Monday, May 14, 2012
With visions of 1994 dancing in metropolitan fans' heads, who do you think will win?
It isn't always pretty. In fact, it rarely is. When the two top ice hockey squads in the New York-New Jersey metro area lace them up, it's always a spectacle. But it's never more so than when the matchups come in the playoffs. Of course, we're talking about the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers (sorry Islanders fans, but the '80s are behind us). The two NHL teams begin their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals series Monday night (8; NBC Sports Network) for the right to head to the Stanley Cup Finals. Of course, most fans remember the last time these two faced each other for that right. It was 1994. For Rangers fans, it was the precursor to a fantastic Stanley Cup championship victory over the Vancouver Canucks and the end of …
Polls focus on November as most give challengers in the few primary contests little chance of victory.
Last week brought a number of polls affirming the fickle nature of New Jersey’s electorate and a reminder, despite any lack of enthusiasm, that there is an election in less than a month. Our votes don’t count again this year in presidential balloting as the primary was moved back to June—holding a separate president-only primary in February 2008 cost the state an extra $12 million. Most people don’t seem to care. It’s impossible to imagine anyone but Mitt Romney would have won the Republican primary here, anyway. With everyone else out of the GOP primary, Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Public Mind Poll looked ahead to November. It found New Jerseyans giving President Obama a 50 percent approval rating and a 14-point lead over Romney. …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
One sixth grader says it needs to stop now.
To the Editor: Can you think back to a time in your life when you were bullied? Can you remember how terrible that made you feel? Today, bullying has escalated mainly due to the increase in modern technology. In fact, bullying online is a huge world problem, and to top it all off nothing has been done to stop it! It is crucial for people to raise awareness about online bullying now! People around the world have been cyber bullied. That number is going up by the day because cyber bullying is becoming easier to do. Cyber bullying is so serious that it can lead to suicide. In my opinion, cyber bullying is just as serious of a crime as murder. Fifteen percent of the world’s population has been bullied online. That number has gone up primarily …
Friday, May 11, 2012
A state legislative committee approved a bill this week that would bar the practice.
Can an employer force you to reveal your Facebook or other social media password as a condition for getting hired or keeping your job? That issue began to get some attention in March after a statistician in New York reported that during an interview with a potential employer, the woman interviewing him had searched for his Facebook and, upon discovering that it was private, asked him for the password. The statistician, Justin Bassett refused and left the interview, according to the Associated Press. But the story brought to light other instances where employers have sought similar access to social media accounts, and have led several states to consider legislation to ban the practice. California's assembly voted Thursday to approve such …
Friday, May 4, 2012
One resident worries about the damage done to the district by the negotiations.
To the Editor: I need to voice my concerns about the current status of the relationship between the board of education and the B-REA. I have been a resident of Bridgewater for the past 33 years. Both of my sons received the benefit of an excellent Bridgewater-Raritan education from kindergarten through 12th grade. I must say that my husband and I were very lucky when we purchased our house in Bridgewater. We did not have children at the time and had not done any research regarding school districts. I remember when people would ask where I lived they would say what a great school district Bridgewater-Raritan was. I honestly don’t hear that anymore and I believe it is a real cause for concern. I am truly worried for the families that have …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
A BRMS teacher, and parent of two, asks the BOE to settle the contract.
To the Editor: I need you to hear my letter that I emailed to the board of education on Monday, May 1, 2012. I want you to listen to my words and support us. I am writing as a resident, parent of two young children and as a teacher in Bridgewater-Raritan. I grew up in Bridgewater and proudly graduated from our district. After college, when I began looking for a job, I knew I wanted to work in only Bridgewater. It seemed natural to want to give back to the district that gave so much to me. People would always say to me, "How could you work in the district where your kids will go?" My response has always been the same. "Why would I want to work in a district that I wouldn't send my children to?" When I began teaching, I loved working with …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Seventh District candidate David Larsen speaks on the loss of jobs.
To the Editor: Government regulatory burdens are destroying job creation in America today. As a result, the private sector economy has lost 2 million jobs in the last three years. My opponent for the New Jersey’s congressional seat in the 7th District, moderate Republican Leonard Lance, has done nothing to stop this. Although the Senate has not voted on Cap and Trade—the carbon tax trading scheme championed by President Barack Obama, and voted for by Lance—the EPA has moved ahead with burdensome and often contradictory regulations specifically designed to shut down coal plants, limit drilling for oil and natural gas and hurt the American energy industry as much as possible. It was regulatory rules of the EPA that President Obama relied on …
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Student says parents can help just by being aware.
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Saturday, April 28
To the Editor: How is the world changing? One big problem is people hurting other innocent feelings, not just physically, but mentally. The world is going downhill and not enough people are helping. I believe we can each make a difference by helping to fight cyber bullying. Parents need to monitor their children’s online activities, to be aware if the child is being bullied online, and then help stop it. When a child is a victim of cyber bullying it can hurt the whole family, friends and his or her reputation and relationships. According to scientific surveys, there are about 15 to 35 percent of younger people getting cyber bullied. In "Girls Life," Apryl Lundsten states that some children who are being cyber bullied commit suicide because…
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Hillside student speaks out about National Child Abuse Prevention month.
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Wednesday, April 25
To the Editor: Do you really know if your child’s friend is being abused? Do you know even if your friend has been abused? A lot of people don’t know about child abuse and how to recognize the signs of abuse. More needs to be done to protect children from abuse. One form of abuse is neglect; most people think that neglect is just not talking to the child. Actually, there is more than one form of this abuse. One way is physically, for example, not feeding the child properly. The parent or guardian might feed the child, but not the nutrients that the child needs to grow. Another way is to emotionally neglect, not just bringing a child's self-esteem down, but also not talking to them. Often this happens to young children, who are only …
Monday, April 23, 2012
One resident noticed a lack of any American flag in the high school at a recent concert.
To the Editor: When I attended the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band Concert at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, "The Star Spangled Banner" was listed as the first selection on the program. They did not play it, and the conductor said he had omitted it. There was not a United States of America flag anywhere in our high school auditorium. There were no patriotic selections played. I am a 47-year resident and taxpayer of Bridgewater, and I am very disappointed and would like an answer for this lack of patriotism. Sincerely, Jane Whalen Bridgewater
Laura
12:58 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
I care too! It's sounding like there are a lot of typical Devils fans on here - rude and mostly clueless about hockey. more ›