photo by Daisy D
 

Reminder! Breakfast Club meeting this Saturday, May 31 starting at 9 PM, Dining Car Depot, Monmouth and Railroad.

\”The Geezers\” from left, Joe Boulden, Jim Coppola, Bill Graves, Bob Bevan, John Rowand, Harry Blymer, John Hindsley.

Related: Breakfast Club

American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 29, 2008 – Coalition and Afghan national security forces killed an unknown number of enemy fighters and neutralized homemade bombs in Afghanistan over the past two days, military officials said. Combined forces killed several extremists during an operation today in Helmand province. While patrolling near the Sangin district center, troops received fire from militants. The combined ground force responded with small-arms fire and called in precision air strikes, killing the enemy fighters. Troops also destroyed a cache of mortar rounds during the operation. In Farah province yesterday, coalition forces killed several extremists with small-arms fire and precision air strikes. In the midst of responding to an allied unit under attack, coalition forces received machine gun, mortar, and rocket-propelled-grenade fire from a nearby compound. During successive engagements, troops used precision aircraft strikes on confirmed enemy locations, killing an unknown number of militants. Immediately following the operation, coalition and Afghan National Army leaders met with village elders to explain the situation and reassure the local civilians of their safety. No civilians or coalition forces were harmed in the engagement. Elsewhere in Afghanistan yesterday, a villager in Helmand province discovered several homemade bombs near his home and turned them over to local Afghan forces. Afghan national security forces disarmed the explosives. (Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

Related Sites: Combined Joint Task Force 101 NATO International Security Assistance Force

NOAA Fisheries Service is undertaking an initiative to build a new program to improve the collection, analysis and use of recreational saltwater fishing information. Part of the initiative will include creating a national registry of saltwater anglers. To learn more about the program go to:

http://www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/hotnews/recfish/

By John Schmidt

This summer will be the first time in twenty years that people will step foot on the pier down on the waterfront. The announcement came at last week\’s monthly city council meeting.

The city is planning on opening an Irish Pub, as well as bringing in a sailing vessel which the city bid on to start to attract people to the waterfront.

Residents Theresa Grahm and Louisa Llewellyn expressed concerns about the safety of the pier. Llewellyn noted that a study had been done previously stating the pier was unsafe.

Mayor William P. James said that a new study was done by the city Engineer, Remington and Vernick which found the pier was safe for pedestrian traffic.

\”No one has stepped foot on the pier in 20 years,\” James said. \”It\’s about time our city government takes these steps.\”

In addition to the news that the city is planning to open the pier down on the waterfront, Alexander McCartney, a representative from the New Jersey Department of Forestry Service made a presentation to the mayor and common council.

The presentation was about a program called Cool Cities Initiative which was started by the state back in 2003. The mission of the program is to conserve energy by planting trees.

McCartney explained that Gloucester City was chosen because it is an urban area and has a very low tree cover. McCartney will work with the Gloucester City Tree and Beautification Committee, who will be responsible for outreach programs in the community to talk to residents about the program.

In total at least 200-300 tress will be planted in Gloucester City as part of the program at no cost to the city.

There was also a public hearing by Comcast Cable to renew its contract with the city to own, operate, extend, and maintain a cable television and cable communications for the city.

\”We are not happy that Comcast moved out to Audubon,\” James said.

James also mentioned that the place where residents pay their cable bill in the city, RX pharmacy only accepts cash not checks.

Resident Jim Kelly had concerns about the rising cost of cable as well as the changing of channels and channels being removed by the cable company.

In addition to Kelly, resident Jim Everett asked whether other cable company\’s were permitted to supply service to residents. The answer to Everett\’s question was that other cable companies could come into Gloucester City.

In addition James announced the city will be passing two new ordinances. The first will attempt to prevent children from outside of Gloucester from attending public schools in town. He mentioned that there have been many vehicles from Pennsylvania dropping kids off at public schools in town and many kids are walking into Gloucester to attend school.

\”[This] cannot happen anymore,\” James said. \”Not with $14,000 per student.\”

The second ordinance involves the growing amount of graffiti in the city. The ordinance will hold juveniles and parents responsible.

During the roundtable portion of the meeting Councilmen Jay Brophy mentioned that on Saturday June 7th, at 9:00 a.m. he would be down at Fort Nassau to clean it up and that he could use help. He encouraged people to come out and volunteer.

Councilmen Nick Marchese encouraged people to recycle and he told people that they no longer had to separate their bottles and papers. Marchese mentioned that by recycling the city saves money.

Also, Councilman John Hutchinson thanked the Tree and Beautification Committee for all the work they do for the city.

Resident Jack Robberts, who has lived in town for over twenty years thanked the mayor and councilmember\’s for all that they have done for city, and there openness to the people.

\”I can\’t thank you guys enough,\” Robberts said.

The next Gloucester City Council meeting we be on June 26th, in Council Chambers.

 

 

By By Army Spc. Jason Jordan Special to American Forces Press Service KIRKUK, Iraq, May 29, 2008 – On opposite sides of the globe, two groups of people in very different environments worked together to raise money for individuals suffering from brain injuries. U.S. Army soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division\’s 1st Brigade Combat Team and U.S. Air Force personnel and civilian contractors begin a two-mile charity Memorial Day run on Forward Operating Base Warrior in northeastern Iraq\’s Kirkuk region. The deployed Americans joined the 21st annual Amy Thompson Run to Daylight to help those suffering from brain injuries. U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Jason Jordan (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. This Memorial Day, Army soldiers deployed here were joined by an army of volunteer citizens in Kansas City, Kan., and the two fought as one for their causes. Soldiers with 10th Mountain Division\’s 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, joined the 21st Annual Amy Thompson Run to Daylight. The charity event consists of 2-mile and 8-kilometer events in Kansas City. Amy Thompson was a 23-year-old college graduate enjoying her life as a third-grade teacher in Kansas City when she was shot twice in the head during an attempted robbery at a neighborhood party on Halloween night 1986. After awakening from a six-week coma, Thompson survived against terrible odds, struggling to resume life after a brain injury. Although she fought valiantly for three years, Thompson died unexpectedly Christmas night 1989. On Memorial Day the previous year, a group of Thompson\’s closest friends and family began the Run to Daylight in her name. \”When run officials in the states contacted us with their desire for us to participate in their charity event, we immediately discovered that our struggles were very much related,\” said Army Capt. Peter Hofman, a chaplain with 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment. \”We were very excited to participate in such a noble cause. And with Memorial Day upon us and the fact that servicemembers are suffering brain injuries in explosions, it just all fit. It made sense for us to join their cause.\” Hofman coordinated with Kansas City officials to help make the run possible for servicemembers in Iraq. Run officials in Kansas City were clearly excited about the troop involvement, as well. Newspaper articles and a special on the nightly news segment announced the runners would be joined by servicemembers in Iraq this year. \”The original plan was to have the soldiers conduct the run at the same time as the Kansas City runners. But … that would be between 5 and 6 in the evening, which would make it somewhere around 110 degrees or higher in the desert,\” Mary Thompson O\’Connor, Amy\’s sister and a run official, said on a special segment of Kansas City\’s KMBC-TV news show. To show their support for the soldiers on their Memorial Day run, the Kansas City runners wore T-shirts honoring those serving in combat. Run officials also sent flyers, official city run bibs and T-shirts to those who would be running in Iraq. O\’Connor also insisted on providing the battalion with $1,200 in Amazon.com gift cards to be awarded to the top three male and female runners in both the 2-mile and 8-kilometer events. Airmen and civilian contractors serving with 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, soldiers ran along side the regiment. \”There was no shortage of volunteers willing to participate in such a good cause,\” Hofman said. \”The average maximum participation has been 100 people in past events on the base. We were delighted to inform those in Kansas City that 147 people showed up in the early morning hours to participate in the Amy Thompson run.\” \”What better cause could you find for which to volunteer your time?\” said 10th Brigade Support Battalion\’s Spc. David Andrade, 1st place runner of the 2-mile event. \”You are benefiting your body with exercise while participating in a good cause and honoring America\’s servicemembers. And everyone could use an Amazon gift card.\” Both groups of runners on each side of the world held a moment of silence before their run, honoring servicemembers. The 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment soldiers spoke aloud the names of 11 members of 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, who were killed since their deployment began in September. A moment of silence followed each name. (Army Spc. Jason Jordan serves with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.)

Related Sites: Multinational Force Iraq Multinational Corps Iraq

Media Release

Ewing, NJ…After 35 years of service as the Head Athletic Trainer at The College of New Jersey, Joe Camillone, right, (Ewing, NJ) will be retiring on June 1, 2008.

Over the course of his tremendous career, Camillone dedicated himself to the safety and betterment of student-athletes at the College. He brought both distinction and acclaim to TCNJ’s athletic department and was recognized for his outstanding skills.

In 2007, he was awarded the 2007 Presidential Award at the 2007 Eastern Athletic Trainers Association Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.

Camillone became only the second person honored with the Presidential Award, which is given to a person who shows unselfish and dedicated efforts which has advanced the EATA and the athletic training profession. Established in January 2006, the first recipient of the award was Bob O’Malley, former athletic trainer and assistant athletic director at Philadelphia University.

The Eastern Athletic Trainers\’ Association was first formed in January 1949 when a few athletic trainers in the northeast decided to gather and share information. Today, the EATA encompasses all members of the National Athletic Trainers\’ Association, who reside in either District I or District II.

The EATA holds an annual meeting and provides scholarships and research opportunities for students and certified athletic trainers who are members.
Camillone has worked at TCNJ for more than three decades with diligence, care and expertise to bring the best possible health care to literally thousands of student-athletes.

Additionally, he has played a significant role in promoting the field of athletic training and has been mentor to countless assistant trainers, graduate assistants and student trainers who have gone on from TCNJ to a career in athletic training.

In the fall of 2003, Camillone was also honored by his alma mater, the University of Findlay (Findlay, Ohio) with the school’s Distinguished Alumni Citation. He was also honored in 2007 with the All-America Football Foundation Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award.

Certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), he is also licensed by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners. The Ewing Township resident came to TCNJ in August, 1973 after serving as a teacher and athletic trainer at Cedar Ridge High School in Old Bridge, NJ. He holds a bachelor\’s degree in health and physical education from Findlay College (Ohio) and a masters degree in physical education from Eastern Michigan University.

Camillone served as the first president of the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association from 1991-1993. He is also a member of the Governor\’s Athletic Training Advisory Committee. In 1995, he was honored by the NATA with the Distinguished Service Award for his dedication to athletic training.

Active with in the EATA, Camillone currently serves as the Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee.

At TCNJ, he is responsible for the development and maintenance of the health care program for student-athletes. In particular, he supervises the treatment of injuries and administers rehabilitative exercise. He also teaches Prevention of Athletic Injury and a Health Issues seminar at TCNJ.

Both he and his wife make athletic training a profession. Wife Lisa has served as the head trainer at nearby Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ, for the past 24 years. They are the proud parents of a daughter, Andrea, age 14.

A golf outing and dinner for Camillone is planned for Friday, July 18 at Mercer Oaks Country Club. For more information, please contact TCNJ’s athletic department at 609-771-2230.

 

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Commentary by Hank F. Miller Jr. 

The rainy season or monsoon season sets in around the end of May and lasts till about the end of July and sometimes even longer in most regions of the Japanese Archipelago. 

The meeting of a high cold atmospheric pressure front over the sea of Okhotsk and a warm high atmospheric pressure front over the Pacific Ocean gives rise to this phenomenon. Because it is the time when Ume or Japanese plums ripen, the season is called baiu or tsuyu (\”ume rain\”). 

During tsuyu, rain falls on and off for a couple of weeks, or sometimes it continues to rain for days on end. The grey skies, together with the extremely high humidity of the season, mean that this is a very uncomfortable and gloomy period for almost everyone. 

It does not, however, necessarily follow that to have the rainy season is all bad, because at this time of year, farmers, with all the rain it brings, plant rice, and the rice paddies need a good deal of water. Tsuyu is a natural blessing to them. 

In fact we have rain predicted for the next three days starting tomorrow. 

So I suppose the monsoon season is upon us here on Kyushu Island. 

We also at this time of the year are well into typhoon season, and thus we\’ve already had typhoon number 4# pass by this past week skirting Kitakyushu City and dumping quite a lot of rain on us and we got some wind that all. 

Saying all that today is a very beautiful and bright day. The typhoon went along the coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean and on into Hokkaido. 

I\’ll give you more information on typhoons at a later date and as they occur here in and around Kyushu Island where I live. 

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Warm Regards from Warm, Sunny and Beautiful, Kitakyushu City, Japan, 

 Â

Hank F. Miller Jr. 

 Â

 Source http://ems.gmnews.com

GREG BEAN of the Edison/Metuchen Sentinel put into perspective the reason why the taxpayers of New Jersey should be upset over outgoing Keansburg Superintendent of Schools Barbara A. Trzeszkowski of Keansburg, who will retire June 30 after 40 years in the district, receiving a severance package of $740,926.

According to Bean, under the contract she negotiated with the board that was signed in 2003, $556,290 of that is severance, $170,137 is for unused sick days and $14,449 is for unused vacation days.

Bean writes, \”Why should you care about how much severance a school superintendent in Keansburg gets? Well, because Keansburg is one of the state\’s Abbott districts. Those districts get a lot of money from the state because they\’re allegedly too poor to pay for education on their own. Because of that, the courts said we all have to chip in. Keansburg gets 81 percent of its school budget from the state, our tax dollars.

\”No matter where you live in New Jersey, some of your tax dollars will be going into Barbara A. Trzeszkowski\’s severance package.

\”Is this a messed-up state, or what?\” Read entire article

Related: TIPS AND SNIPPETS

 

Media Release May 28

Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey senior Karen Doane (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) has been nominated by the Board of Collegiate Women Sports Awards as a candidate for the 2007-2008 Division III Athlete of the Year representing lacrosse.

This spring, Doane led the Lions’ women’s lacrosse team in scoring with a career-high 67 goals and 81 points as the team finished their successful season with a 17-2 record and advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals for the 23rd time in the 24-year history of the tournament. She was also named to the 2008 NCAA All-Tournament Team.

Doane, a marketing major with a 3.39 grade-point-average, is a three-time All-American and capped her career at TCNJ fifth in goals scored with 192 and sixth in points with 248. She is a candidate for her fourth All-American citation with those teams being released later this week. The midfielder is a four-time all-region selection and was the 2007 ECAC Metro Player of the Year. Doane was a key member of TCNJ’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2005 and 2006 and was selected to the 2006 NCAA Division III All-Tournament Team.

She also excels academically being named 2008 CoSIDA’s ESPN The Magazine All-District At-Large First Team and now moves on to the national ballot and is a candidate for the National College Division Academic All-America Team, which will be announced on June 12. She earned second-team honors in 2007. Doane is also a four-time TCNJ Scholar-Athlete and was named to the 2007 IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll.

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program has completed its 32nd year and recognizes the top woman collegiate athlete in each of 11 sports in Divisions II and III as nominees for the Division II and III Athletes of the Year. The program also honors the recipients of the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Honda Inspiration Award.

Divisions II and III athletes are nominated by national coaches associations for each of the 11 sports: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, track and field and volleyball. The athletes are placed on ballots emailed to all Divisions II and III Senior Women Administrators in June every year and the Athlete of the Year for each division is determined by the outcome of the voting.

In addition, the 12 Division I Honda Sports Award winners are determined by balloting throughout the year to all NCAA senior woman administrators for each of 12 sports. These Division I athletes are also nominated by national coaches associations. After balloting for each sport, the winner of each of the 12 sports is a nominee for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year to be given the Honda-Broderick Cup. The ballot for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year completes the balloting and takes place later in June.

The Inspiration Award winner is determined separately by a call to all NCAA Sports Information Directors for nominations, making a total of 15 award recipients in the program.

The awards program is sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and to celebrate these awards American Honda Motor Co., Inc. donates $1,000 to the women’s athletic fund of each Honda Sports Award nominee’s university and each Division II and III nominee’s university. The Division II and III winner’s institutions, along with the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Inspiration Award recipients’ schools receive $5,000 each.

A press conference will be held June 23, 2008 at Columbia University in New York City to announce and present The Divisions II and III Athletes of the Year along with the recipients of the Honda-Broderick Cup the Honda Inspiration Award.

DIVISION III ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS
1987-1988 Jessica Beachy, basketball (Concordia College)
1988-1989 Anna Prineas, track and field (Carleton College)
1989-1990 Yvonne Grierson, swimming (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
1990-1991 Ann Gilbert, basketball (Oberlin College)
1991-1992 Kim Oden, track and field (Nebraska Wesleyan University)
1992-1993 Jennifer Carter, swimming (Kenyon College)
1993-1994 Carla Ainsworth, swimming (Kenyon College)
1994-1995 Amy Albers, volleyball (Washington University)
1995-1996 Shelley Swan, volleyball (Washington University)
1996-1997 Turena Johnson, track and field (Luther College)
1997-1998 Tiffany Speckman, cross country (University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh)
1998-1999 Kelly Schade, softball (Simpson College)
1999-2000 Alia Fischer, basketball (Washington University)
2000-2001 Tasha Rogers, basketball (Washington University)
2001-2002 Julia Bergofsky, field hockey (Middlebury College)
2002-2003 Libby Hysell, softball (Central College)
2003-2004 Mary Ellen, Gordon tennis (Emory University)
2004-2005 Missy Buttry, cross country (Wartburg College)
2005-2006 Megan Silva, basketball (Randolph-Macon College)
2006-2007 Liz Bondi, tennis (Depauw University)

Media Release May 27

Ewing, NJ – The College of New Jersey’s senior first baseman William Kropp (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) has been named to the 2008 CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division Second Team for his outstanding play on the field and excellence in the classroom.

Kropp becomes the fourth baseball player in program history to achieve this honor, while TCNJ has now produced 49 student-athletes that have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America citations. He follows in the footsteps of former Lion baseball players, Jeff Nevitt (1989 and 1991), Howard Forman (1992) and Dave Ceccanechio (1998) to have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors while wearing a Lion baseball uniform.

Kropp, who was a second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team honoree a year ago, started 37 games for the Lions and excelled at first base in 2008. He earned NJAC All-Star Honorable Mention honors and the Senior Award from the NJCBA after capping his career at TCNJ. He finished the 2008 season with a .320 average at the plate with seven extra-base hits and 24 RBIs. He has committed only three errors in 345 total chances this season for a .991 fielding percentage and has helped the Lions turn 32 double plays. Overall on his career, he played in 128 games at TCNJ while collecting 127 hits and 74 RBIs in 104 starts with a .302 average. He also has a .991 career fielding percentage having been charged with just seven errors in 799 total chances. He ranks among the career leaders at TCNJ having collected 24 doubles, which is 21st best in school history, while his four career triples is 10th best as well.

He boasted a 3.93 gpa as a business major at the College and had the second highest gpa of TCNJ’s senior male student-athletes this year. He is a Dean\’s List student as well as a four-time TCNJ Scholar-Athlete and a three-time NJAC Scholar-Athlete honoree. He missed five games in mid-March with a hamstring injury and returned to help the Lions make a run for the 2008 NJAC championship and post-season acclaim.

TCNJ went 30-12 on the season, while earning the No. 3 seed in both the 2008 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and NJAC tournaments. TCNJ, which captured three NJAC Championship titles from 2005-2007, earned one of the 14 at-large bids to the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament and went 2-2 to advance to the final day of the 2008 NCAA Regionals, only to fall to Kean University in their bid to earn a trip to the 2008 College World Series.

To be nominated for CoSIDA’s ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution (thus, true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible transfers are not eligible). In the cases of transfers, graduate students and junior college graduates, the athlete must have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution to be eligible