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Don Imus is in trouble again -- this time for saying something about race on the radio. But I don't think race is his problem. The guy simply can't talk clearly. Also, he's un-hip. Poor man. For my one-minute audio commentary, please click here: Download don_imus_is_unhip_062608.mp3
WOR radio host John Gambling called this morning as I was covering the deployment of Foxtrot Company of the N.J. National Guard. Foxtrot left its home at the Teaneck Armory at 4:30 a.m., bound for McGuire Air Force Base. Just before 11 a.m., Foxtrot boarded a 747 jetliner and departed for Fort Bliss, Texas and 2 1/2 months of desert training before leaving for Iraq in September. To listen to my radio interview, please click here: Download wor_morning_show_062508.mp3
Today -- Wednesday -- I'll start my day early, just after midnight, when I join Foxtrot Company at the Teaneck Armory as they prepare to depart for 2 1/2 months of training in Texas -- and then deployment to Iraq in September. The Foxtrot soldiers will have a formation at 2 a.m., then board buses at 4 a.m. for the trip to McGuire Air Force Base in Wrightstown. From there, they will fly to Fort Bliss, Texas to begin desert training.
If you have been following our coverage, you know we have been featuring a number of soldiers from Foxtrot, including th company commander, Captain James Egan of Glen Rock.
Joining me on Wednesday will be photographer Tyson Trish and videographer Tom Franklin. Later in the day, staff writer Justo Bautista will augment our early stories with more reporting. Our editors are Tim Nostrand and Tom Troncone.
You can follow our coverage Wednesday on the Record website at www.northjersey.com. If you want to read previous articles on the National Guard, please look on the website for "NJ At War."
Far too many schools and municipal parks have fake grass -- fields covered with artificial turf. We think this stuff will allow kids to play without getting muddy. Well, now it turns out this fake stuff contains all sorts of dangerous chemicals -- like lead, for example. Worse, in many instances we have used Green Acres money to install these fake fields. In other words, money to preserve the natural environment has been used to create a fake environment. Only in New Jersey, right? For my audio commentary, please click here: Download why_have_artificial_turf_anyway_062408.mp3
New Jersey is suffering under the weight of a harsh economic recession. But that's no problem in Fair Lawn, where the school board gave hefty pay hikes to its top three public school administrators. (See news story) What's more, the board did this now to avoid scrutiny under a proposed state law that monitors pay hikes to school administrators. How did this happen? For my audio commentary, please click here: Download fair_lawn_school_pay_hikes_062008.mp3
Yes, fellow Garden Staters, our state legislature seems to have found a way to conquer the state budget mess -- this year, anyway. And get this: the proposed budget includes rebate checks, hospital charity care and money to keep state parks open. Is this a miracle? Or were budget concerns over-exaggerated? For my one-minute audio commentary, please click here: Download nj_state_budget_victory_61908.mp3
My colujmn today told the story of Dave Frieder of Milford, a contractor with a passion for climbing bridges and photographing them, especially Bergen's own George Washington Bridge. Frieder's excitement about bridges -- from engineering designs to the number of steel wires in a suspension cable -- is contageous. In an age when so few people feel any sense of passion, Frieder is a a notable exception. He's also one heck of a photographer. Here are some of his photos below. By the way, the color photo is Dave standing atop the Manhattan Bridge. And, yes, that's the World Trade Center's twin towers in the background.
WOR radio's John Gambling called today and asked me to come on the air to discuss the great mystery of New Jersey -- how our state will balance its budget. Gambling is actually doing a great public service for New Jersey by continually highlighting the state's budget problems, which are extensive and difficult to solve. To listen to our discussion, please click here: Download wor_morning_show_061608.mp3
This is hard to believe: Almost seven years after the 9/11 attacks, the United States still has no idea when it will find a way to inspect all box-like shipping containers that enter our sea ports. Why is this important? Security experts believe that if terrorist smuggle in a nuclear bomb, it will be in a shipping container. And one more thing: Osama bin Laden has said he wants to set off a nuke in the U.S. So it makes sense to secure our ports. Well, in a hearing yesterday before a senate subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a top customs official disclosed that the federal government can't meet a 2012 deadline to secure ports. For my one-minute audio commentary on this, please click here: Download the_terrorist_gap_at_our_seaports_061308.mp3
The story was shocking. But was it really surprising? This week, teachers and administrators at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale discovered that suggestive photos of female students were being distributed on a laptop. About 20 ninth grade girls had been photographed, some of them when they were in the 6th or 7th grade. Many were topless. Some were self-portraits -- meaning the girls took topless photos of themselves. The photos were sent via cell phones and laptops. And word got out about a "gallery" being assembled on a laptop. This kind of thing could be seen as child pornography. But a deeper question lurks here. Why would anyone do this? Pascack Valley administrators are trying now to answer that question. In the meantime, perhaps the only lesson is this: Beware technology, especially when the human mind is involved. For my one-minute audio commentary on this, please click here: Download porn_at_pascack_valley_high_061208.mp3
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