Like that Pennsylvania commercial to convince tax delinquents to pay up...you will be forgiven if you face the truth. You won't gain weight if you don't put it into your mouth.

Looking at the above, it reminds me of a term I once heard applied to the astronauts. To survive "You have to be conditioned to crisis." Now those are words to live by.

Have a nice day.

Seniors rock!

Could Wall Street Derivatives Lead to Murder?

2010-05-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

AARP is running a cute TV ad asking us to support Congress' efforts to regulate Wall Street but this is no laughing matter. Bills, in both the Senate and House, concern transparency for derivatives trading by insurance companies. The Senate bill would impose the same transaction rules for derivative trading as the rest of the market and they would have to be listed. Banks, who have bundled these "custom" derivatives without previous scrutiny, have successfully lobbied the House Bill and continue to operate without transparency or controls.

Derivatives, up to now, were "futures" intended to lock in the price of fuel or raw materials for agriculture. These futures were bought and sold with definite dates for holders to take delivery. This is vastly different from insurance industry "exotic derivatives", where maturity dates are determined by the death of the named insured.

Derivatives are not like stocks either; they are a form of trading without anything substantial to back them up, a gambler's way of continuing to play the game without something solid behind the bet. Here are some examples:

When someone takes out a large life insurance policy, say a million dollars worth, and then changes his mind and doesn't make payments, one could expect that it would be cancelled. Not necessarily.

Aunt Millie has a million dollar policy but becomes ill. She goes to her broker to cash out four hundred to spend on her bucket list. One could expect six hundred dollars left in the policy. Is the policy over?

Or, Uncle Ed's children do not survive him and he decides, "What the heck". and decides not to make payments....you would expect that the policy is dead.

Since a life insurance policy can now be owned by someone other then the named (in order for a business to carry insurance on an executive who might be hurt in a business associated risk), a climate now exists where ownership of a life policy is possible by a totally impersonal and unrelated entity whose only goal is making a profit.

In each of these above examples, you might think there is no longer a liability for the insurance company as the policies revert to the company which will no longer need to keep reserves for these million dollar accounts. Wrong. Speculators (Banks) bundle these policies together and sell them to investors. Of course, the investors will not get a payout until the person in the policy dies, but they do have to pick up and continue the premium payments. Obviously the longer the person lives, the more payments the investor has to come up with, and the more diluted the value in the bundle.

You might ask why banks do this, but the answer is simple. Banks carry these bundles (derivatives), and make their money by charging fees to move them through the market. Congress is investigating the millions Goldman Sachs made from creating these bundles, reselling them and then trading without full disclosure. Their business practices were like a huge Ponzi scheme, with success being dependent on bringing in fresh clients, fresh money, fresh suckers at the bottom of the pyramid to support the payout to the top. If the bottom does not continue to bring in new accounts, the entire structure crumbles.

My concern is for the morality of these life insurance derivatives. The longer a person lives, the less the policy and his portion of the bundle is worth. For millions of dollars seeping away as the bundle ages, and the ongoing cost of payments to keep it viable, this could be motive for hoping for an early demise.

If I knew that someone had a life insurance policy on me, and I was about to undergo a life threatening medical procedure, I would be horrified if a decision were made to let me die just so a policy holder could cash in. It would make a terrific plot for "Castle" but it really isn't too far fetched in this "insurance derivatives market".

In my perfect world, private insurance companies would not be in the medical business anyway and definitely would not be trading life policies like North Sea Crude.

Have a good day.

April 28 Candidate Meet and Greet

2010-04-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

We have been blogging about the transportation needs for Trenton seniors and Wednesday gave us another example of service problems. Several of our seniors did not get back from their nutrition center lunch program in time to meet our candidates. Once again, driver unavailability meant dispatch inadequacies.

Eric Jackson, running for the office of Mayor, was our first speaker. He has a background in finance and "customer friendly" service. His years working with Henry J. Austin and the city's welfare division gave him insight into structured health care and ideas how to move forward. In 1999 he became director of Trenton's Public Works. Subsequently he implemented a street paving program, currently budgeted at $600,000 to $800,000 per year, which can resurface fifty to seventy-five streets each year curb to curb. Another innovation is the "pot hole truck" that uses permanent hot emulsion repair and needs only one man to operate. Previously, temporary "cold patches" required a crew of three men to fill a pot hole. Also, if his concept of costumed historical figures, guiding vistors and demonstrating crafts, is developed, there could be a tourist bonanza.

Keith Hamilton, also a Mayoral Candidate, is probably best known for his years serving as Mercer County Freeholder. Now he feels that he is the best qualified for the financial challenges facing Trenton. He emphasizes the need to "stabilize the revenue stream after years of mismanagement." He would like to see leasing of city assets instead of outright sale. He would ask Governor Christie to "make his tax payment". He thinks Trenton should be entitled to Federal funding because of its historical significance. At one time we were even considered as the Nation's capital and this should be recognized.

Ernest Perez, Jr. is candidate for Councilman at Large. He is a resident of the South Ward and feels that there should be more attention to city services. "We are in the service business." He is a local community activist known for recreation, ballpark development, fishing...which led him to discuss the proposed marina for Trenton. He feels that the whole project, from boardwalk to marina, is long overdue and would be a terrific idea. He recalled Cadwalader Park, "We lost a lot and there's no plan to bring it back." He thinks that the answer to the Capital Tax question might be charging the Capital for the services Legislators enjoy. Another idea is that of a head tax for workers who do not reside in the city but work here.

Phyllis Holly-Ward is also running for Councilman at Large. She addressed senior issues such as housing. "You hear the same things over and over." and would put inspectors on the job to improve conditions. Also disseminating information is important and she would like a watchdog to monitor such services. "Seniors are a big issue and we have to honor the senior base because it sends a message to everyone else." She acknowleged the importance of transportation for seniors and the disabled, "Resources have to be allocated and City Council is checks and balances for everything". Also she thinks that a clean city sends a message that "Clean streets feel safer" and will work to a beautification campaign. She is working for a unified city and pointed out that continuously printing out dual posters in both English and other languages creates separation. One of the reasons that students are currently failing state graduation exams is that they have difficulty with English, so obviously this should be emphasized in our high schools.

Paul Pintella, Mayoral Candidate, was our final guest of the day. He used to live in the old Cigar Factory so he remembered when Pellettieri Homes was a factory building. He asserts that "If you want to work here, you should live here." Because this is a challenging times fiscally, and there is a perception of crime, "It is a time for experience. Would you go to a mechanic if you were sick?"
He asserts that people are moving here, that it is unprecedented for growth and there is room for families and becoming a microcosm of "what a nice town can be". He updated us on the Water Company controversy by pointing out that the pipes lying in outlying townships were the only elements for sale. The water filtration plant is in the City of Trenton and would continue to produce water which would be sold separately to Hamilton, Ewing, and others, to produce a constant source of income even after the lines are sold.

Just a thought...the pipeline sections in the outside townships are maintained by Trenton workers who presently have to leave Trenton proper to work. Yipes! And we are carrying insurance on these guys to work in areas out of our jurisdiction? There has to be a cost saving here I bet. Imagine if Hamilton or Ewing decided to put a head tax on a Trenton water company worker because they were working in Hamilton but did not live there.

In summary, we are impressed with the energy and qualifications of the candidates running this spring. We have two weeks before the election to sort out our notes and discuss items and issues that caught our attention. One thing that I do want to say, regardless of the controversy in the media, there are awesome brainpower and really good intentions evident in these candidates. I am inclined to be hopeful that the cream will float to the top.

It is now up to us.

Trenton Rocks!

Pellettieri's 3rd Candidate Meet and Greet

2010-04-27T09:28:00.001-07:00

In spite of steady rain yesterday, the candidates doggedly came out to Pellettieri Homes. Our location in the Roebling Market made it feasible for John Harmon, Mr. Shahid Watson, Juan Martinez and Algernon Ward, Jr. to visit with us on short notice. With the six remaining candidates scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, this gave us quality time with these four.

Mr. John Harmon, candidate for Mayor, was our first speaker. He gave us an impressive business resume which included President of the Trenton Chamber of Commerce. He would run the city as a "Customer Service Driven" business where, if you did not perform, you would be fired. He commented that some areas of the city seem to have been overlooked in the present administration. He would change this. The input from each ward would reflect their special priorities. "Everyone pays his fair share and is entitled to the same share of services". He faults the Mayor's office for letting the union hall leave town. "Now you need a driver's license and a GED to be a bricklayer and carpenter". He thinks there should be a survey of the city's needs and specific training programs tailored to fit these needs. From his banking experience, he feels that micro loans marketing can help start up businesses.

Our second Mayoral candidate was Mr. Shahid Watson. He shared his personal challenges, the lack of family support in childhood, not having a regular roof over his head, and yet he managed to get to college. He stated that he is not used to Council meetings but prefers "action" because "The city systems are a mess!" The city cannot survive if the $34 million dollars are taken from its budget, so he thinks that there will be an eventual compromise with the Governor's Office. He would create a "Bureau of Senior Needs". Senior citizens should reconnect with youth and, addressing the ladies in attendance, he called on them to use their wisdom to teach "how to sew, how to cook, how to be a lady". He summed up by saying "We need new thinking out of the box."

Juan Martinez is running for one of the three At Large Council seats, campaigning on a platform of safe education and safe streets. He was instrumental in Pellettieri Homes getting bank approval from NJ Housing over a decade ago. He is aware of deplorable conditions for seniors in Trenton. He pointed out that there is a lot of funding that never gets paid out because the city has no grant writer. He thinks the city needs changes and a grant writer, who works on commissions, would be productive. In his present work for the Board of Education, he has a close look at the school situation. He thinks this generation is a lost generation and laying off teachers will make things worse. Kids who are raising babies, without being given a chance to grow up themselves, need hope. If there were courses of study available, in nursing, clean energy and green jobs, we would be investing in the city's future as well as theirs.

The final candidate for the afternoon was Algernon Ward, Jr. also running for one of the At Large Council seats. He grew up in the city of Trenton and attended its schools. One summer, as a Boy Scout, he spent five days in wilderness training learning to survive by living off the land. What he learned about himself gave him confidence in his own abilities. Today, he is a living example that the city's educational system can work. His groundwork for this job includes spending a full year learning about the city of Trenton. He is a "Leadership of Trenton Fellow" who studied its history, budget, school systems, police and judicial departments with the intent to prepare himself to serve the community. When asked about senior issues, he expressed concern about some city senior housing. He would take a personal interest in correcting abuses and get inspectors on the job so residents are not afraid to speak up for their rights. Mr. Ward is employed as a research scientist for the Department of Health, working with water, air and heavy metals which gives him a unique perspective into the environmental health of the city. He opposed the sale of the Trenton Water Company and noted that it has now been put to a referendum for this November. He thinks the budget crisis is critical but "Panic is the worst thing you can do." He cited the Boy Scout motto: "Be prepared." and added, "Don't lose your head".

Our final Meet and Greet is scheduled for 3:00 pm Wednesday April 28. Candidates lined up are Mayoral candidates Eric Jackson, Keith Hamilton, and Paul Pintella. At Large candidates are Ernest Perez, Jr., Donelle M. Presha and Phyllis Holly-Ward.

Everyone is welcome. Pellettieri Homes is at 615 S. Clinton Ave. in the Roebling market.

Have a nice day.

Sex and the Senior

2010-04-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

Its bad enough when children recognize that their parents have sex lives, but it is even worse when they realize that Grandpa (and or Grandma) are still being intimate. As folks age the common assumption is that they shrivel and just dry up. In today's active and assertive elder population, the reality is that the rate of HIV and AIDS is increasing. This is partly because of casual approach to the consequences but if someone came up with a condom called "Centrum Silver" I bet there would be more attention.

About a year ago, one of our guest speakers, Abby Katz, working with a Office of the Aging grant, came out to bring us up to date. The Sex and the Senior session was well attended, with ages from 60 to 101, but answering questions about masturbating and frequency were uncomfortable for these folks raised with old Catholic standards.

But everyone can laugh at themselves. Humor is universal, whether in your twenties or eighties, and keeps life spicy. One of my senior pals sent me an email collection of Hollywood Squares anecdotes and I almost had an accident laughing at them. I hope that there is no copyright problem here, these came from the internet, but I really have to share them with you. I dedicate the following to everyone out there who is still interested in sex, involved or intimate.

This is taken from a April 22 email from one of my art contacts:

Hollywood Squares' Peter Marshall was the host who asked the questions of a number of celebrity contestants.

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False. A pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A. Rose Marie: No. Wait until morning.

Q. What are 'Do it,' "I Can Help", and "I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know but its coming from the next apartment.

Q. As your grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.

If you appreciate these, please comment. I will print out more next time.

My girl friend told me that "We don't stop laughing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop laughing!" My conviction is... that laugh wrinkles are the best kind.

Have a nice day.

Council Candidates Weigh In

2010-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Election Day, May 11, is going to be challenging for Trenton voters. With over thirty candidates running for office, voters must be informed so they can sort out the best qualified. We hosted several At Large and North Ward Council hopefuls Wednesday evening but it was a long night for our seniors and we may have to reschedule Al Ward and Juan Martinez for a later date.

Roland Laird, North Ward Council candidate, started off our evening with his views of improving Trenton. He would like restore "neighborliness" to the city. He referred to his business experience and would like to encourage micro financing for small business startups. The state of our schools concerns him and he would like to see Health and Human Services be more involved in screening students in jeopardy before home circumstances result in truancy and lack of success. He thinks that high expectations can produce results and vocational schools might work against that.

Our second North Ward Council candidate, Divine Allah, is a 37 year old activist who thinks reaching young people is an answer to Trenton's current problems. He will work to "reconnect" the young to elders. He pointed out that our capital city has no entertainment or things to do. He suggests that the young are "supposed to think of culture and learn" and he considers himself, "I'm like a glass to be filled with wisom." When asked about his Black Panther views, he asserted that the Black Panther Party is no longer isolated in the community but "actions speak louder than words" and he uses the panther as an "icon" to motivate.

Tywannette "Missy" Balmir is candidate for one of the At Large Council seats. Her presentation was direct and emphasized the school dilemma. She referred to her experience working for Congressman Rush Holt and Mayor Palmer. She thinks that "elected leadership has the responsiblity to take care of our most vulnerable as we close the budget gap." Present challenges are "systemic" and the "success of the city impacts the success of its schools". She has an "out of the box" suggestion for the Board of Education. She proposes to set it up like the city of Camden with three Board Members elected in general election, three Board Members appointed by the Mayor, and three Board Members elected by Council.

Darren Green is also running for one of the At Large Council seats. He has considerable experience with young people and "disorderly behavior". He is presently wearing two hats as Shift Commander for the Corrections Department and Administrator of the Emily Fisher Charter School. He pointed out that many of today's trouble youth are the product of parents who themselves have never had the chance to grow up. They are very young and lack the mature skills to raise children so there is no positive role model. These youth need to be taught civility, positive values, how to be productive and here must be more parental involvement. Seniors could help by mentoring. "The old should not live in fear of the young." He thinks the city has been run into the ground and if elected, "Hold us accountable."

Our next Meet and Greet is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, April 28, at 3 pm. Pellettieri Homes is located in the Roebling Mall at 615 S. Clinton Avenue, and everyone is welcome. The lineup for Wednesday includes: Mayoral Candidates Eric Jackson, Keith Hamilton, Paul Pintella, John Harmon and Mr. Shahid Watson. We also are expecting At Large Candidates Ernest Perez Jr., Donelle M. Presha and Phyllis Holly-Ward.

Come and meet your candidates. Trenton needs your support.

Seniors and Cars

2010-04-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Making a decision to give up your car and whatever independence that goes with it is not to be taken lightly. Sometimes family members pressure aging parents to stop driving after a health issue. Sometimes moving into "affordable" housing means that there is limited or nonexistent parking facilities. Sometimes limited income for someone living on Social Security or a pension means that the costs of a car, insurance, gas, tires and routine maintenance have just become too expensive. The fear of having a breakdown and needing a tow is compounded because many seniors do not use cell phones. Even contacting help in an emergency can be a challenge.

Recently AARP pointed out that while the safety record of senior drivers is no worse than the rest of the population there is a perception that they should come off the road. Last week I followed a thirtyish blonde in a white lexus who hit her brakes repeatedly in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. She drifted to one side and then the other and I estimated her speed at over 60 mph. It was only during one of her spurts of braking that I managed to pass her and then realized she was texting on her cell phone. Senior drivers have more sense.

AAA World magazine offers tips for mature drivers such as regular eye exams, getting plenty of sleep, talking to your doctor about all the medications you may be taking, and making sure your car is up-to-date on oil changes and maintenance.

I started pulling out of my parking spot one day last week and heard a flapping sound. I was planning a two hour drive and worried that I might have a flat tire. I got out, walked around the car but did not see anything, so I started up slowly and headed to Mercer Automotive on Hamilton Avenue.

Since moving to Trenton over ten years ago, one of the things I miss is being able to drive into my small town gas station and kibbitz with the mechanics. I used to have a truck business that required lots of garage time so I was more or less at home in the back bay. From the first visit at Mercer Automotive, with a nutty washer switch that noone else seemed to be able to fix, I felt right at home.

Luckily Tony was able to check the car. One of his mechanics got in, backed up about three feet, and we all spotted a bolt in the front tire. I don't think I was there twenty minutes while they dropped everything, removed the bolt, plugged the tire and had me ready to go again.

I think seniors on the road need to feel that there is a backup if they have a car problem. For me, my back up is "Senior Friendly" Mercer Automotive Service on Hamilton Avenue. Tony's phone is 609-588-4888 and you should program it into your cell phone (when you get one!). Tony and his brother also have a web site www.germancarclinic.com. because they are experts on repairing European models. I drive a lowly Hyundai but they do not discriminate!

I hope to keep driving as long as I can. I find budgeting for gas sometimes is hard but public transportation just doesn't go where I need to go. I personally can appreciate the pros and cons of the entire driving issue.

Be safe and have a nice day.

Doctors Who Make House Calls?

2010-04-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the last time you had a visit from your family doctor? You woke up in the morning with a sore throat and your mom said that you could stay home from school...then you started to ache and a day off wasn't so much fun anymore.

By the time she called the doctor, you were perfectly miserable and looking for any relief. Then there was his welcome knock at the door. By this time, it even hurt to sit up. Finally. He set his worn black leather bag down on the hassock, wiggled and mashed it around so it wouldn't tip over, then opened it brusquely with a loud snap.

The doctor of my childhood had a bristly mustache and old fashioned wire rimmed glasses that he wore down at the end of his nose. He liked to peer over them and the cold touch of his stethscope was accompanied by mysterious sharp ether-medicinal smells. He growled and hummed deep in his throat as he considered his diagnosis.

The whole procedure was reasuring because you could see relief coming. A sip or teaspoonful of "tonic", little pills that he carried in his bag which were counted off in his palm and slipped into a paper envelope (the likes of which I haven't seen since), and off he went.

House calls are not extinct. Home visit service is coming to Trenton.

The company proposing to bring back this personal service is RevolutionCare and they do make house calls. The main headquarters is in Moorestown, New Jersey, and the concept seems to be tailored made for the disabled, elderly and chronically ill.

According to their spokesperson, Wayne Driscoll, Board Certified Nurse Practitioners visit you in your home. They work with your other physicians or specialists and coordinate the following in your home: routine lab testing, X-ray and EKG, diagnostic ultrasound, optometry and others. For folks who have diabetes and need testing or sudden consultation, this may even make hospital visits less frequent.

The company representative indicated that medical records will be maintained electronically and that means that all information about the patient is instantly available in case of an emergency. For geriatric and the disabled where transportation to doctor offices is a challenge, the home call option is very practical.

If you would like more information about this growing company, they may be reached toll free at 866-648-2767 or on the web at www.rev-care.com.

Impressions From First Meet and Greet

2010-04-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

We had such a terrific response to the Meet and Greet project here at Pellettieri Homes that we had to schedule over three different days. Wednesday's first session highlighted Mayoral candidates Frank Weeden, Manny Segura, Annette Lartigue, Tony Mack and North Ward Council candidate Marge Caldwell-Wilson. We were surprised at the real differences in approaching issues.

Frank Weeden came with shirtsleeves rolled up and his trademark knapsack, for all the world, like Trenton's Johnny Appleseed. He would like to plant new businesses in the city and develop abandoned real estate. He believes in the public school system and supports the election of school board members. Frank also believes in supporting the hiring of former prisoners. The process of returning to society after serving time is a challenge that employers can make easier by showing enough confidence in an individual to hire him.

Manny Segura is presently a Councilman at Large. His vision for Trenton includes a vocational school in order to have an alternative to the present college oriented public school system. Manny believes the most important element is "Safety, safety, safety!" He believes that investors will come into the city if they feel safe, teachers in the schools will teach more thoroughly, parents will move their families here if they feel safe. When asked about the Capital Aid question, he responded, "Governor, you come here to work every day. You come to my house every day. Together, you and I will fix this."

Annette Lartigue is West Ward Councilwoman. With two decades in Social Work, she has a unique perspective on this city. She thinks the present public school system is not preparing youngsters for their future. She favors a mentoring program that targets vulnerable 8th and 9th grades students. As to rehabilitating prisoners, "We have to create a re-entry program to let them back into the public community to be productive."

Tony Mack acknowleged our senior audience by promising that the several closed senior centers will be reopened. He also would like to implement school recreation programs. TV and the internet have made negative options available to a whole generation of youth, things that otherwise never would have occurred to them. He thinks that "beat cops", foot patrolmen, should be brought back to make the streets safer. He referred to Colin Powell's drop out prevention program and plans to model one for Trenton.

Marge Caldwell-Wilson is hoping to represent the North Ward as Councilwoman. Her ideas include a more open form of government. She is concerned about the rotting houses, broken streets, the proposed busing for public schools and proposes a buddy system for seniors. She wants to inspire volunteer efforts because they do not cost taxpayers money. This also involves the community because as she says, "You are only as strong as the community behind you."

Whew! We are looking forward to next Wednesday's Meet and Greet which is set for 7 pm. All are welcome.

Trenton rocks.

Transportation Needs for Seniors

2010-04-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

The population of senior and disabled residents in the Trenton and Mercer County area is growing. We are many but of one voice. We are reaching out to the new Mayor of Trenton to address one of the quality of life issues that impacts us, that of transportation availability.

Presently we are told that the City of Trenton has two jitneys that transport seniors. There are 13 nutrition sites but only two drivers with no "floater" to cover in case of illness. A 9am pickup for lunch can result in returning home at 5pm.

The jitney cannot take wheelchair citizens. This affects many people who would like to participate and enjoy a healthy meal once a day. Recently we found that our rollator walkers could not get on the vans. Folks who were enjoying increased mobility were brought up short.

Much of the elder community gave up driving privileges to move into affordable housing. Now they need to get to doctor appointments, Senior Centers, visit friends or just shopping. This is also a barrier to any kind of volunteer or job opportunity to enable these energetic and talented people to contribute to their community.

NJ Transit routes are limited and may be blocks from the desired destination, making it impractical for handicap use. Taxi cabs cannot take wheelchair riders. Most seniors do not meet Access Link guidelines as the application process is difficult. Mercer County TRADE only picks up in the morning and ends at 4pm. If your doctor's appointment is with a surgeon who schedules you for 4:30pm when he comes into his office, TRADE will not give you a ride. TRADE is open five days a week and closed weekends and holidays, although they will transport anywhere in Mercer County. As a result, there is a segment here in our city that needs transportation.

For those seniors who still drive, but use canes or walkers, there is a real challenge to find parking close to your desired destination. We would like a representative of our community to be included in consideration of parking needs and administration in this city. There is much to be done, but we can pull it out by working together.

Trenton rocks.

Meet and Greet Candidates for Mayor and Council

2010-04-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

There are three "Meet and Greet" events scheduled at Pellettieri Homes.

April 14 at 3:00p.m. Mayoral Candidates Frank Weeden, Manny Segura, Annette Lartigue and Tony Mack are scheduled to speak. Also featured are Marge Caldwell-Wilson, a North Ward Council candidate, and Christine Donahue running for one of the At-Large seats.

April 21 at 7p.m. is an evening session for the following candidates: Roland Laird and Divine Allah, both running for the North Ward Council seat being vacated by Milford Bethea, Tywannette "Missy" Balmir, Darren Green and Algernon Ward, Jr. all running for At Large Council seats.

April 28 at 3:00p.m. features the following: Eric Jackson, Keith Hamilton, Paul Pintella, John E. Harmon, (all hoping to be the next Mayor of Trenton), Donelle M. Presha and Phyllis Holly-Ward,(running for At Large Council positions).

The ballot this year is going to look like one of those sheets they feature at a shotgun raffle. I seem to remember that they write your name in a grid on the paper and then someone shoots birdshot at it. The winner is determined by where the pellets hit. Voting results here may be equally scattered because I counted 37 persons running for office. With so many candidates, of course it is possible there may be a runoff election, but being informed and meeting the candidates will help us focus the first time around.

I also am of the opinion that we have to hand it to outgoing Mayor Doug Palmer. He made it look so easy that almost everyone can picture himself doing the job. Certainly there is an atmosphere that we ourselves, ordinary people, can fix this, that one of us can make it right. Either that or we are just too naive or stubborn to admit that we're screwed.

Pellettieri Homes is located at 615 South Clinton Avenue in the Roebling Market. It is the distinguished and rennovated factory building that looks like it should be the Social Security Office. LOL.

Have a good day.

Art Opportunities

2010-04-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

It must be Spring because art is in the air. I just opened my Burlington County Arts bulletin and the very first listing is an announcement for our own Gallery 125 here in Trenton. The title is "4Elements Graffiti Show". There is an April 16 deadline for entries and the show is slated for June 11 through August 7. Contact information: Gallery 125, 125 S. Warren St, Trenton, NJ 08608. Phone # 609-989-9119 or email gallery125@trenton-downtown.com
The entries are to be submitted as JPEG images on a single CD.

I remember when the now defunct Trenton Arts Connection was making a valiant effort to energize the potential of Trenton's creative community. The most successful business that emerged from that point in time was Gallery 125. Every time I see a call for entries, I pull out work and, every time, I am brought up short by feelings of not being "now enough", "How can I get stuff into digital form?"...even, "Where will I park?"

The popularity that this gallery enjoys is commendable. I am sure that being across the street from the Marriott doesn't hurt, but the balance and variety of artists' work ensures a really interesting visit. Also, First Friday shopping is really good for visitors to the city. Way to go, everyone! Now if I just can get handicap parking....

Burlington County Art Guild's 38th Robert Ransley Open Juried Art Exhibition is accepting entries. Contact information is Donna Sensor Thomas @ 856-234-1746. The Entry Delivery is Friday April 30, 4-6pm. Show dates are May 2 to May 28. This show is held at the Dr. David Flinker Pavilion Gallery of Virtua Memorial Hospital of Burlington County, 175 Madison Avenue, Mount Holly, NJ.

Note the differences in the above show announcements. Gallery 125 is for a JPEG CD, the Burlington Art Guild show is a hand-carry entry, and the Eastern State Penitentiary opportunity is even more unique.

Eastern State Penitentiary is looking for proposals for artists installations for its 1011 tourist season. Deadline is June 14th at 4pm. Go to the website for details: http://www.easternstate.org/exhibits/guidelines.php

For me, the highlight for the upcoming summer is Art All Night by Artworks here in Trenton. I will have a lot to say about this incredible event in future blogs because they are so dear to my heart.

Trenton rocks!