The Kiddie Dining Table Takes a Hit

The upper part of the Bergeron
family Christmas tree.

As of this Christmas, it has been dispatched to happy memories – another sign that the years are marching on, and that the grandkids are, well – no longer mere kids. 
 
That was the clear takeaway this December when Priscille and I hosted our two grown offspring, together with their families at our home in Bridgewater. 
 
At some of our past Christmas celebrations in this township, the four grandchildren sat at a temporary table in the dining room, thoroughly engrossed in their conversations, while the adults sat nearby at the larger table – bantering taking place among all of us.
 
As the kids grew into their early teens, they moved their venue to a larger, wooden butcher block table in the kitchen. 
 
However, this year was different.  Matthew is now a freshman in college.  Margot is a senior in high school.  Danny becomes a junior next year, and Monique will be a freshman.
 
Not little kids any more.

On Sunday while the food was being prepared, the teens were invited to join the adults at the dining room table.

Excellent decision. 

Listening to them was a delight.  Not one bit bashful (never were), they easily and gracefully joined the conversation, underscoring a level of respect, thoughtfulness, and developing maturity.

Our holiday meals have never been a quick, eat-up-and-clear-the-table sort of thing.  We spent a long time conversing, eating, and simply enjoying one another’s company.  I don’t know for how long.  I never looked at my watch. 

These four young people are part of an upcoming generation that will lead this country in the near future.  They and tens of thousands like them deserve all the support that we can give them.  They have earned the gift of a good example – a rather rare leadership commodity in our nation these days.

Thanks for reading.   May you be blessed with good health and the wind at your back in 2014.


(Click on the Image for an enhanced view.)
 

PC Woes – Humbug!

After my last blog post of December 14, the PC started acting up.  I was able to use it for a couple of days.  But then a near digital disaster made its ugly debut when the warning of an imminent hard disk failure unexpectedly popped up on the screen. 

I immediately called into action the diagnostic power of Norton 360 to check out the entire PC. Not good!  The analytic software kicked out the following message:  “The disk hardware is predicting the hard drive will eventually fail.  Backup your data and replace your hard drive.”

That’s a warning message of impending computer death and the loss of all files.  It’s not what any PC user wants to see.  But it definitely is one that a PC user can ignore only at his or her peril.

Nature’s Own Icy Christmas Tree

A Wintry Freeze. (Credit/Dick Bergeron)

After the last snow storm which showered the Bridgewater area with about 5 inches of snow less than a week ago, I looked out of the dining room window.

There, I discovered that ice had decorated the entirety of the white pine that stands at the back corner of the house.

Overnight, the tree’s soft branches stood drooping in a suspension of pine needles individually frozen in a thick coating of ice, yet one not heavy enough to cause the boughs to break and fall to the ground.

Individually transformed into icicles, pine needles sported a drop of frozen water hanging from their tips.

All by itself, nature’s wintry mix had created a work of beauty.

Thanks for reading.  Be safe in the snowstorm now upon us.

(Click on the image for an enhanced view.)

New Food Emporium to Anchor Pluckemin Center

Tomorrow, December 11^th, at 8:00 a.m., The Fresh Market plans to welcome food lovers on the occasion of its grand opening at the Somerset Hills Shopping Center. 

The Fresh Market takes over the Former A&P
operation at a totally renovated Somerset Hills
Shopping Center.  (Credit/Dick Bergeron)

This new food store is in the historic Pluckemin section of Bedminster, NJ, at the spot where Route 202/206 connects with Burnt Mills Road to the west and Washington Valley Road to the east.  It is one of the busiest little intersections in Somerset County.

According to a press release, The Fresh Market is a specialty store of over 22,100 square feet.  It boasts an on-site bakery that offers 30 varieties of bread and 14 different pie selections each day.  It also features a full service meat counter, fresh seafood delivered twice a week, a huge selection of cheeses, and a produce department with over 400 items and a large organic selection.

Although this company has 149 stores in 26 states, the one is Pluckemin is only the second in New Jersey.

After the A&P decided to close down its operations at the same location, it became clear that it would not be too long before another business moved in.

Helping Moms-to-be

Bridgewater Councilman Matthew Moench, pictured
here at a Township meeting on July 1, 2013.
(Credit/Dick Bergeron)

This month marks the second year that Councilman Matthew Moench is sponsoring a “holiday drive to benefit the Raritan Pregnancy Aid Center.” 

According to Moench, the Center is an “all-volunteer organization dedicated to helping pregnant women and new mothers in time of need.”

The full explanatory text of this highly beneficial outreach can be seen on the Bridgewater Township web site by clicking here.  It is only a couple of paragraphs long, and it is well worth your time and response during this especially busy holiday season.

The women who are helped by the services of this center are truly in need. 

For example,

A Few Thanksgiving Day Side Dishes

Priscille's homemade cranberry sauce.  Like nothing
from the can.  (Photo credit/Bergeron Image)

Every family has its preferred list of side dishes to accompany the traditional turkey meal in celebration of America’s Thanksgiving Day.  There are many which accompany our own family choices, but at least two have been popular accompaniments on our table:  Cranberry Sauce and Butternut Squash.

Both should be prepared at least a day earlier.  Sorry about the late recommendation.  Think Christmas.

Cranberry Sauce:   This one is a true winner, a new recipe which Priscille tried out this year.  I tasted it this afternoon after I had finished preparing the squash.  All I have to say about the result is “C’èst magnifique!” (It’s magnificent!).

I no longer care for the canned variety, whether whole or jellied, mainly because both are too sugary, a practice which kills the tart flavor of the berries.  Neither of the canned product tastes like cranberries should.

Only a Week Away

Each year, no matter how much I think I may be ready for them, the holidays always seem to arrive much more quickly than expected.

Priscille's festive Annalee Dolls welcome
guests who enter into the foyer of our home.

In early October, I begin getting my thoughts in order for the onset of Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

I start thinking about making up a Christmas wish list; begin to consider what gifts to buy for others (I’m not very good at that).

But mainly, I look forward with anticipation to our convivial gatherings with friends and family – dear people with whom Priscille and I have the chance, once again, to share, to reminisce, and to be joyous.  Having the opportunity to add to one’s storehouse of precious memories is a privilege – a gift from the Almighty.

House Overwhelmingly Passes Health Care Fix

The Statue of Freedom crowns the dome of the
U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C

This afternoon at 1:36 pm, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would reverse and extend all cancelled privatehealth care plans.

Five million insured have already received cancellation notices under a regulation of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA).

About fifteen million private health insurance policies were in effect prior to the disastrous October 1^st enrollment rollout of the ACA.

The final tally to renew private plans and to permit the sale of new ones passed by a vote of 261 to 157, a margin of 104, or 66% above votes recorded in the negative.

The not-so-surprising outcome is that while the GOP count was 222 in favor, 39 Democrats joined the Republicans.  The House bill will now go to the U.S. Senate where it faces an unsure outcome.

Kristallnacht and the Iranian Peace Talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussing the since
aborted bombing of Syria, August 30, 2013
 (Fox New Screen Shot/Dick Bergeron)

THE BACKGROUND:  Saturday marked the 75^th anniversary of the beginning of a series of nightmarish atrocities that would not end until years later when, towards the end of World War II, allied troops led by United States Armed forces opened the gates and walked into the horror of Nazi concentration camps in Europe to liberate the emaciated remnants of Jews, gypsies, and other ethnicities of Hitler’s failed attempts at “the final [Jewish] solution.”

An estimated 11 million people were eliminated in killing centers such as Treblinka, Sobibor, Auschwitz, and others across Europe.  At least 6 million of those were Jews exterminated in these places of unimaginable revulsion. 

Holocaust survivor and author Elie Weisel stated that "while not all victims were Jews, all Jews were victims."

A Goose Ducks below the Affordable Care Act

If you become sick or have an accident, and suddenly find yourself in need of life-saving healthcare, the outcome may be better were you a goose. 

Such a goose lives in the UK.  It was involved in an accident in West Yorkshire.  When its owner saw that it was unable to eat properly as a result of having lost its lower beak, its disability was remedied.

See an account of what happened in this brief video.

The foregoing comparison to the ACA may sound cynical, but is far from it.  Over four million Americans have had their private insurance plans cancelled by the terms and conditions of legislation incorporated into President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. For an estimated fifteen million Americans who have been covered under private, individual healthcare plans, there will be neither “Protection” nor “Affordability.”

A Couple of Sure Bets

NJ Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R), left,  and
NJ Senator Christopher ‘Kip’ Bateman (R) chat,
as they await the arrival of Governor Chris Christie
for a Town Meeting held at the Raritan Valley Community
 College on April 11, 2013

In New Jersey on this Election Day there are, as always, seats that the incumbents are sure to retain.  Two of those are currently held by State Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R) and State Senator Christopher ‘Kip’ Bateman in Legislative District 16. 

I was unable to vote on their behalf today, because I find myself in another district.  (If you want to get an idea of how the political sausage is made, check out this official color map of New Jersey’s hacked up districts.)  But I digress.

Were these two public servants within my district, they would have had my votes.  Bateman has held progressively responsive positions in the New Jersey Legislature for almost twenty years.  He is one of the sons of former NJ Senate President Raymond Bateman who was also a contender for the NJ Governorship in 1977.

The Slicing and Dicing of U.S. Healthcare

In 2010, when Nancy Pelosi uttered the now memorable words, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,” she was being sincere.  Little did she realize that three years later the system would fail upon its rollout, and that people on individual health plans would have their insurance cancelled.

Furthermore, other people attempting to sign up for healthcare via the government-run Healthcare.gov portal are finding out that they can’t get in.  Or, if they do, cannot access the exchanges with the firm knowledge that they are properly enrolled and insured.

But that’s not all:  The systemic computer and systems design failure which was exposed on October 1, 2013 and which still persists is not the only problem.

Why Christie Will Win.

Governor Chris Christie, as he appeared
 in a CNN interview with Piers Morgan
 in February of 2012.
 (Credit: Dick Bergeron Screen Shot/CNN)

He is trustworthy; he speaks plainly; he keeps his word; he is credible; he shows up; he walks the talk; he is a good administrator; he builds coalitions; he does not cover up his mistakes; he is unafraid; he has the back of New Jersey; he projects confidence; he can speak on his feet; he eschews teleprompters; he does his homework; he has the mojo; he is imperfect; he knows it. 

His detractors hold a weak position.

In brief, he earned a second term as New Jersey Governor.

Simple as that.

Thanks for reading.  Enjoy the coming week.

Political Lines Drawn in the Sand. . . .

. . . don’t do much good for anyone.

Nonetheless, if there were an annual Intransigence Award for such behavior, I think that Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and President Barack Obama would be vying for the top prize. 

Why split hairs?  Let’s have each nominee share the honors, as is sometimes the practice when awarding the Nobel Prize for a specific category.

President Shares Top Honor:  Barack Obama drew a line in the sand not so long ago, when he threatened to embroil this nation once more in one of the never-ending eruptions within The Middle East.

And the Band Plays On.

Tomorrow, if you believe the mendacious talk that has been emanating from within the White House and the halls of the Capitol Building in the District of Columbia, the financial structure of the United States is about to go over a cliff. 

Heck, the President has been saying so for the last three weeks.  Dutifully, his press secretary Jay Carney has been repeating Barack Obama’s message at every press conference.

Inside the Capitol, legislators such as Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and John Boehner (there are a lot more of these characters) have helped the White House to prolong the fiscal and monetary crises swirling around the debt ceiling, the budget and the health care disasters

The Washington Sandbox

Credit:  Fox TV Screen Shot/Dick Bergeron

From November 4, 2008 when the charismatic oratory of  President Barack Obama lifted him to the U.S. Presidency,  the mood in the nation’s capital has since morphed from one of “Yes we can,” to “No can do.” Similarly,  the mantra of ”Hope and Change” has slithered into that of “Delusion and Stasis.”

Politicians within the Beltway are throwing sand into one another’s eyes, and most are holding to the position that none will stop this bullying play until someone – anyone – stops first.

Even worse, it resembles a modern-day version of gladiators fighting in the Roman Coliseum.  We Americans are being toyed with like lion bait in the sand pit below.

Bridgewater’s Top Security Officer Moves On

Bridgewater Township Police Chief Richard Borden
is shown here at a Township Council Meeting on
July 1, 2013, at which one of the topics was the
allocation of an additional School Resource Officer
for the Bridgewater-Raritan School District, with the
school budget picking up the cost.  Accompanying
him in the background are some of the Township
Police Force.

Effective today, Bridgewater Township Police Chief Richard Borden has retired from his post as this community’s top law enforcement officer.

In a brief conversation this afternoon, Bridgewater Township Administrator Mr. James Naples confirmed that yesterday was the Chief’s last day on the job, and that he was now busy going in and out of the Bridgewater Municipal Complex, already in the process of moving on.

Mr. Naples was highly complimentary of Chief Borden, adding that he served for 32 years in law enforcement, and that he was appointed to the position of Bridgewater’s Police Chief in 2006.   

Naples underscored that, under Chief Borden’s guidance, the Police Department was awarded a distinguished accreditation on February 14, 2013, by “the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and CALEA (The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies).

The Traditional Sex Talk: Not Strictly for Kids

When it first appeared on TV in 1996, Everybody Loves Raymond, the family comedy sitcom which ran until 2005 and which is now in rerun syndication on cable, never really interested me.  I thought it kind of hokey.  Not serious enough.
 
However, at some point it began to grow on me and now, like the fine old wine that it is, Priscille and I are able to enjoy some of its reruns and to enjoy the skillful writing and acting behind this show.
 
A couple of nights ago, we were watching one of the episodes featuring a three-way interplay between Raymond (the dad), Debra (the mom), and Ally (the oldest child). 
 
There are only a few things that Ray thinks are important in his life:  Writing his sports column for Newsday, going out with the boys, playing golf, and keeping the peace between his wife Debra and his mother Marie.  He is successful with his writing, but usually bungles up everything else in his efforts to please everyone and, therefore, no one.

Board of Education Authorizes Settlement of Tenure Charges

Mr. Larry Markiewicz, shown here following
 a performance of the Rariitan Valley Symphonic
 Band,on April 10, 2011,  at the Bridgewater-
Raritan High School.

During the second open session of a special board meeting on the evening of September 17^th, Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education President Mr. Patrick Breslin was authorized to enter into an agreement with suspended High School music teacher Mr. Larry Markiewicz.

In June of this year, formal tenure charges were brought against Mr. Markiewicz by the now-retired Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Michael Schilder, for “conduct unbecoming of a teaching staff member.”  The Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education ratified those charges.

At the recent September 17^th special meeting, after the closed session was over, members of the BR-BOE reconvened in open session to hear board member Lynne Hurley read the following resolution:

Board of Education to Hold Special Meeting Tonight

This evening at 7:30 p.m., the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting beginning with a closed-door executive session at the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville. 

The agenda is brief, stating that "the topic for discussion is:  settlement of litigation involving L.M. with Board Counsel." 

Although the precise meaning of the subject matter  "L.M." is not specified in the agenda, its exact nature will be evident to those who have followed board matters concerning events swirling around prominent staff members during the last year

The Silence of the North

Priscille and I have been vacationing in what people hereabouts call “up north,” in the environs of Meredith, Center Harbor, and Moultonborough, New Hampshire. 

These communities are only a few of the many small, yet numerous towns huddled in nature’s nooks and crannies about thirty miles south of the White Mountain National Forest. 

They are hard-working, resort towns that hug the craggy, irregular, granite encrusted shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, a 70-plus square mile remnant of the last glacial period, a body of water that one of Center Harbor’s eighteenth century luminaries – in typically understated Yankee fashion – referred to as “the big pond.”

Chasing Evil . . .

. . . around the globe is not America’s job.

This Administration’s ballooning involvement in prewar preparations against Syria was about to become a tipping point which – if it already hasn’t been reached – could have embroiled the U.S. in another international conflict lasting well beyond the second term of President Barack Obama, the man who has become irrevocably tied to the phrase “crossing the red line.”

But who is it, exactly, that was about to cross that red line into the abyss of unintended consequences?

Warfare is a hazardous undertaking.  There are times which require it.  And there are times when it is wiser to seek a more practical solution.

Ready! Fire! Aim . . . .

 . . . is what seems to be the U.S. Administration’s foreign policy stance towards Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad.



 President Barack Obama responds to journalists
 at the White House. Says no decision has yet been
made concerning a possible strike on Syrian targets
 as of Friday afternoon, August 30, 2013.
 (TV Screen Shot/CNN)

No visible end game has been presented to the American people, as the Commander-in-Chief prepares to give the order to launch cruise missiles over Syrian skies:  There has yet to be a clearly articulated rationale for what President Obama plans to do after the “shock and awe” of the missile barrage have subsided.

What his advisors have told the world up to now is what the Administration won’t do; namely, that the United States is not seeking to depose Assad.  No regime change is anticipated as a direct result of this imminent air strike.

Board to Vote on Interim Superintendent

On Tuesday evening, August 27th, at its regularly scheduled meeting, the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education is expected to vote on a contract appointing Cheryl Dyer to the position of Interim Superintendent of Schools. 

Board President Patrick Breslin (right) congratulates
Dr.Michael Schilder upon his retirement, as Assistant
Superintendent Cheryl Dyer looks on at the
July 23rd, 2013 Board meeting.

Ms. Dyer, currently employed as Assistant Superintendent, also became Acting Superintendent upon the resignation of Dr. Michael Schilder who retired this summer.

After her appointment Tuesday evening, Ms. Dyer will assume a dual role, continuing to fulfill her responsibilities as Assistant Superintendent, a position to which she is expected to return, upon the successful resolution of a job search to find a permanent replacement for Dr. Schilder.

Dyer will receive $177,500 as Interim Superintendent, plus an increment of $877.50 as merit pay, should she achieve certain specified goals. This compensation is effectively the same as that of her current salary.

Summer along the C&O

A blue heron on the lookout for fish in the C&O
Canal near Swains Lock, Potomac, Maryland.

Wednesday morning, before the heat and humidity became a deterrent, Pris and I decided to take a walk along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal that hugs the Maryland side of the Potomac River.  We began at Swains Lock.

The southernmost point of the C&O begins in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. and snakes north and west within the state of Maryland until, 185 miles later, it ends at Cumberland, MD, near the Pennsylvania border.

We try to get in at least three-plus miles of scenic exercise when we visit our daughter's family in Potomac.  Swains Lock – sixteen miles north of D.C. – is a short drive away from her home, down a narrow, serpentine access road.

Board in Early Stages of Schools Chief Search

Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education
Member, Ann Marie Mead (Raritan
Borough Representative), at the July 23,
2013 meeting.  She played a major part in
managing the effort for the Superinten-
dent's survey process.

 

According to a release by Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education President Patrick Breslin on Thursday, the search for a new Superintendent of Schools to replace Dr. Michael Schilder is now underway.

The process begins with information sessions commencing in September.  Check out this link for the detailed schedule.  There are five sessions in all, but they are not all merely for school administrators and staff.

Two of them are moderated discussion events specifically geared to hear from the general public. The date for those is September 23^rd.  Both will run for an hour-and-a-half.  The first runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Wade Building.  The second is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the High School.

There is one more thing, and it’s easy to do:  Simply sit down at your PC and let the Board of Education members of this school district know what you think.  This opportunity presents itself in the form of a brief, seven question survey.  It is anonymous, and offers you an excellent chance to tell the Board of Education what’s on your mind.

Remember:  The survey is not in the form of a check-the- box or multiple choice quiz.  There are only seven straightforward questions.  Moreover, you have the opportunity to type into the response boxes whatever you wish, especially question six on the survey which is more general in nature.

Go ahead, give it a shot.  Fill out the survey and show up at the public input sessions.  After all, these are your schools, your tax bills, and your cash that is funding them.

An Encounter with Helen Hoens

It was about seven years ago when happenstance caused me to have a brief conversation with a woman who walked up to my seminar discussion table during a break at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), at its peaceful campus in Convent Station, NJ.

Governor Chris Christie leans in on a question
from the audience at the Raritan Valley Community
College in Branchburg, NJ, on April 11, 2013

A large group of adults had registered for a presentation by Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, co-authors of a book revolving around the person and teachings of Henri Nouwen.

Nouwen, a Dutch-born Catholic priest who passed away in 1996, was a world renowned spiritual writer who still commands a large following across a wide spectrum of the Christian community and beyond.

Fluent in French and English, Nouwen taught at prestigious learning institutions including Notre Dame, the divinity schools of Harvard and Yale and at other venues.  He was a prolific writer with nearly 40 books to his credit.  He even spent some time in Central Jersey with a few enthusiasts in the Somerset Hills.

From Hedge Funds to Newspapers

Beginning last Saturday, two stunning newspaper developments occurred. 

The first was the announcement that The Boston Globe was being purchased by John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox, and formerly the founder and manager of a hedge fund that once held as much as $2.5 billion in financial assets.

The second was the revelation that The Washington Post was purchased by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and a person who, like John Henry, had also managed a hedge fund on Wall Street.

The Globe was picked up from the New York Times Co. for the bargain-basement price of $70 million.  In 1993, the Times Co. bought the Globe for a cool $1.1 billion.

Double-Dipping by School Superintendents

Acting Superintendent of Schools, Cheryl Dyer,
at the July 23rd meeting of the Bridgewater-Raritan
Board of Education.

At the end of July, I received a not-for-attribution e-mail from a faithful reader pointing out that a paragraph in my July 23^rd post, Superintendent Bids Adieu may have been misleading. 

I appreciate receiving that missive, because it gives me a chance to expand upon what I wrote:

In it, I stated that “In New Jersey, a school superintendent is not allowed to retire from one school job and to take another in a different New Jersey school district, e.g., no double-dipping within the state.”

What I had in mind was that a superintendent retired with pay and benefits from a New Jersey School District cannot take another similar, permanent, full-time job in a different New Jersey public school district and still collect both sources of income.

Working the Blossoms

A yellow beauty gets ready to move on.

There has not been as many this year.  Nor have they arrived as early as in prior seasons.  But they finally arrived:  first the bees, then the butterflies.  The former like both our back and front yard gardens. 

The butterflies, though, prefer the front yard where they find an abundance of fragrant Russian Sage blooms complemented by an assortment of colorful Buddleia, commonly known as butterfly bushes.

Both flying species are tireless and diligent workers, showing up early and not retiring until sunset.  Don’t know where they get all that energy!  But the season is short and, as the old farmer’s saying goes, “Make hay while the sun shines.”

Superintendent Bids Adieu

This evening, at a regular meeting of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, Dr. Michael Schilder, longtime superintendent of this school district appeared before the BR-BOE to be honored one final time, before heading out to another phase of his life.

Dr. Michael Schilder waves goodbye
on the occasion of his last evening
at the Wade Building.

He is retiring from this school district, but may not necessarily go into full retirement.   Previous to announcing his decision to retire effective August 1, 2013, Dr. Schilder had applied to the Easton (PA) Area School District.

There, he became one of only two finalists being considered for the position of school superintendent, according to reports published in The Times Express, a Pennsylvania newspaper.

At about the same timeframe that The Times Express ran its story, Dr. Schilder withdrew his name from consideration for the Easton area job, and made public his decision to retire from the Bridgewater-Raritan School District.

Pluckemin Center to get Makeover, New Anchor Store

The status of construction for "The Fresh Market"
anchor store in the Somerset Hills Shopping Center,
as it appeared on Monday, July 15, 2013.
(Photo Credit, Bergeron Images.)
 

The A&P Supermarket which once anchored the Somerset Hills Shopping Center on Route 202/206, at the convergence of Burnt Mills and Washington Valley Roads in the historic Pluckemin section of Bedminster had been a landmark since 1967.

However, time and competition would see it steadily lose ground, as competitors moved into its territory, and as the company failed to adequately modernize its marketing concept. 

Old-time area residents may have been sad to see its demise, but it was time for a change.

Jack Kerouac – A Commentary

Author Douglas Brinkley describes
the book's cover as "the handsome
Kerouac on an East Village fire
escape, gazing out over a sea of
New York buildings."
(Note:  The photo was taken by
Allen Ginsburg.)

His reputation as a famous American writer was cemented with the release of his second book, On the Road.   It was written after The Town and the City, a poignant biographical account of his life in Lowell, Massachusetts, followed by the time when he entered Columbia University on a football scholarship.

Jack Kerouac, acknowledged as the founder of the Beat Generation, was a fellow traveler with his other soul mates Allen Ginsburg, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, and other writers of that ilk during a period spanning roughly from the late 1940’s into the 1960’s.

I have a library of Kerouac’s books, but, until recently, had not read “Windblown World,” a collection of Kerouac’s post-war journals (1947-1954) edited by the eminent American historian, Douglas Brinkley.

After listening to Brinkley discuss the book on a morning talk show, I ordered a copy from Amazon.  When I opened the shipping box and examined the book, my hand fell serendipitously upon a paragraph which I’d like to share with you:

The Birthday Celebration Continues

The U.S. Colors fly gently in the warm breeze of
a sunset at the Bridgewater Municipal Complex on
July 1, 2013.

Last night, after celebrating the nation’s birthday party outdoors with neighbors, Priscille and I settled down inside the family room and watched a live broadcast of “A Capital Fourth” on PBS.

The show was a combination of lyrical, orchestral, and foot-thumping music performed by some of this nation’s most talented artists.  For once, the focus was on a patriotic rendition – a little of that not-so-old-fashioned display of love for America. 

The talents of those performers emanated from people of all age ranges.  There were the powerful solos rendered by young singers such as Jackie Evancho, and the upcoming country and western star Scotty McCreery who is also working towards a college degree at NC State University.

Flash Update: SRO Approved for High School

Bridgewater Township Police
Chief Richard Borden clarifies
the role of the new Special
Resource Officer to be assigned
to the High School.

At its regularly scheduled meeting this evening, July 1, the Bridgewater Township Council unanimously agreed to a second person to be assigned as an on-site Special Resource Officer for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

The Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education is expected to endorse this action by the council.  The agreement calls for a three-year contract, and the BRRSD will pay for the full "incremental cost" of the specially trained police officer assigned to this task. 



(Click on the image for an enhanced view.)

Township to Vote on Resolution for School Resource Officer

Bridgewater Township Mayor Dan Hayes
addresses the audience at the January 7,
2013 township re-organization meeting
at the Municipal Complex.
 

At its regular meeting on Monday, July 1, the Bridgewater Township Council will consider a resolution which will have the effect of adding a second specially trained police officer as a full-time security presence on the campus-like facility of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School on Garretson Road.

The cost of the current on-site school resource officer (SRO) is being borne entirely by the Township.  At issue is the cost for a second SRO.

The township administration and the school board have tentatively agreed on a number for the cost of a second SRO to be paid for by the school district.

However, the township council has placed on the table consideration of a higher figure, as well as the expectation of a contractual time commitment from the school district.

What if They Started a War . . .

. . .  and other countries showed up, but the U.S. declined to participate?  Unfortunately, that is not what our leaders in Washington have chosen to do. 

Instead, the Obama administration has agreed to involve us in another Middle East conflict, this time with Syria.

Street fighting rages in the cities and towns of Syria
as rebel groups including anti-American factions
such as Hezbollah strive to topple President Bashar
al Assad.  (TV Screen Shot/Credit Fox News)

It began with Syrian demonstrations in 2011 – those have since morphed into another of the area’s sectarian-driven Islamist civil wars, this one against President Bashar al Assad.  Estimates of total casualties stand at 93,000, and additional thousands of refugees have fled across Syria’s northern border to Turkey.

The Obama administration recently announced that it will supply military assistance to Syrian rebels, and that it will funnel that assistance through General Salim Idriss, a Syrian exile.  As leader of the Supreme Military Council, Idriss holds together a fragile coalition of anti-Assad rebel fighters, the Free Syrian Army.

Pitfalls of the Internet

Early yesterday evening, when I returned home after a Father’s Day celebration in Hamilton, I checked the status of my blog, as I do from time to time.  Under the comments section of the Saturday, June 15^th post concerning tenure charges, I found two links commonly known within the blogging community as ‘pingbacks.’

They were placed on The View from Bridgewater at noontime on Sunday.

When used appropriately, ‘pingbacks’ are a form of publicity by which an author of one blog site links up to another website with the intention of directing the attention of his/her readers back to the other website.

Tenure Charges Hang over Music Teacher

Mr. Larry Markiewicz leads the Somerset Valley
Orchestra on the lawn of the Somerset County
Courthouse on an early summer evening, on
June 17, 2011.  (Credit/Bergeron Image)

It’s called “conduct unbecoming ". . . and, if a tenured faculty member of a school district within New Jersey is charged with that accusation; if a board of education certifies such accusations; and, if that and/or other charges are determined to be true under the education statutes of the State of New Jersey (Title 18A – Education), it can mean the end of a teaching career for that person.

The denouement of that situation, it appears, is precisely where the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, its Superintendent, Dr. J. Michael Schilder, and a district music teacher now find themselves. 

Dr. Schilder, who goes off-payroll effective August 1, 2013 due to his imminent retirement, has charged Mr. Larry Markiewicz, a music teacher in this school district with “conduct unbecoming a teaching staff member, insubordination and/or other just cause warranting dismissal and reduction in salary.”

In a closed session on Tuesday, the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education certified the charges contained in that document by a full vote of the board in favor of certification, with one board member abstaining.