Category: NORTH JERSEY

Diocesan FaithFULL Food Drive set for March 22

The Camden Diocesan-wide FaithFULL Food Drive will be held on Sunday, March 22, and Catholics throughout South Jersey have already begun collecting food items in their parishes, schools and homes.

Through this annual charitable event, Catholic Charities and other local food pantries will be able to fill their shelves once again, especially after donations stagnate during the months following the holidays.

The campaign is held for multiple purposes, according to Matthew Davis, director of the Office of Life and Justice Ministries, who is leading the initiative.

“We hope to raise awareness about people locally who struggle with food insecurity, and we hope to join together as a church family to collect as much food as possible for those affected by this hardship,” he explained. “The FaithFULL food drive is also a concrete and practical way for us to be faithful to the Gospel’s call of solidarity and concern for the least of those among us. This is a joyful occasion where we do good and have fun while doing it,” he added.

“Food insecurity” refers to the USDA’s measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. It also includes having limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

Currently, in Camden County alone, there are 17,200 food-insecure children, 24% of whom are ineligible for federal nutrition programs. Overall in Camden County, the total food-insecure population is more than 60,000 individuals.

The statistics for food insecurity in South Jersey’s other counties are equally sobering. Gloucester County is home to 8,180 food-insecure children in a total food-insecure population of 26,860 individuals. Suffering the impact of rural hunger are more than 8,000 food insecure individuals in the less populated farmlands of Salem County — most of whom living more than 10 miles from the nearest grocery store.

“Many households still need to make trade-offs between food and other important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills,” explained Cristina Chillem, program director at Catholic Charities. “Many households are still just one paycheck away from financial crisis.”

So when people come to one of the eight offices of Catholic Charities throughout the diocese seeking food, they often leave with much more.

According to Chillem, “In addition to bags of food staples, these clients are also able to learn about and access additional services right there on the spot, like financial coaching, housing counseling, employment assistance and more.

That’s the beauty of being a multi-service agency; we are able to help pantry clients sort out the issues that lead them to food insecurity,” she said.

She added that Catholic Charities is also able to provide educational programs which teach clients how to shop healthy on a budget and assist them in applying for SNAP benefits, crediting the support from the Walmart Foundation and the Salem Health and Wellness Foundation.

To learn more about the FaithFULL Food Drive, including the items that are being collected, drop-off locations and times, and more, click

here

.

How to Understand that the Girl Is in Love with You

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(March 2, 2020)–Love is not one of the most understandable and studied things, even in the simplest of its components. Very often it is impossible to catch even elementary signs of whether a person feels something to you (even though there are some feelings).

There could be some additional difficulties, for example, the difference in mentality. When you are dating Russian women for marriage on

https://ladadate.com/russian-brides

, it may be difficult to understand whether the girl really likes you. At the same time, it is really important. So, how to understand that a girl is in love but hides it?

1. Her cheeks turn red when you are together

The red color will always be a sure sign of love! Here are the definite signs:

she is very shy when you are together;

she does not know what to say, what to do or how to behave;

she is embarrassed when you look into her eyes and blushes.

When a girl doesn’t care, she is not embarrassed, does not blush and does not hide her eyes.

2. She wants to be your best friend

Being the best of friends is the first phase for the most honest, long-term and happy relationship. You can count on her and know that she will always be there if you feel depressed or need some support. She may argue with you because of stupid things, but she will never leave you, and she will always apologize if she was really wrong about something. In a word, she wants to be your closest person!

3. She goes first to talk

There is a myth in our world that the function of initiating a conversation is always for a man, and it is not the woman’s duty to do this. Her role is playfully blinking and waiting. In fact, if she never takes the initiative to talk with you, to find out what is happening in your life and how you are doing, it simply means that she is not interested and this is not about gender roles.

4. She always plans to spend time with you

In any relationship, spending time together is a must! If you do not spend time with each other, you really do not know anything about your partner. She does not hesitate to take your time, loves to invite you on dates, loves to watch movies together. In general, the first who comes to her mind with plans for any activity is you!

5. She is waiting for your advice

She always asks for your opinion and says that this opinion is very important for her. She shares every problem with you and seeks your participation in it. Trust your intuition when you assume what is good for her and what is bad.

6. She wants to know everything about you

She likes to listen to you. She wants to know everything about your family, friends, work, childhood memories, likes and dislikes, about your interests, hobbies — about everything.

PETS ARE THE BEST: Giving The Gift Of Love

(NAPSI)—Most people would agree, the best gift during the holidays—and all year round—is the gift of love. For thousands of families, that means welcoming a puppy into their home. For those considering getting a new best friend for themselves or someone else, remember that choosing a puppy is a big decision. It’s also one you should think about carefully—for both your sake and the dog’s.

Consumer groups report receiving nearly 10,000 complaints about puppy/dog businesses in just the last three years, with 60 percent of consumers indicating they never got the pets they purchased, received pets that had health or genetic problems, or got no documentation for their pet. Just as concerning, most people don’t know how to make sure they are getting their pet from a reputable breeder and not an inhumane and substandard puppy mill. While everyone is encouraged to look to their local shelters and rescues, roughly a quarter of new pet parents obtain their puppies from breeders, whether because of allergies, size or temperament, or just because they have their hearts set on a particular breed of dog.

Whatever your motivation, you should make sure you know that the organization you use to find your new best friend is legitimate and will secure you a happy, healthy and responsibly bred pet.

To help you avoid scams and find properly raised puppies, here are some important tips from the experts at American Humane—the country’s first national humane organization and the largest certifier of animal welfare in the world—and PuppySpot, a placement service committed to helping responsible breeders place healthy, happy puppies with caring individuals and families:

• INTEGRITY:

Find a source you can trust.

• SUSPICIOUS PHOTOS:

Don’t be swayed by a fancy website or puppy photos that look like stock photos that are perfectly posed, don’t look real, or are found on multiple websites.

• PRICING:

If the price looks too good to be true, it generally is. People should avoid buying from a company that says it will transport a dog by air if the full purchase price seems to be less than or similar to the price of a flight.

• WIRING MONEY:

Never wire money to anyone you have met only online and avoid major money wiring companies and mobile payment service apps.

• BAD GRAMMAR OR MISSPELLINGS:

Be sensitive to strange language choices in puppy listings or communications. The vast majority of scammers are from foreign countries.

• BOGUS STORIES/EXCUSES:

Scammers often come up with complicated reasons they need immediate wire transfers or can’t deliver the puppy to you based on current events. Be on alert for bogus stories or excuses for why more money is requested after initial payment.

• REFUSAL TO SUPPLY DOCUMENTATION:

A responsible breeder, shelter or rescue organization will provide registration, vaccination and veterinary health records on request. Refusal to supply medical records or pedigree documentation is a red flag.

Bringing a new best friend into your home should be a positive and joyous experience. By following these guidelines and using diligence and common sense, you and your family may avoid unnecessary heartache and find the healthy, happy puppy of your dreams.

Learn More

For further information, please visit

www.AmericanHumane.org

and

www.PuppySpot.com

.

NJ State Trooper Charged with Allegedly Receiving Child Porn from Another Trooper

Andrea V. Knox, who is assigned to Troop D at the Moorestown station, has been suspended, according to the New Jersey State Police

TRENTON — A State Police trooper faces criminal charges after she allegedly received images of child pornography in a sexually explicit text exchange with another trooper.

Gloucestercitynews.net graphic files

Andrea V. Knox, of Mount Holly, failed to report her fellow trooper had shared child pornography, “despite her duty as a police officer to enforce and uphold the laws,” the state Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday.

Knox, 35, was charged Tuesday with official misconduct and possession of child pornography, the agency said in a statement. Knox, who is assigned to Troop D at the Moorestown station, has been suspended, the statement said.

The other trooper, Jeffrey Reitz of Williamstown, was charged with distribution of child pornography.

Reitz, 48, previously was indicted in December 2019 on two counts of possession of child pornography. Those charges were related to a separate exchange of texts with a different woman, the statement said.

“During those exchanges, the woman proposed that Reitz sexually assault a young girl and sent him a sexually explicit photo of the girl,” the Attorney General’s Office said.

It had described the girl as the woman’s 5-year-old daughter.

A criminal complaint in that case alleges Reitz responded to the child’s photo by texting “NICE!” and making a reference to sexual arousal.

That exchange occurred in December 2014, but investigators only learned of the images when the mother’s phone was seized “much later” during a separate investigation of the Gloucester City woman.

Additional images of alleged child pornography were found in an iCloud account that belonged to Reitz, the statement said.

Further investigation of the iCloud account revealed alleged text exchanges between the troopers that allegedly included sexually explicit conversations about an underage girl, it said.

According to the statement, Knox asked Reitz for details about sex acts he’d like to perform on the child during a text exchange on Aug. 27, 2018.

“The following day, the pair had another sexually explicit text exchange, during which Reitz sent Knox photos of people at a nudist location,” the statement said.

The images included photos of two exposed girls, it said.

“Knox failed to report that Reitz shared items of child pornography with her,” the statement said.

Reitz has been suspended since his arrest in April 2019.

The troopers were charged after an investigation by the Financial and Cyber Crimes Bureau of the state’s Division of Criminal Justice.

Camden County Progressive Groups Picket Norcross Rally held at CC College

Blackwood, NJ February 29, 2020–A coalition of progressive groups picketed the Norcross Rally luncheon today, calling for state leaders to demand changes to New Jersey’s electoral structures, ethics reforms and real progressive change. The luncheon, which is a fundraiser for Congressional incumbent Rep Donald Norcross, brought together unelected power broker George Norcross, his brother the Congressman Donald Norcross, Governor Phil Murphy and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It cost $2800 per person to attend the event on the Camden County Community College campus.

“For the price of one lunch with the Norcross Brothers here at Camden County Community College, you could almost attend an entire year of full time study. Are you kidding me?” Said

Susan Druckenbrod, of South Jersey Women for Progressive Change

.

“Representative Norcross is attempting to steal the progressive label, but is anything but progressive on a number of key issues. He is bad on the environment- he takes money from Covanta, one of the worst examples of environmental injustice in our country today. He aligns himself with anti-environmental organizations criticized by Greenpeace and other progressive groups. Norcross has a record of not supporting public education in favor of school privatization, and he is also the recipient of tens of thousands of dollars in defense contractors.” Noted

Kate Delany, President of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats.

“Unlike Bernie Sanders whose small dollar donors make up over 50% of his campaign funds, a tiny 1.75% of Norcross’ donors are small dollar; he is a favorite of corporate interests. Norcross is in Congress in a deep blue district, because his brother is the most powerful man in NJ, not because he is some kind of progressive hero. Why would Nancy Pelosi come here of all places, for a fundraiser? What about the swing districts?”

“Donald Norcross pretends to be the candidate for the common man, but these high dollar donations are out of reach for most people. Instead of small donors supporting him, Rep Norcross is influenced by big money donors, and that is out of step with this progressive district.” Said

Gary Samuels, Camden City resident and community organizer.

“Donald and George Norcross are two sides of the same coin. It’s a good cop/ bad cop routine. George pulls the strings and Donald executes the plan. The Economic Opportunity Act, which awarded over a billion dollars to Norcross connected companies is the clearest example of this.” Said

Crystal Evans, a resident and community organizer in Gloucester Township. “

We are frustrated that otherwise good Democratic leadership is hobnobbing with someone who is likely under FBI criminal investigation and his brother who has followed his marching orders. The national conversation is highlighting how we need change in political leadership- and that starts here in the Democratic Party, the party we are part of, the party we believe in, and the party we love and would love to improve.”

“Speaker Pelosi has successfully called out Donald Trump for the same behavior— from speaking poorly about immigrants, to using public government for personal and private gain. Why won’t she do the same for the Norcross family? George has spoken about immigrants in a racist way; he leverages his political power to gain public contracts. Pelosi has stood up to Trump’s undermining of national elections, and here in NJ, George Norcross is an unelected power broker who uses his muscle to put the thumb on the scale of our elections in the form of the Line and other mechanisms.” Said

Chris Emrich, Elections Director of South Jersey Progressive Democrats.

STATEMENT OF JOSH ROESCH, CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR AMY KENNEDY, ON MENENDEZ ENDORSEMENT

“It’s ironic that on the day Amy Kennedy lays out her aggressive policy to end corruption in New Jersey’s elections, George Norcross flexes his political muscle to bring in an endorsement for Brigid Harrison. Brigid’s name may be on the ballot, but we all know who’s pulling the strings.

“Make no mistake, rigging endorsements is the Norcross way. He is doing everything in his power to make sure the voters don’t get to choose their own candidate, just like he did for his last favorite candidate, Jeff Van Drew– and look how that turned out for Democrats.

“Brigid Harrison, Jeff Van Drew, George Norcross, and this entire rigged process are a great illustration of why we need to finally end machine politics in New Jersey.”

###

If You Want to Succeed on Instagram, Listen Up

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(March 1, 2020)–Here\’s the problem when it comes to social media marketing. A lot of people are under the impression that they have to just post the right content and everything will be fine.

Well, on an absolute level, this is 100% correct. There is nothing to debate. There is nothing to discuss. This is absolutely spot on.

But there are a lot of details to explore. There are a lot of gaps there.

What content? When do you post these materials? Who do you address this to? How do you position this content? I can go on and on. The list is actually quite long.

While we can talk about basic truisms, like you have to buy Instagram likes or social proof so you can get an organic critical mass going, you have to read between the lines. You have to dig deeper. This requires an overall day to day strategy. Simply buying social proof from places like

buzzvoice.com

isn’t going to be enough.

Now, please understand that this is very different from an overall holistic strategy. I\’m not talking about that. I\’m not talking about your big picture strategy or 30,000 bird\’s eye view perspective.

There\’s a place for that. It\’s absolutely important, but we\’re talking about day to day practical tasks that you need to do every single day for your Instagram marketing account to be successful.

So, what are these daily activities that you need to take care of? Well, first of all, you need to make sure that you use the right hashtags.

Now, how do you know which hashtags to use? Well, it\’s very simple. You mix and match.

You experiment with different hashtags that you lifted from other places. You can reverse engineer your competitors\’ hashtags. Wherever they come from, make sure you experiment and see which hashtags are actually delivering solid value.

How do you know? Well, you can call people to action. You can run little contests. Whatever the case may be, get your followers themselves to supply the hashtags through some sort of feedback so you can see if you are on the right path.

The second thing that you need to do is call people to action in terms of your content. Ask them, \”Is this the kind of content that you want?\” If not, please suggest the right content.

Offer them some sort of incentive. Here\’s the secret: it doesn\’t have to be money.

You have to understand that on the internet, especially on social media, symbolic or purely non-monetary incentives work as well, if not better, than monetary incentives.

You don\’t have to spend one red cent. Just get people to believe that they are getting value. Oftentimes, the perception of value is more important than the actual value. When your fans believe they are getting value, they spread the word about you. This is one of the cheapest and most sustainable ways to

grow your Instagram following

.

The third thing that you need to do is to constantly pay attention to your competition. This is the great thing about Instagram. Everything is transparent.

So, if you see that your competitors are up to something and they\’re experimenting with different types of postings as well as different types of media and hashtags and descriptions, sit up and pay attention. See if you can copy some of that and improve what you\’re doing.

By sticking to these three daily, highly practical tasks, you will be able to take your account to the next level in terms of reach and effectiveness.

COVID-19 a Reminder of the Challenge of Emerging Infectious Diseases

This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like.

NIAID-RML

What

The emergence and rapid increase in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus, pose complex challenges to the global public health, research and medical communities, write federal scientists from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Their commentary appears in

The New England Journal of Medicine.

NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Special Projects H. Clifford Lane, M.D., and CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D., shared their observations in the context of a recently published

report

on the early transmission dynamics of COVID-19. The report provided detailed clinical and epidemiological information about the first 425 cases to arise in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

In response to the outbreak, the United States and other countries instituted temporary travel restrictions, which may have slowed the spread of COVID-19 somewhat, the authors note. However, given the apparent efficiency of virus transmission, everyone should be prepared for COVID-19 to gain a foothold throughout the world, including in the United States, they add. If the disease begins to spread in U.S. communities, containment may no longer be a realistic goal and response efforts likely will need to transition to various mitigation strategies, which could include isolating ill people at home, closing schools and encouraging telework, the officials write.

Drs. Fauci, Lane and Redfield point to the many research efforts now underway to address COVID-19. These include numerous vaccine candidates proceeding toward early-stage clinical trials as well as clinical trials already underway to test candidate therapeutics, including an

NIAID-sponsored trial of the experimental

antiviral drug remdesivir that began enrolling participants on February 21, 2020.

“The COVID-19 outbreak is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenge of emerging and re-emerging infectious pathogens and the need for constant surveillance, prompt diagnosis and robust research to understand the basic biology of new organisms and our susceptibilities to them, as well as to develop effective countermeasures,” the authors conclude.

Article

AS Fauci

et al.

COVID-19: Navigating the uncharted.

The New England Journal of Medicine.

DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2002387 (2020).

Q Li

et al.

Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia

.

The New England Journal of Medicine.

DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001316 (2020).

Healthcare Expert Edward Eichhorn Lectures on the Ills of Medicare-for-all

at Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business

Hoboken, NJ, February 28, 2020 –

Echoing the sentiments of Democratic candidates Biden, Bloomberg, Klobuchar and Buttigieg from their debate podiums in South Carolina earlier this week, healthcare expert and author, Edward Eichhorn, spoke of the ills of Medicare-for-all as a guest lecturer yesterday at the School of Business on the campus of the Stevens Institute of Technology in

Hoboken, NJ.

Said Eichhorn: “It is time for us to embrace a practical universal healthcare plan for America that maintains choice and reduces cost.  The Eichhorn & Hutchinson plan does that.  Medicare-for-all does not.”

The Healing American Healthcare Coalition endorses what it refers to as a well-conceived universal healthcare plan co-authored by Mr. Eichhorn and  Dr. Michael Hutchinson.  According to the Coalition, if the United States were to adopt this approach, employers would be required to provide healthcare plans, but could choose between being self-insured, buying private insurance, or selecting a competitive public option.

By fostering competition in the private insurance market with a cost-effective public option, the Eichhorn-Hutchinson plan is expected to reduce employer healthcare costs by as much as 30%.

The Coalition believes that implementing the Eichhorn-Hutchinson universal healthcare plan would not lead to an increase in government funding, and it is likely that federal and state costs for Medicaid would actually decline.  In total, it’s estimated that the Eichhorn-Hutchinson plan could save up to

one trillion dollars

per year.

Key Outcomes Under the Eichhorn-Hutchinson Plan

All employers provide health insurance

Public option funded by tax on employers who choose this option for their employees

Substantially

lower

than current health care costs incurred by employers

Public option will create price competition

Preserves a role for private insurers

Healthcare costs can be reduced to 12 percent of GDP over ten years (from the current 19%)

Medical billing will be simplified

Medical-related bankruptcies in the U.S. will decrease by 50 percent

Drug prices will be negotiated on a national level

Life expectancy in the U.S. will improve

Insurance premiums will decrease by as much as 30 percent

Up to one trillion dollars in cost reduction annually

For more information about the Eichhorn-Hutchinson plan visit

HealingAmericanHealthcare.org

.

About Healing American Healthcare Coalition

The Healing American Healthcare Coalition is an independent organization dedicated to providing its members with timely and insightful information and reports concerning universal healthcare proposals and programs.  The Coalition is not a political action committee, nor is it affiliated with any political party. The Coalition’s mission is to be a trusted objective source regarding the current discussions on potential healthcare initiatives that could have an impact on the health and well-being of Americans today and in the future.

Red Bank’s 11th Annual Wedding Walk Returns

Free wedding planning event features top professionals, venues and latest trends to help you plan all of your nuptial needs

RED BANK, NJ – The Red Bank Wedding Walk is back again and will take place on Sunday, March 22, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to engaged couples with and without a set wedding date. Kicking off a new decade, the Red Bank Wedding Walk will provide brides and grooms the opportunity to interact with more than 40 local wedding businesses and professionals providing the latest trends, styles and ideas to make their special day an unforgettable event!

Attendees are asked to register in advance by visiting

www.RedBankWeddingWalk.com

, where they can also browse the participating businesses and map out an itinerary in advance to make the most of the day!

Brides and grooms will begin the event at 10 a.m. by checking in at the Oyster Point Hotel, a beautiful waterfront venue located at 146 Bodman Place. At check-in, guests will be given a map, passport and tote while enjoying a complimentary continental breakfast. Passports should be stamped at each participating business in order to be entered to win door prizes and incredible grand prizes! Eligible passports must have at least 14 locations stamped by each business during the Wedding Walk.

From there, each entourage will set off on a self-guided tour to explore potential rehearsal dinner locations, award-winning wedding venues, photography and videography professionals, entertainment and transportation experts, hair and makeup salons, and, of course, dress boutiques offering options for the bride and bridal party – and much, much more! Around 3 p.m., attendees should begin to make their way back to the Molly Pitcher Inn’s breathtaking promenade for an exciting reception featuring music, savory treats, libations, prizes and a champagne toast.

During the closing reception, winners of the fabulous grand prizes, as well as a wide array of fun door prizes, will be drawn. Prizes include an all-inclusive honeymoon trip courtesy of Liberty Travel, a romantic getaway package at the Molly Pitcher/Oyster Point, a DJ entertainment package from Hurricane Productions, and many more wonderful offerings from Red Bank businesses.