Special Achievement Award ~ Drama

2. HENRY HUDSON REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT HALL OF FAME AND WALL OF DISTINCTION NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED

HIGHLANDS, NJ — The Henry Hudson Regional School District Hall of Fame and Wall of Distinction Committee recently met to start planning for the September 2006 induction.

For the Hall of Fame, the committee decided to focus on those individuals who graduated between the years of 1962 and 1972.

The Committee will also consider for the Wall of Distinction those candidates who distinguished themselves by making outstanding contributions to the school. If community members know of anyone who graduated during this time period and would like to nominate him/her, please go on the school’s web site for an application, (or download the Word Document here) complete it and return as indicated. Instead, if you wish, we will forward an application to you. If this is the case call Ms. Williams at 732-872-0900 x 2023 or call Mr. Thorne at the same number for more information.

School website http://www.hhrs.us

3. SPEECH BY ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS MAYOR PETER E. DONOGHUE AT 5/29/2006 VETERAN'S SERVICE FOLLOWING ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ — Today is the day that our country sets aside to honor those who have died in the armed forces of the United States. There have, of course, been far too many such losses over the 230 years of American democracy, including those from Atlantic Highlands who made the ultimate sacrifice.

And still Americans die for their country. Almost daily, servicemen and women are killed in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Their losses sadden and infuriate us all. But they also instill in us a sense of pride in the willingness of our troops to put their lives on the line.

I don’t know any American who doesn’t “Support Our Troops” ... even if they don’t support the war.

Some have suggested that to question the Iraq war, and for that matter, the war on terrorism, is unpatriotic. Others less strident would say that criticism of war policy gives comfort to our enemies.

I believe, however, that a basic foundation of this republic is the right to question anything our government does and not to have anyone challenge our right to do so.

Two other essential rights to which we are all endowed are those that guarantee due process and privacy.

To put it simply, if our phones calls are to be monitored, the government must show a judge there is probable cause to suspect a violation of the law and must get a warrant to do so.

These and other rights are what thousands of American servicemen and women have fought and died for. Certainly they did not die to see our sacred liberties eroded.

There can be no limits put on the rights we are guaranteed in the Constitution and its Bill of Rights.

Coupled with our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, of course, come our considerable responsibilities.

Among those are:

* The obligation to become informed on issues from the smallest to the most significant. Issues from the very local to the national and beyond.

* The obligation to respect the views of the majority ... and the minority.

* The obligation to vote in every single election whether we think we have a stake in it or not.

Additionally, it is our obligation to recognize those who served us and to care for their needs after they have done so. There can be no limits on the support we provide for those who have fought for this country, many more of whom are surviving due to medical advances.

It is our duty to speak out on behalf of our wounded veterans just as much as it is to insist on the preservation of the rights of all Americans.

To do less would be to betray all those who struggled and died for the America we love.

4. LINCROFT RESIDENTS RESIST PLANS FOR STADIUM

LINCROFT, NJ — Residents from the Village of Lincroft have made themselves clear, that they reject the idea of the Township Committee constructing a sports stadium in their backyard, Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo said.

"I am very pleased that this year's Democratic Candidate for Middletown Committee Patrick Short has worked closely with civic leaders and groups in Lincroft to try and save that area of the township from this kind of irresponsible and even unannounced development," Caliendo said.

"It does not matter if it is a Demcorat or a Republican who is trying to save the character of Lincroft, all that really matters is that someone is trying to do it," Caliendo said. "In this case, the only candidate in the Middletown committee election this year who is actively working with Lincroft residents to stave off this sports complex is Patrick Short.That says a lot about Patrick and his concern for this important area of our community."

Caliendo explained that the vast majority of village residents were entirely unaware that the township's governing body had designs on building such a complex in their village before some months ago.

"I have said it for a very long time: This Township Committee does not believe in the informed consent of the electorate and does not communicate with residents about their intentions or the nature of their tax spending in this community," Caliendo said.

According to Caliendo, the "best way to send a message to Town Hall about the importance of the informed consent of the governed is by letting this mayor, Tom Hall, know that this sort of haphazard construction in Lincroft is not only wrong, but will not be tolerated by the residents here."

Caliendo encourages resdients interested in helping township Democrats in their campaign to assist Lincroft resdients to call him directly at (732) 299-6470.

5. STREETLIFE PERFORMANING ARTISTS SERIES THIS SUMMER IN DOWNTOWN RED BANK

Now That’s Entertainment!

RED BANK, NJ — The sidewalks of downtown Red Bank will be alive with magicians, jazz, blues, rock, folk, dance, and more on Saturday nights this summer as Bank of America presents “StreetLife”.

For the past five years, RiverCenter has successfully programmed musicians and artists on the sidewalks of downtown in the summer on Saturday nights. The event, Bank of America presents StreetLife, was an overwhelming hit with residents, visitors, and businesses alike.

This year, Bank of America presents StreetLife returns with high anticipation and, more alive, and more eclectic. On any given Saturday night, June 3 through August 26, visitors to town can see a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, dancers, and musicians, musicians, musicians. StreetLife takes place in front of various businesses throughout the downtown. “StreetLife is not only a wonderful free event that is accessible to everyone, but it has also worked to promote an evening economy in the downtown,” remarks Red Bank RiverCenter Executive Director Tricia Rumola. “Visitors and residents are coming into town for StreetLife and are staying for dinner and doing late night shopping; it’s great,” adds Rumola.

StreetLife is made possible through sponsorship and grants from various community partners. “RiverCenter is ecstatic that Bank of America is once again the title sponsor of StreetLife, states Rumola. “Bank of America has been an active supporter of StreetLife, and has generously given both time and financial backing to make this wonderful cultural event available in Red Bank” adds Rumola.

The event also has also been made possible in part by the Monmouth County Arts Council through funding from Monmouth County Freeholders, through the County Historical Commission, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a partner Agency of the National Endowment of the Arts. Monmouth County Arts Council awarded RiverCenter a $4362 grant for StreetLife 2006. Funk & Standard Variety Store at 40 Broad Street and the Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth Street are also contributing sponsors for the event.

Each Saturday night from June 3 through August 26, five acts will be performing throughout the downtown from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Come stop by the Count Basie “Cool School”, 99 Monmouth Street on Saturday, June 10th when Red Bank RiverCenter kicks off Bank of America presents StreetLife 2006. From 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., there will be an opening reception and check presentation by Bank of America to RiverCenter, plus live music by Tony Sloan. Delicious food will be served by Readies Fine Foods of Red Bank, plus door prizes from StreetLife sponsors. The Monmouth County Arts Council will be also holding their open house in conjunction with the kickoff party. Stop by their office a few doors down at 107 Monmouth Street, 2nd floor, and meet their staff and learn about arts events, including StreetLife. Musicians will also be performing at various locations throughout downtown Red Bank from 7-10 PM.

The musicians booked are as follows*:

Saturday, June 3rd** - Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival Weekend

Chrisie Santoni – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe Storyville Jazz Trio – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Chip Robertson – 69 Broad Street – Ten Thousand Villages Andrew Holtz – 8 Broad Street – Cold Stone Creamery
Paul Pugliese – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery

Saturday, June 10^th** - STREETLIFE KICKOFF NIGHT

Eric Ginsberg – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe Zenman – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Golden Seal – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery Rob Murray – 90 Broad Street – Haagen Dazs Sonni Shine – 65 Monmouth Street – Red Ginger Home
Tony Sloan – The Count Basie “Cool School” – 99 Monmouth Street

Saturday, June 17^th**

Helena Maria – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe The Delta Rays – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Cal Coolidge – 8 Broad Street – Cold Stone Creamery Tina Vero – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery
Nanno Tito– 90 Broad Street – Haagen Dazs

Saturday, June 24^th**

Bob Jacques – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe Lady J and Dr. Yahya Jazz Ensemble – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Virago – 69 Broad Street – Ten Thousand Villages Magic of Devin – 16 White Street – Haagen Dazs
Greg Durant – 65 Monmouth Street – Red Ginger Home

Saturday, July 1^st**

Field Girl Carnival and Special – 43 Broad Street – New York Trends The Wag – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Golden Seal – 8 Broad Street – Cold Stone Creamery Cat & Jack – 90 Broad Street – Haagen Dazs
Dancers – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery

Saturday, July 8^th**

Patti and Bob – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe Almost Famous – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Mike and Jay – 69 Broad Street – Ten Thousand Villages Drayton Michaels – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery
Dancers – 65 Monmouth Street – Red Ginger Home

Saturday, July 15^th**

Outside the Box Duo – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Magic of Devin – 69 Broad Street – Ten Thousand Villages Murphy’s 6 String – 16 White Street- Grieco’s Bakery Caroline Cutroneo and James Brennan – 90 Broad Street – Haagen Dazs
Red Bank Barbershop Quartet – Strolling Downtown Red Bank

Saturday, July 22^nd**

Don Lee – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe Suzy Q and the Crew – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Paul Pugliese – 8 Broad Street – Cold Stone Creamery Chrisie Santoni – 90 Broad Street – Haagen Dazs
Eric Ginsberg – 65 Monmouth Street – Red Ginger Home

Saturday, July 29^th ** - Red Bank 52^nd Annual Sidewalk Sale

Cal Coolidge – 43 Broad Street – New York Trends Helena Maria – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Andrew Holtz – 65 Monmouth Street – Red Ginger Home Dancers– 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery
Heart of NJ Chorus – Strolling Downtown Red Bank

Saturday, August 5^th **

Almost Famous – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe Tri-City Jazz – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Rob Murray – 69 Broad Street – Ten Thousand Villages Greg Durante – 8 Broad Street – Cold Stone Creamery
Nanno Tito – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery

Saturday, August 12^th **

Caroline Cutroneo and James Brennan – 69 Broad Street – Ten Thousand Villages Two Tails – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Field Girl Carnival & Special – 16 Broad Street – Grieco’s Bakery Don Lee – 65 Broad Street – Red Ginger Home
Red Bank Barbershop Quartet – Strolling Downtown Red Bank

Saturday, August 19^th **

Tina Vero – 43 Broad Street – New York Trends Chris McKenna – 30 Monmouth Street – The Dublin House Courtyard Murphy’s 6 String – 8 Broad Street – Cold Stone Creamery Patti & Bob – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery
Outside the Box Duo – 90 Broad Street- Haagen Dazs

Saturday, August 26^th **

▪ Bob Jacques – 69 Broad Street – Ten Thousand Villages

▪ Chip Robertson – 39 Broad Street – River’s Edge Cafe

▪ Christina Signorile – 16 White Street – Grieco’s Bakery

▪ Virago – 65 Monmouth Street – Red Ginger Home

▪ Heart of NJ Chorus – Strolling Downtown Red Bank

**Acts and locations are subject to change. Performances take place rain or shine. Call the RiverCenter office for updates: 732-842-4244 or visit their website at www.redbankrivercenter.org.

Red Bank RiverCenter is a not-for-profit alliance of downtown businesses, property owners, and residents working toward the economic vitality of downtown Red Bank.

6. HIGHLANDS DEMOCRATS ATTACK REPUBLICAN SUPER MAJORITY - REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES WELCOME THE CHALLENGE

HIGHLANDS, NJ — In the May 29th issue of the Asbury Park Press, the 3 Democrats running for their party's nomination for 2 seats on the Highlands Borough Council warned against the pending "disaster" of Republican "super majority" control of the Highlands governing body.

If the winners of the Democratic primary wish to make a Republican "super majority" control the issue in the general election, Republican candidates Carla Cefalo- Braswell and Art Gallagher welcome that race. Obviously, they think a super majority would be less than "a disaster" and there will be no lack of "checks and balances" on the council.

Highlands Council meetings are very well attended by a vocal and intelligent group of taxpayers who constantly check on the council.

While the Republicans will have a super majority if Cefalo-Braswell and Gallagher are elected, there will be no lack of independent thinking should they be given the honor of serving.

Cefalo-Braswell and Gallagher have both had well known differences with our Republican Mayor Rick O'Neil in the past. Fortunately, the Republican team is able to have our differences and still work together for the good of Highlands. Our differences make us a better, and smarter team, working for all the people of Highlands.

The record shows that both Councilmen Urbanski and Caizza voted with the Republicans on the vast majority of issues throughout their tenures on Council. The notable recent exception is the budget for the Highlands Business Partnership. Despite voting to approve the Business Partnership's calendar of events this year, Urbanski and Caizza abused their authority as council members by voting down the partnership budget. Mr. Urbanski is on record as saying he wants to eliminate the Business Partnership and that all taxpayers, not just business owners, should fund the costs of the partnership's activities as the borough takes them over. This would be a "disaster," and increase the costs of the events, marketing and beautification work that the partnership now provides at no cost to the residents.

The Republicans say that Urbanski and Caizza abused their authority because according to statute and case law, the role of the council in approving the Business Partnership budget is to assure that all proper procedures according to law and by-laws were followed in determining the budget. The members of the Business Partnership determine their own budget and thereby their own property tax assessment to fund the partnership. There has been no question that proper procedures were followed. Yet year after year Urbanski, with Caizza following his lead, interfere with the operations of the partnership.

The partnership does a great deal of good for our community, without costing the taxpayers any money in the municipal budget. In addition to the Clam Festival and St. Patrick's Day parade, the best known events, the partnership hosts 15 other events, works to improve the appearance and beauty of our town, works to attract new businesses to town, and attracts 40,000 visitors every year. The partnership works and assists all community organizations regardless of political affiliations.

The Highlands Water Taxi is the latest attraction and service the partnership provides. Urbanski, Caizza and formerly Republican Chirs Francy are all on record as opposing the Water Taxi.

Fortunately, after shutting down the partnership and feeling a great deal of political heat, Mr. Urbanski and Mr. Caizza came around and belatedly approved the partnerships budget so that this years events, which they had earlier approved and were contracted for, could go forward. However, if they are reelected its a good bet that history will repeat itself.

There are many other issues that Cefalo-Braswell and Gallagher will run on in the general election. They intend to challenge their opponents, whoever the Democrats choose, and any Independent candidates to a public debate in the fall. We see this potential debate as a great opportunity for our community to increase awareness in the towns issues and interest in the election. We also see the debate as a great educational opportunity for the students at Henry Hudson Regional High School, as we envision students in the media department making a video of the debate for broadcast on the web and on Comcast. We would also encourage the school administration to select a student to be a panelist for the debate.

Even though they are unopposed for their party's nomination, Cefalo-Braswell and Gallagher encourage all voters to participate in the June 6 primary. The more people that participate in our government, the better off we all are.

7. SHEEHAN CLASSIC FREE CONCERT & RUNNER'S EXPO TO KICK-OFF RACE WEEKEND

George Sheehan Classic 5 Mile Run
Saturday, June 10th, 8:30 start, Red Bank, NJ
http://www.sheehanclassic.org

Annual event, held in Red Bank since 1994, honors Dr. George Sheehan, the prominent author, philosopher, and area physician, “The Doc”, called the “father of the running boom” in the United States. Event draws over 3,000 participants, and includes 5-year age group awards, prize money, family and specialty teams, Concert, Runners Expo, 2M Fitness Walk, and Kids' Races.

The start of the 2005 George Sheehan Classic 5 Mile Run

As part of the George Sheehan Classic, there will be a free concert, sponsored by NJ Natural Gas, featuring popular local pop-rock band Goldenseal on Friday, June 9, at 7:00 PM, in Marine Park. Founded in 1999 by frontman Joe Hughes, the band has been building a loyal fan base by consistent and dynamic appearances in clubs all over New Jersey.

Race organizers moved the race in recent years from its traditional date in mid-August and the response from the runners was overwhelming in favor of the move. “The George Sheehan Classic is an extremely popular race for both elite and local runners, but New Jersey’s hot, humid August weather had been a problem,” said race director Philip Hinck. “… and hosting the event in June provides a chance for the entire family to enjoy the early summer weather.”

The George Sheehan Classic began in 1981 as the Asbury Park 10K Classic and quickly became one of the major road running events on the national calendar. The race moved to Red Bank in 1994 and was renamed to honor the memory of Dr. George Sheehan, the prominent author, philosopher and area physician. “The Doc” has been called the “father of the running boom” in the United States.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, June 9          2 –9 p.m.         Runner’s Expo                       Marine Park
An opportunity see the latest in running, health and fitness, and pick up some great bargains. Free admission.

Friday, June 9          6:30 p.m.         Kid’s Classic              Broad Street
A series of races for kids ages 1-13. Medals to all finishers. Registration - $15.

Friday, June 9          7:00 p.m.         NJNG Concert      Marine Park
Runners, friends and members of the community are invited to enjoy music on the banks of the Navesink. Pop rock bank Goldenseal will perform. Free admission.

Saturday, June 10      7 a.m. – 2 p.m.            Runner’s Expo           Marine Park
More great items on sale for runners and athletes of all abilities.

Saturday, June 10      8:30 a.m. start            Sheehan Classic         Broad Street
A five-mile road race that attracts the sports top competitors. Registration forms are available online at www.sheehanclassic.org or call 732.988-7725.

Saturday, June 10      8:40 a.m. start            GSC Health Walk        Broad Street
A family two-mile heatlh walk follows part of the five-mile course, and finishes with the runners on Broad Street.

The top five finishers, male and female will take home cash prizes. This year, the prize for the top male and female finisher is $500. The top New Jersey male and female winners will earn $100. A total of $6,000 in prize money will be distributed to Top Five overall finishers, top New Jersey finishers and age-category winners.

The list of previous winners reads like a Who’s Who of road racing: Americans Bill Rodgers and Keith Brantley, Norway’s Grete Waitz, Australian Lisa Ondeiki, Zimbabwe’s Phillimon Hanneck, Kenya’s Veronica Kanga and Russian Olga Markova.

The George Sheehan Classic was named one of the Top 100 Road Races by Runner’s World magazine, and the Best Memorial Race in New Jersey by the New York Times. Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank and The Savings Bank Life Insurance Company sponsor the Sheehan Classic. Other sponsors include: Horizon BlueCross BlueShield of New Jersey, Smith Barney, Wachovia Bank, Wachovia Securities, WOW! Work Out World, New Jersey Natural Gas Company and Straub Motors Lincoln/Mercury.

The race is part of the SBLI Jersey Shore Golden Grand Prix, a series of races that offers prize money to overall winners and age group category winners The five 2006 events are: Spring Lake 5, George Sheehan Classic, Belmar 5, Asbury Park 5K & Pier Village 5K.

For Sheehan Classic information and registration, call 732.988.7725 or check the website, www.sheehanclassic.org.

8. ANNUAL COMMUNITY BOAT BUILDING WEEKEND IN RED BANK

RED BANK, NJ — The 8th Annual Family & Community Boat building Event will be at Monmouth Boat Club, June 3-4, 2006

Navesink Maritime Heritage Association leads families and youth groups to build, launch, and take home their own wooden canoes in one weekend.

Four teams of youths from Red Bank and Monmouth County communities will build canoes all day Saturday through Sunday morning on the grounds of Monmouth Boat Club in Red Bank. After awards luncheon at noon on Sunday, the teams will launch their boats for a boat parade and races on the Navesink River on Sunday at 2-3 p.m. before taking their boats home.

An experienced instructor will guide the teams, which consist of 4 to 6 middle-school age children and teenagers with parent or mentor. Each youth will also make his/her own canoe paddle to use and have as personal memento.

The Navesink Maritime Heritage Association, a 501(c) 3 non-profit educational association, has organized community boat building on the grounds of the Monmouth Boat Club in Red Bank since 1999.

Call for information: -- Charles Ladoulis, Navesink Maritime Heritage Association, at 732 291 9446 or email us at contact@navesinkmaritime.org

9. FISHING, FUN AND FAMILY IN A TRUE COMMUNITY EVENT

Father Time Fishing Derby

Previous Father Time community events have included: group hikes, birdhouse building, an indoor Fishing/Environmental Expo, and a unique Dads Conference held in April. The organization will take a camping trip in June. Keansburg Father Time, funded through a grant from the New Jersey Children's Trust Fund, is a true community organzation. "Keansburg is a town with an admirable community spirit, when we call for help to plan events, people don't say let me check my calendar, they say; what do ya need? " says Jeff Johnson who along with Doug Covert and a dedicated core group of Keansburg dads, have planned five successful large group community activites this past year.

George Superior and Son, Nicky man the bait station

Johnson and Covert are counselors at the Joseph Bolger Middle School in town, they host a weekly fathers meeting on Wednesday night from 6pm-8pm in school's library. The meetings are used to plan these events and promote father/child and family/child relationships. A curriculum called "24/7 Dads" by the National Fatherhood Initiative (www.fatherhood.org) becomes the springboard for interesting discussion about all aspects of fathering. Co-facilitator Doug Covert an adoring father of a 10 year old boy, states: "We talk about it all, from discipline, communication, peer pressure, to the fact that kids grow up so quick-that the most important time is right now to enjoy, protect, and guide them". For more information on Father Time call: 732 787-2007 Ext 2554.

Daphne Zitzman shows off a fish print Tshirt made during the fishing derby

While tending a pole baited for bluefish and stripers, Joe Best, who brought his daughter to the first fishing derby in October, and has attended several Father Time activities, said "Each time I come to an event like this I see more and more dads with their kids, that's a great feeling". Shawn Divencenzo, 14 an enthusiastic fisherman who fishes daily, caught the first fish, a bluefish, to the cheers and excitement of neighboring anglers stretched out over a mile along the beach. After two and a half hours, a fog horn blows, and determined young fishing teams return to the registration tent for trophies, hot dogs, and raffle prizes including charter boat trips and over fifty fishing rods. Afterwards many families return to the now sun drenched beach to spend more time fishing together just opposite a spectacular New York City skyline.

Shawn Divencenzo with first catch of the derby - a Bluefish

10. INCREASED FAMILY FARE AT RED BANK JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL

RED BANK, NJ — The CD 101.9 Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival presented by Washington Mutual, in honor of it’s 20th Anniversary, has expanded it’s offerings for families on the newly named Harbor Stage, the third stage at this free event this weekend, Friday through Sunday, June 2 – 4, at Marine Park in Red Bank. This smaller stage makes it easier to introduce children to a concert format and to present workshops and audience participation performances. Blues educator T.J. Wheeler will return this year, along with other workshops for drums, harmonica, spoons and a drum circle. There will be a total of seventeen Harbor Stage events, including a workshop on the life and songs of female classic blues singers, as well as young bands expressing the modern day blues. The activity tent has been expanded so that families can make shakers and noisemakers to play along with the bands. There will also be a ‘color the guitar’ contest for those who are 12 and under. The schedule includes:

Harbor Stage – Friday, June 2

5:00-6:00 pm T.J. Wheeler, Blues & Jazz Education & Performance

6:05-7:35 pm Youth Improvisation Showcase, Blues & Jazz

Harbor Stage – Saturday, June 3

12:00-12:45 pm Miss Sherri from Honey Child Music, Family

12:50-1:35 pm Yosi, Family

1:40-2:25 pm Sandy Mack, Blues “How To”

2:30-3:15 pm Jerry Topinka, Jazz

3:20-4:00 pm “Blues Queens” - Kati Brower, Blues / Educational

4:05-4:45 pm Outside the Box, Youth / Blues

4:50-5:30 pm Gary Wright and Philly Ray Proctor, Blues/ Education/Performance

5:35-6:25 pm T.J. Wheeler Interactive, Blues/Educational

6:30-7:50 pm Youth Improvisation Showcase, Blues & Jazz

Harbor Stage – Sunday, June 4

12:00-12:40 pm Isis Tribe, Drums/Dance/Rhythm

12:45-1:25 pm Gary Struncius and Debbie Lawton, Family

1:30-2:10 pm Pat Karwin, Education & Performance

2:15-2:55 pm Everald Williams Jazz Sax, Instruction & Performance

3:00-3:50 pm Richard Reiter - Drum Circle World Rhythm, Audience Participation

3:55-4:45 pm T.J. Wheeler Interactive, Blues/Educational

Performer Yosi will appear on the Harbor Stage at the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival, Saturday, June 3 at 12:50 p.m. in Marine Park in Red Bank.

“Jazz and blues has influenced so many areas of American music and society, and has migrated to people all over the world. It is part of an extraordinary American history, and we owe it to ourselves to learn more about it. The Education Committee of the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation, which produces the Red Bank Festival, wants to share this rich musical heritage with young families and music-lovers of all ages,” said JSJBF Education Committee member, Kati Beddow Brower.

The JSJBF website – www.jsjbf.org – lists the many types of programs available to schools and other organizations. Knowledgeable performers can present diverse programs in jazz and blues. Some of the presenters are JSJBF members who are professional musicians with extensive backgrounds. The programs are broken into several categories: single performer presentations, trios, and beginner or extensive workshops. The workshops can be simple or complex depending upon the knowledge of the students. “Hands on” workshops, such as our Musician in the House program, provide inspirational instruction to your school band. These programs are funded by grants and are absolutely free to the organizations that book them.

Major funding for the Festival, insuring that this event remains free to all, comes from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, CD 101.9 Radio, Washington Mutual Bank, and Super Foodtown.

The three headliners on the Festival’s Marina stage are: harmonica player/singer Rob Paparozzi and the Hudson River Rats – featuring legendary drummer, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie (Friday); blues singer Toni Lynn Washington, Boston’s “Queen of the Blues” (Saturday); and, smooth jazz favorites, Pieces of a Dream (Sunday). Rounding out the Festival will be many area artisans and an array of international foods.

For more information about the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival, including a complete list of all the performers, go to www.redbankfestival.com or call 732-933-0541. For information about JSJBF and a full schedule of upcoming events, go to: www.jsjbf.org

11. SPRING LAKE FIVE KICKED OFF SUNNY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

By Jim Robbins

photos: Bob Both

Coming in first of this huge crowd of racers from a basically rectangular course was Francisco Gomez, 30, of Cartago, Costa Rica at 24:19 (24 minutes and 19 seconds), under a 5-minute mile pace. Talking through his friend and Spanish translator, Eric Escorchia, who did not race today, Gomez said in regard to his racing time: “I’m very happy.” And in regard to the course he liked it a lot because it’s flat - whereas back in Costa Rica there are a lot of hills. Today’s going-away champion has raced this distance under 24 minutes Escorchia translated. Escorchia, of Red Bank, recently competed in the Rumson-Fair Haven Run, a five miler, and finished in third place at 28:42.

Anne Kugler, 37, of New York City was first in for the women from the course that begins on Ocean and Warren Avenues proceeds north to and around Lake Como, passes the imposing edifice of Saint Catharine’s, continues to the Sea Girt border and back onto Ocean Avenue to the finish line at Atlantic Avenue, at a racing time of 27:55. “It’s OK for where I’m at in my training but it’s not a PR (personal record) for me,” said Kugler when asked her thoughts on her championship performance. “Loved it, loved it – it’s speedy and flat,” she said of the course. “Beautifully organized – plenty of water spots and cheering crowds, many enthusiastic people,” she offered of the event and informed that her best time for this distance was a race in Central Park, New York where she scored a 27:30.

Course record times for the Spring Lake Five were set in 1984 for the men by Gene Stacha of Poland at 23:16 and for the women it was our own Alicia Kelly of Spring Lake Heights in 1995 at 26:57.

Rounding out the top ten finishers who received distinctive crystal awards, added to the roses received by the first 100 women and medals to everyone: Men: Gene Mitchell 24:49, Franklin Lakes (last year’s champion); Scott Defilippis 25:06, Neptune; David Slavinsky 25:52, Toms River; Bill Hoffman 26:01, Eatontown; Rob Defilippis 26:25, Tinton Falls; Rob Zand 27:00, New York City; Eric Boucher 27:01, Lake Como; Jay McGovern 27:08, Atlantic Highlands; Robert Cavanagh 27:15, West Long Branch. Women: Jennifer Flint 29:59, Berwyn, PA; Jennifer Malavolta 30:14, Reeders, PA; Madelyn Noe-Schlentz 30:44, Freehold; Eileen Petito 30:56, Alton, IL; Dorian Meyer 31:06, Rumson (women’s champion of the 2005 Jersey Shore Half Marathon, presented at Sandy Hook); Erin Enderly 31:21, Asbury Park; Christine Barile 31:30, Verona; Diane Petruzzelli 31:31, Lincroft; Leah Stohr 31:40, Spring Lake.

“It was tough today because of the humidity,” said Nancy Thorne, Long Branch as she mingled in with other finishing racers walking toward the many tables holding hundreds of cups of water. “Yes, considering the conditions, I’m satisfied with my time.” Thorne posted a respectable 39:45, under an eight-minute mile, but her best time for this distance she informs was here last year and research shows it to be 36:47. Nancy is the director of the Michael W. Thorne Scholarship 4-Mile Run presented annually in May in West Long Branch to memorialize her fireman brother who gave his life in service to his community.

Bob Hayes, Ocean Township, finished at 51:53, a 10:23 per mile pace. “In this race, I don’t even think of my time because the crowd is so overwhelming you don’t get a chance to be free to set your own pace, but it was fun, I enjoyed it,” said Hayes usually a nine or high eight-minute miler. His granddaughter 11-year-old Chelsea, who accompanies Hayes on many of the Shore area races, finished at 1:08:32.

Wall Township’s jovial Clarence Reed, 79-year-old racewalker, is the former mayor of South Belmar (now Lake Como) and has long been on the Shore area racing scene and it was pleasant to see him prior to the start and enjoy his good sense of humor. This was Reed’s 30th performance here meaning he’s done them all and his racing time of 1:35:53 earned him 3,980th place which was dead last in the men’s division. However this speed allowed his prior-to-the-start comment to be right on target: “I promise you I’ll be in before Monday!” And he did it!

Women’s record holder Alicia Kelly, not competing this year due to a foot problem, was in charge of the volunteers and organized the different service groups to do the myriad activities necessary. Isabel Keeley, president of the Freehold Area Running Club (FARC) along with members Tom and Ed Wendel and Shore Athletic Club (SAC) officer Donna Cetrulo supervised the volunteers servicing the four water spots at the mile markers.

At the starting line was a huge banner of the event’s name strung along the aerial ladder of the Spring Lake Fire Company which also served as the vantage point from which Bob Both, webmaster of Jersey Shore Running Club (JSRC) website, is able to take his panoramic pictures of the thousands of assembled racers. The 8:30 a.m. scheduled start was on time and preceded by the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner by St. Denis Church choir member Joyce Keane. Lead vehicles were driven by Robert Dawson, police chief and William Wells, Wall Township, who had a hybrid truck provided by New Jersey Natural Gas.

“We have two incidents going on right now – we’re not too sure how serious they are – we’ve taken one patient to the hospital – but other than that it’s been pretty normal, fatigue and bruised knees and that kind of thing,” said First Sergeant Wade Algeo of the Spring Lake First Aid Department when asked to comment. Algeo further informed that there were 55 members of first-aid squads and 13 vehicles available for medical service including some from neighboring towns.

This annual event includes the Spring Lake Five Kids’ Races presented the night before starting at 6 p.m also on Ocean Avenue at Atlantic Avenue, two blocks south of the Essex and Sussex Condominium, with favorite TV characters to greet them: Winnie the Pooh, Tweety Bird, Bob the Builder, Minnie Mouse and Tigger. A clown was also available for picture posing with the children. Donna Mehler, Spring Lake Heights, active member of the JSRC, organized the activity that consists of a series of races of 25 yards for the two-years old to a half-mile for the fourteen-years old. Over 2,000 children participated with many having parents and grandparents and siblings and friends to cheer them on and take lots and lots of pictures. It was crowded. Wall Township’s Cheri Kenah had her two-year-old twins Eamonn and Alexa competing and Kenah offered these comments regarding the event: “Oh, it’s so much fun – they all get medals and they get treated to refreshments – It’s very well organized.” Kenah is the women’s champion of the 2005 Firecracker Five, a five-mile run presented each year in Wall Township on the Fourth of July and said, “I might” when asked if she were going to race it this year.

Early-morning volunteers, setting up the two hundred and eighty-four 2’ x 8’ tables, provided by Party Corner of Shrewsbury, needed for all the bagels, cookies, bananas, iced-down soda and bottled water that wilted racers would eventually consume, were treated to breakfast goodies of delicious crumbcakes and coffee on the steps of the Essex and Sussex Condominium Association. The Spring Lake Five welcoming committee members: Ginny Shutner and Doctor John Ayers, committee chairman, along with others were on hand to replenish the supplies when necessary. Ayers has raced this event often in the past years he informed. The Association also offered coffee and refreshments to the parents of the Friday-night racers.

“The Spring Lake Five Mile Run is organized by the Spring Lake Race Committee under the guidance of the Friends of the Spring Lake 5 Inc., a not-for-profit organization. After payment of race expenses, all proceeds are donated to charitable organizations or allocated for town projects. In 2005 the race raised over $72,000. We expect to do the same and maybe more this year. In addition, our charity partners raised over $10,000 from runners’ donations and pledge collections. Many thanks to the town’s police and fire departments for their cooperation and for the many volunteers from the local service organizations and the area running clubs (JSRC, FARC, SAC) for their know-how efforts. Fred and Anna Torres of the Elite Racing Systems organized the computer scoring and Chris Tatreau Consulting Ltd. of Philadelphia did the finish-line logistics. Dan Brannen provided the clocks on the course and Bob Schreiber of Main Street Productions provided the speaker system as well as motivational music. The committee appreciates the patience of area motorists who had to be detoured for the safety of our racers. A very special thanks to my wife, Penny, who is the very heart of racing at the Jersey Shore,” E-mailed Phil Hinck, race director.

Incidentally, according to the 2,000 census the Wikipedia Encyclopedia of the internet informs the populations of Spring Lake in the other states are: Michigan 2,514; Minnesota 6,772; North Carolina 8,098 and our Spring Lake 3,567.

Other Herald area leading finishers:

Men: Alexander Fowlie 27:20, Middletown (12 of 3980); David McGovern 28:19, Atl. Highlands; Ryan McGrath 28:58, Red Bank; Jason Gers 29:34, Monmouth Beach; Henry Mercer 30:57, Fair Haven; Harold Nolan 31:46, Navesink; Brian Hill 31:53, Middletown; Chris Ferrone 32:23, Atl. Highlands; Paul Dement 32:35, Red Bank; Tim Walsh 32:56, Monmouth Beach; John O’Hern 33:01, Little Silver; Mat Metlitz 33:11 and Guy Gallo 33:36, Little Silver; Peter Micioni 33:39, Fair Haven; Bayley Davis Jr. 34:05, Little Silver; Michael Villane 34:45, Rumson; Mark Lonergan 34:56, Red Bank; John Jankowski 35:28, Little Silver; J. Visceglia 35:33, Red Bank; Raymond Viggiano 35:45 and Paul Weber 36:02,

Rumson; Kerry Gillespie 36:13, Middletown; David Wrede 36:14, Red Bank; Michael Bruno 36:31, Rumson; Marc Hershey 36:42, Red Bank; Mark Gardner 36:47, Monmouth Beach; Henry Rosset 36:48, Rumson; John Elliott 37:03, Middletown; Louis Romeo 37:08, Port Monmouth; Neil Marascio 37:14, Little Silver (365 of 3980)

Women: Ali Belicose 32:08, Red Bank (12 of 3056); Jennifer Huesman 33:14, Fair Haven; Carol Buonanno 34:09, Middletown; Sandi Gardner 35:04, Monmouth Beach; Jennifer Gunn 35:48, Red Bank; Susan Flynn 36:03, Fair Haven; Mary Glaccum 37:19, Red Bank; Dawn Wilcox 37:37, Little Silver; Cathy Capozzi 38:47, Middletown; Emily Dooley 39:13, Red Bank; Christine Livingston 39:17, Little Silver; Quinn McKay 39:18, Rumson; Leslie McKernan 39:44, Red Bank; Carol Irwin 39:48, Rumson; Kristina Marchisin 39:48, Monmouth Beach; Kristine Toland 39:49 and Marian Enny 39:59, Middletown; Maryellen Cushing 40:07, Rumson; Keryn Koch 40:34, Fair Haven; Andrea Plaza 42:46 and Sue Moynihan 42:52, Little Silver; Colleen Ford 43:10, Red Bank; Gina Rosset 43:25, Rumson; Josiana Bianchi 43:28, Red Bank; Quinn McKay 44:03, Rumson; Cheri Coleman 44:09, Middletown; Leslie McKernan 44:16, Red Bank (371 of 3056).

Other Monmouth County coastal area leading finishers:

Men: Jonathan Messner 28:26, Tinton Falls (21 of 3980 men finishers); Scott Patterson 28:55, Belmar; Jeremy Pilkington 29:47, Allenhurst; Donald Griffin 30:53 and Michael Tully 31:10, Belmar; Matthew Shaffer 31:30, Tinton Falls; Michael Badger 31:51, Ocean Grove; Steven Apostolacus 32:01, West Allenhurst; Edward Alburtus 32:04, Lake Como; Scott McGhee 32:10, Neptune; Frank Horneck 32:37, Lake Como; Phil Benson 32:55, Ocean; John Scotto 33:13, Colin Richmond 33:49 and Thomas McInerney 33:54, Spring Lake; James Redeker 34:00, Lake Como; Richard Brugger Jr. 34:03, Neptune City; Ken McQuillen 34:14, Spring Lake Heights; Robert Echeverria 34:19, Neptune; Christopher Fitzmaurice 34:54, Spring Lake; Pete Mills 34:56, Ocaen; John Paradise 35:13, Interlaken; Kevin Kelly 35:15, Spring Lake; Jason Stumpf 35:24, Neptune; Mike Faletti 35:28, Tinton Falls; Brendan O’Reilly 35:30, Avon (240 of 3980).

Women: Christy Defilippis 32:39, Tinton Falls (14 of 3056 women finishers); Jean Clifton 32:57, Bernadette Taylor 34:05 and Taryn Landers 34:23, Spring Lake; Kathleen Kropke 34:28, Avon; Irene Hale 36:13 and Megan Hackett 38:09, Spring Lake; Susan Cusat 38:51, Tinton Falls; Samantha Iacouzzi 38:54, Spring Lake; Kathryn Lundquist 38:58, Bradley Beach; Judith Levinson 39:02, Ocean; Cindy Lustrino 39:14 and Kathryn Campbell 39:17, Spring Lake; Moira Horan 39:27, Spring Lake Heights; Karin Wingard 39:32, Spring Lake; lara Wengiel 39:34, Neptune; Alane Mahoney 39:40, Spring Lake; Emily Boucher 39:41, Lake Como; Sunny Borgschulte 39:53, Belmar; Noelle Carey 39:54, Karen Haulenbeck 39:55 and Kristin Nikola 40:03, Spring Lake; Jennifer Roycroft 40:06, Ocean; Megan Annitto 40:10, Avon; Kathleen Donahue 40:12, Spring Lake; Dorothy Lurch 40:13, Avon; Elizabeth Caverly 40:15, Lake Como; Carolyn Phillips 40:16, Spring Lake; Monica MacKin 40:18, Spring Lake Heights; Colleen Gould 40:19, Spring Lake; Jill Clancy 40:20, Spring Lake Heights; Kristina Luchento 40:33, Tinton Falls; Susan Foley 40:33, Avon; Tracey Antonucci 40:35, Spring Lake (240 of 3056).

Road racers have the Avon Day 5K on Saturday, June 3 at 8:30 a.m., info call 732-502-4519. It's The George Sheehan Classic 5 Miler in Red Bank on June 10 at 8:30 a.m., info call 732-988-7725. The Pre-Father's Day 5K is on Saturday, June 17, at Wanamassa Elementary School on Bendermere Avenue at 9 a.m., info call 732-542-6090. Down the road is the Pine Beach 5K on June 25, at 9 a.m. info call 732-505-9554. Further down the road on July 8 is the Belmar Five Mile Run at 8:30 a.m., info call 732-571-2162.

12. SHOW TO BENEFIT CHURCH BUILDING FUND IN NEPTUNE

NEPTUNE, NJ — Unity Church by the Shore will present “Le Cabaret Conte: Jazz, Blues & Rockin’ Fun!" on Fri., June 16, 7:30. The show features NJ and NY musical Conte family---singer, vocal coach and producer Rosemary Conte; singer-songwriter, guitarist Steve Conte, a member of the NY Dolls; and bassist-songwriter John Conte, and drummer Jeff Conte. They’ll be joined by sax player Danny Wilensky, an Atlantic Highlands resident, and drummer, Bob Boyd.

The show marks veteran shore artist Rosemary Conte’s second production and celebration of her return to performing after being sidelined for several years by illness. Proceeds of the show will benefit the Building Fund of Unity Church by the Shore, 3508 Asbury Ave., Neptune. .

Tickets can be purchased for $12 in advance by calling 732-583-4959; at the door for $15.

13. CAMEO'S SECOND APPEARANCE - MORE THAN $20,000 RAISED AT ESTATE AFFAIR TO SUPPORT RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER

RED BANK, NJ — A beautiful estate in Locust, New Jersey, served as a backdrop for more than 120 guests who gathered for a special event in support of Riverview Medical Center. On Friday, May 19, 2006, Mindy and Daniel Minerva graciously hosted this very special evening of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at their exquisite home.

The estimated $20,000 in proceeds from this unique event entitled “CAMEO – A Second Appearance,” will fund educational scholarships for the clinical and support staff of the Alton A. Hovnanian Emergency Care Center at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ. Tracy Boyle, Chair of the CAMEO Committee and a Riverview Medical Center Foundation Trustee, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the festivities.

Tim Hogan, president of Riverview Medical Center with wife Eileen of Red Bank, with Joe and Mollie Giamanco of Holmdel, longtime Riverview Medical Center friends at the May 19 CAMEO event hosted by Mindy and Daniel Minerva of Locust.

Notable guests, and CAMEO committee members, included CEO and Secretary of Commerce for New Jersey Virginia S. Bauer, as well as real estate broker Gloria Nilson. Other committee members include Meredyth Armitage, Denise Buonopane, Virginia Croddick, Liz Devlin, Susan Fowler, Julie Gilbertson, Kate Gotterup, Lucy Kalian, Lisa McKean, Kathleen Croddick Molyneaux, Maggie Riker, Paulette Roberts, and Anne Teeter. Since 1929, Riverview Medical Center has been serving the Red Bank community as a nonprofit healthcare institution. For more information on “CAMEO” and the Riverview Medical Center Foundation contact Georgette Timoney at 732-751-5125 or gtimoney@meridianhealth.com.

Alfred Schiavetti, Jr., Chairman of the Riverview Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees, along with wife Barbara Schiavetti, is greeted by CAMEO hosts Daniel and Mindy Minerva at their hilltop Locust home.

14. 2ND ANNUAL ARTS IN THE PARKS FESTIVAL - OCEAN GROVE AND ASBURY PARK

DATE: Saturday June 17, 2006

TIME: 9:00 am -7:00 pm

VENUE: Auditorium Park & Founders Park, Ocean Grove
Kennedy Park, Asbury Park

OCEAN GROVE , NJ — Local artists and musicians are celebated in Auditorium Park, Founders Park and Kennedy Park in Ocean Grove and Asbury Park. Music includes a stage in founders park and performances by: Agency, David Cohen, Wetlands, Afferent Cue, Danny White, Marcia Hendron, Arlan Feiles and the Lone Howdy's. There will also be a community drum circle and live Doo Wop by Sounds of the Street.

Businesses will be participating by offering unique events and sales. Main Avenue in Ocean Grove will also feature their Antique Car show.

There will be over 40 original artists displaying and selling art, photography,sculpture and jewelry. This event is sponsored by The Ocean Grove Area Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants Guild of Asbury Park.

Information: www.oceangrovenj.com 732-774-1391

15. MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR SUMMER SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTION

Campus Lawn Series Extends to Riverside Gardens & Tighe Park

LINCROFT, NJ — Brookdale's Performing Arts Center (PAC) will present Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor on the Lincroft main campus lawn July 7 and 8 at 7:00 p.m. and July 9 at 5:00 p.m. The production moves to Red Bank's Riverside Gardens July 14 and 15 at 7:00 p.m. and July 16 at 5:00 p.m. This year the production will expand to the Michael J. Tighe Park in Freehold Township with July 21 and 22 performances at 7:00 p.m. and a final show July 23 at 5:00 p.m. Audiences are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and picnics to enjoy the open-air theater event. Admission is free.

Now a summer theater tradition at the college, the annual Shakespeare summer production at Lincroft is in its fourth season. The presentation will be held on the lawn behind Larrison Hall. Parking is most convenient in lot 2.

Veteran director John Bukovec has assembled a young cast of Brookdale aspiring student actors as well as performers from the surrounding communities. The cast includes residents from Monmouth County and beyond;

" Jonathan Grey, Brick
" Adam Manu and Frank P. Van Note, Colts Neck
" Bob Grill, Cranbury
" Carolyn Hodge, Fair Haven
" Judi Alexander and Lindsay Attalla, Howell
" De Morbelle Cleare, Keansburg
" Samantha Artese, Justin Friedman and Dominic Minier, Manalapan
" Kristin Boccumini, Monmouth Junction
" Peter Singhofen, Matawan
" Natalie Manco, Neptune
" John Dunphy, Red Bank
" Justin Webster, Rumson
" Dan Pillis, Shrewsbury
" Shiela Silverio, South Amboy
" Louise Cassiday, Wall

The story line of the play centers on Sir John Falstaff's financial difficulties. Justice Shallow and his youthful cousin, Slender, have come to Windsor because he has conned them out of money. Falstaff decides to woo the wives of two of Windsor's leading merchants, Page, and Ford, to get money out of them. He sends his page, Robin, to each of the wives with a letter. The wives compare the letters and find they are identical. They decide to teach him a lesson and devise a plan.

The production is an ideal opportunity for audiences familiar with Shakespearean productions, as well as those who have never seen his classic works, to enjoy a relaxing evening of entertainment with family and friends. The Brookdale production welcomes group attendance.

For additional program information, please call (732) 224-2411.

16. BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CIRCLE K CLUB TO HOST FLAG FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT FOR AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

Sat. May 27th 2006

LINCROFT, NJ — The Circle K Club of Brookdale Community College is Hosting a Flag Football Tournament that benefits the American Cancer Society: Relay for Life. The event will take place on Saturday June 10th, 2006 at Brookdale Community College.

Interested participants please pre-register by June 5th, 2006. Cost for the tournament is as follows:
$30.00 for a team of 7
$5.00 for individual players
and $3.00 for spectators

Refreshments will be available! Please come out and help us support a great cause!

For registration forms please email AmandaBasich at Brookdalecirclek@yahoo.com

17. MILESTONE YEAR FOR BAYKEEPER OYSTER RESTORATION PROGRAM WILL BE CELEBRATED JUNE 7 ON THE NAVESINK RIVER

RED BANK, NJ — The NY/NJ Baykeeper Oyster Restoration Program will be holding its 5th Annual Oyster Bash on June 7, 2006, from 4-7pm, at the Monmouth Boat Club in Red Bank, New Jersey. It’s an event of celebration for the volunteer gardeners as they come to plant their oysters on the John English Memorial Reef in the Navesink River.

This is a particularly special year in many ways as the program highlights some major mile markers. Restore America’s Estuaries and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center’s community-based program, which provide the majority of funding for Baykeeper’s program, are celebrating their 500th project and their 10- year anniversary respectively.

“Best of all, we’re starting to achieve our program goal: planting oysters as a catalyst to a natural oyster spawning resurgence. Starting last year we had a natural oyster set on the Navesink reef, which means the oysters are starting to reproduce on their own. That’s a major breakthrough from the scientific point of view”, says Andrew Willner, Executive Director of the NY/NJ Baykeeper and acting manager of the program.

During the June 7th event, members of the Monmouth Boat Club and Baykeeper Boat Auxiliary will ferry volunteer oyster gardeners to the restored reef to deposit 40,000 oysters cultivated over the past several months at marinas and docks around the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. The evening will include guest speakers and information sharing. Food and refreshments will be catered by Bahrs Restaurant. Elected officials, agency representatives, Baykeeper partners, and the news media are also invited to the event.

“The American Littoral Society and NY/NJ Baykeeper are part of a nationwide alliance that aims at restoring a million acres of habitat in our nation’s estuaries by 2010. These are local volunteer-driven initiatives aided by federal dollars, doing everything from oyster restoration to sea grass recovery, to rebuilding salt marshes and dam removal,” says Mark Wolf-Armstrong, President and CEO of Restore America's Estuaries, who will be attending the oyster planting. “We’ve engaged a quarter million volunteers nationwide, and this year we are celebrating our 500th project. Baykeeper’s work on the Navesink is part of that legacy.”

“The Monmouth Boat Club has been very supportive of the Baykeeper oyster program, adds MBC vice commodore Todd Edwards. “We’ve used our boats in the past to help put shell down, and place oysters on the reefs. We also grow oysters at the club. We think it is a privilege to be able to participate in the program. Ultimately I’d like to see the day come when there are so many oysters in the river, and that the Bay is so clean, that the oysters can be harvested again.”

18. JERSEY FRESH THREE-DAY EVENT TO FEATURE NATION’S TOP HORSES AND RIDERS

TRENTON, NJ —One of the nation’s top eventing competitions, the 2006 Jersey Fresh CCI** and CCI***, will be held June 1-4 at the Horse Park of New Jersey at Stone Tavern.

Along with the country’s top horse and rider combinations competing in the three-star event, the two-star will test the skills of the newer, up and coming combinations.

Eventing was originally a military event intended to measure the fitness of military horses. To succeed both rider and horse must be highly trained in these three tests:

Dressage – a French term, meaning training. Dressage comprises a set series of complicated movements performed in an enclosed arena. It requires precision, smoothness, suppleness and complete obedience by the horse.
Cross-country – the endurance test. It includes four phases: two rounds of roads and tracks, the steeplechase, and the cross-country.
Show Jumping – takes place in the jumping arena. Horse and rider must negotiate between 12 and 15 show jumping obstacles.
The dressage phase will take place Thursday and Friday, June 1 and 2; cross-country on Saturday, June 3; and, show jumping along with the awards presentation will take place Sunday, June 4.

Along with the equestrian competition, there will be many vendors offering everything from jewelry, clothing and artwork to riding attire, horse equipment and food. Also on the agenda is a dog agility demonstration.

The New Jersey Equine Expo will be held in conjunction with the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event, giving spectators the opportunity to see many different breeds of horses found in New Jersey.

In addition, Dr. Lori from the television show, “Masterpiece Galleries,” will be on hand on June 3.

Based on the last survey available, New Jersey’s equine industry is a major segment of New Jersey agriculture with 49,000 animals and 81,000 acres of land related to equine.

The Jersey Fresh CCI** and CCI*** will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 1-4 at the Horse Park of New Jersey, Cream Ridge, NJ.

19. SPEND THE EVENING ON SANDY HOOK WITH MONMOUTH COUNTY AUDUBON SOCIETY JUNE 8

RED BANK, NJ — Join the Monmouth County Audubon Society for an evening bird walk to look for nesters and shorebirds on Sandy Hook. The event is scheduled for Thursday, June 8, at 6:00 pm.

The trip will be led by members of the Monmouth County Audubon Society who are familiar with Sandy Hook and its birds. “The evening is a great time to explore the quieter areas of Sandy Hook,” explains Linda Mack, trip leader and past president of the Monmouth County Audubon Society. “We never know what we will discover on these summer walks – herons, shorebirds, Ospreys and gulls are all regulars – and we may be able to sneak a peek at Piping Plovers, the endangered shorebirds that nest at Sandy Hook.”

Anyone interested in participating in the event can meet at 6:00 pm in the parking lot of the Sandyook Visitor’s Center.

The trip is open to both members and non-members of the Monmouth County Audubon Society, and participation is free. Advance registration is not required. Participants should bring binoculars and field guides and should dress appropriately for the weather, including clothing suitable for rain if the forecast is questionable. Insect repellent also is recommended. The walk will take place light rain or shine. Pets are not permitted.

The Monmouth County Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of nature, wildlife conservation, habitat protection and education. Meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month September through May at Trinity Episcopal Church, White Street; guest speakers address a wide variety of nature-related topics, and refreshments are provided. In addition, the group sponsors at least one field trip per month, and members receive The Osprey, the club’s bi-monthly newsletter. Further information can be obtained by calling the organization’s hotline, (732) USA-BIRD, by visiting their Website at http://www.monmouthaudubon.org, or via e-mail at mcas01@bellatlantic.net.

20. HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY TO HOST WALK-A-THON FOR STUDENT FACING NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

HIGHLANDS, NJ —One of the first graders at Highlands Elementary School, Morgan Cassidy, is scheduled for neurological surgery on June 24th, 2006. She has been diagnosed with Basilar Invagination, an uncommon condition that causes the base of the skull to compress the spinal cord. The surgery is estimated to take 14 hours and will take place in California. Morgan's parents are, Detective Kevin Cassidy, Hazlet Police, and Dana Cassidy.

The students, parents, and staff of Highlands Elementary School will take part in a walk-a-thon, "Miles for Morgan" on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. The goal of the walk is to raise money for the "Fund for Morgan Cassidy". The money raised is earmarked to defray the added expenses incurred by Morgan's family during her medical care.

The fund raiser is an opportunity for the students, Kindergarten through sixth grade, to learn how the members of a community work together to help one another. Each student has been asked to have family and friends "sponsor" them as they walk approximately 2 miles. Everyone who participates will earn a "Miles for Morgan" commemorative tee-shirt that was designed by Morgan's sister, Alexandra Cassidy. Ali is a third grade student in this school.

The event will take place between 8:45 and 10:45 on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. We will walk together from Highlands Elementary School playground at the corner of Linden & Waterwitch Avenue down Waterwitch Avenue to Bay Avenue. The group will continue south on Bay Avenue to Veteran's Park. After a brief stop at the park, we will return to school using the same route in reverse. Special prizes have been donated for the top fun raisers.

The committee is also sponsoring a 50/50 Raffle. Tickets are available from committee members and merchants through out Highlands. The drawing will take place at the end of the walk-a-thon at the school. For more information call; Sue Thomas 732-872-1476 (W) or 732-872-1006 (H)

21. EXHIBIT AT MITCHELL SANBORN GALLERY FEATURES TEXTILES

Fiber, Form and Function

Textile art by the 7 women of The Thursday Afternoon Fiber Group. Their work ranges from elaborate beaded, painted and hand stitched quilts to woven paper jewelry, from story-telling quilted panels to mythical figurative sculptures from clothes which look fabulous on bodies or on wall to intricately patterned wall hangings.

Still and Moving

Three short visualizations including one in collaboration with the painter Louise Bourgeois.

The Mitchell Sanborn Gallery in Keyport from June 17 – July 15. The opening reception is scheduled for Saturday June 17, from 5–7 PM.

The gallery is located at 46 West Front Street in Keyport. Gallery hours are Thursday evening 5 – 8PM, and Saturday and Sunday 12 – 4 PM, or by appointment. For more information, contact the Mitchell Sanborn Gallery at (732) 888-0048, or visit www.mitchellsanborngallery.com

22. SUMMER CONCERT CHARITY EVENT IN MIDDLETOWN

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Rock’n Music Academy, a music academy located at 500 Route 35 South, Union Square in Middletown, will be hosting a Summer Concert Charity Event including a Bon Jovi guitar raffle on Saturday, July 15th 2006.

The event raffle, sponsored by St. Mary’s Church, Middletown, and hosted by Rock’n Music Academy, will benefit local cancer patient Michelle Seamans.
Michelle is a resident of Middletown and a member of St. Mary’s Church.

The event be will held at 1:00pm outside of Rock’n Music Academy and feature live performances by local artists including: Howard Lee Edwards, Evolutionow, Amber Blues, Terry Little, Eric Lopez, Delayed Reaction, and Rock’n Music Academy student bands. The concert will culminate with raffling off an Ovation Celebrity acoustic guitar autographed by all four members of Bon Jovi,
including: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres, and David Bryan.

Rock’n Music Academy was developed by Howard Lee Edwards, a local professional guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording artist. The brand new state of the art facility located in Middletown was built in 2005 and features fourteen professional sound proof studios for guitar, bass, drums, keyboards/piano, and vocal instruction, a percussion studio, a rehearsal studio, and seminar classrooms for special programs.

For more information on the Summer Concert Charity Event, call Rock’n Music Academy at 732-933- ROCK (7625) or stop in at our music lesson studios on Route 35 South, Union Square, Middletown, across from Whole Foods.

23. MONMOUTH AGENCY HOSTS 1ST ANNUAL SOIRÉE TO BENEFIT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ — Over 130 guests enjoyed the woodsy ambiance of Lake Valhalla Club in Montville while bidding on 50 yard line NY Giants tickets and munching on gourmet s’mores at the first annual Summer Camp Soirée which benefited Family Intervention Services (FIS). The creatively themed evening incorporated dinner, dancing, and a live and silent auction on the lake beach and in the lodge. Auction items included tickets and hospitality passes to the US Open in Westchester for one week, a lacrosse camp with premiere admittance to the season opener of the New Jersey Pride, a week’s vacation at homes in Martha’s Vineyard and Quebec, Canada, and much more.

Committee co-chairs Penny Sokolowski and Ganell Criqui developed the idea of a “Wish Table” to allow supporters to donate goods and services directly to children in FIS programs. Gala attendees visited the table on the lawn to view stories written by the children and found out how they could make each special “wish” come true. Some of the wishes granted included Devine’s, who will be heading to Sixers Basketball Camp, Justen who will be taking guitar lessons, Craig who has his camp supplies sponsored and Amanda, who will be enjoying summer at the horseback riding camp where she so badly wanted to go. According to gala co-chair Penny Sokolowski, “when kids who have had a tough time are able to do something that everybody else can do, it gives them hope. Hope is important when you’ve been in a difficult situation as a child.”

FIS received corporate support for the Soirée from PSE&G, Smolin & Lupin Co., Commerce Bank, Wachovia Wealth Management, and Preferred Benefits. Kevin Gillen, Senior Vice President of Commerce Bank said, “I go to a lot of benefits, and I love that this was so relaxed and had such young, enthusiastic crowd.”

Family Intervention Services is a non-profit that provides counseling and services to meet the individual needs of each child and family. Under the direction of current CEO and Founder and Red Bank resident Jeanne Warnock, FIS now celebrates 25 years of service to the New Jersey community. Since opening its doors in Morristown in 1981, FIS has grown to provide counseling services in 10 counties with additional offices in West Long Branch, Fairfield, Newton, Morris Plains, South Orange, Wayne and Paterson. Today, more than 170 staff deliver services to over 3,000 children and families a year. The Soirée served as an unofficial “open house” that allowed stories of the families and children to be told and reminded supporters of the agency’s mission to “strengthen families and promote the safety and well-being of children.”

Family Intervention Services, a non profit organization, provides individualized counseling services to children and families and has eight offices serving New Jersey families. Its mission is to strengthen families and promote the safety and well being of children. In the past twenty-five years FIS has counseled over 38,000 New Jersey families. For more information about Family Intervention Services, please visit the organization’s website at www.fisnj.org.

24. SEEKING ENTRANTS FOR 2006 MONMOUTH COUNTY SENIOR CITIZEN ART CONTEST AND EXHIBITION

FREEHOLD, NJ — The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Monmouth County Office on Aging are again sponsoring the Senior Citizen Art Contest and Exhibition. The 2006 Monmouth County Art Contest and Exhibition will be held at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan, New Jersey. The art show viewing will run from Thursday, July 6, through Monday, July 31, 2006.

Anyone interested in entering the Art Contest and Exhibition must be a resident of Monmouth County and be age 60 or over. There will be two artist classifications: professional and nonprofessional. The categories that will be judged by each artist classification are: acrylic, craft (original, one-of-a-kind creations only), digital imagery, drawing (pencil, pen, ink, graphite), mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, print, sculpture, and watercolor. Entries winning first place will automatically advance to the State competition.

Anyone interested in entering Monmouth County’s 2006 Senior Citizen Art Contest and Exhibition should contact Joni Baron at the Office on Aging at 732-683-8919 with your name, telephone number, and address. Ms. Baron will send you a packet that will include an application, rules and regulations, directions to the library, and important dates. The completed application is to be returned to Joni Baron no later than Thursday, June 22, 2006.

25. BASIE AWARD WINNERS TAKE THE STAGE

Honoring Excellence in High School Theatre

RED BANK, NJ — On May 24, 2006 at 7PM, the nominees for the Count Basie Theatre’s Basie Awards made their way into the theatre for the much-anticipated Basie Awards ceremony. In the tradition of the Tony Awards, but geared toward high school productions as the next generation, the program recognizes the best in dramatic and musical theatre productions in Monmouth County high schools, and the actors, directors, musicians, choreographers and crews who created them.

Hosted by News 12 New Jersey’s John Bathke, the awards ceremony featured musical highlights from nominated shows and guest presenters including Max Weinberg of Late Night with Conan O’Brien; Joan and Robert Rechnitz of Two River Theatre Company; Graham Lustig of American Repertory Ballet; Laurie Edwards of Phoenix Productions; Pasquale Menna, Council President Borough of Red Bank; Meghan Mullaney, Council President Borough of Matawan; Mary Eileen Fouratt of the Monmouth County Arts Council; Charles Connolly, Chairperson at Keyport High School; Kimberly Crater-Horn of the Algonquin Arts Theatre; Michael D'Anna, Principal Matawan High School; Joanna Leddin of Milwaukee Ballet; Brian Leddin, Chairman of Count Basie Theatre Board of Trustees; John Onorato of Phoenix Productions; Rosemarie Peters of Middletown Twp. Cultural and Arts Council; Nicole Russo of Count Basie Theatre Cool School Faculty; Gerry Scharfenberger, Deputy Mayor Middletown Twp.; Kerrianne Spellman of Broadway's Les Miserable; Sherry Gevarter Middletown Twp. Board of Education; Jim Stefankiewicz, Principal of Red Bank Regional High School; Thomas Stephens of Algonquin Arts Theatre; Darrell Willis of Dunbar Repertory Company, plus many more. The event was also filmed by Brookdale Television’s Roger Conant and his staff who will create a DVD commemorating the event.

Following the Awards, John Bathke had this to say, “They (Count Basie Theatre) turned this into a mini Tony Awards...there was a red carpet with photographers and interviewers, and as presenters read the names of nominees, you could feel the tension…and then the roof-raising explosion of excitement when the winner was called. Students in the nominated musicals got to perform on stage with a house band, a moment I'm sure they'll always remember”.

And the Basie went to...

Outstanding Scenic Design ~ Drama

Joseph Reilly

Freehold High School ~ Our Town

Outstanding Scenic Design ~ Musical

Patti Dunnells & Rich Dunnells

Raritan High School ~ Once Upon A Mattress

Outstanding Lighting Design ~ Musical

Mike Beckwith

Freehold High School ~ Cabaret

Outstanding Lighting Design ~ Drama

Eric Salomon

Freehold High School ~ Our Town

Outstanding Costume Design ~ Drama

Carole Malik

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School – Beauty And The Beast

Outstanding Costume Design ~ Musical

Carole Malik

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School ~ Grease

Outstanding Prop Design ~ Musical

Mark Otten

Red Bank Regional High School ~ No No Nanette

Outstanding Prop Design ~ Drama

Leigh Brodsky

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School – Beauty And The Beast

Special Achievement Award ~ Drama

Graveyard Ghouls

Raritan High School ~ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Outstanding Featured Ensemble Member ~ Musical

Diana McCorry

Red Bank Regional High School ~ No No Nanette

Outstanding Ensemble Group ~ Musical

The Kit Kat Girls

Freehold High School ~ Cabaret

Outstanding Supporting Actor ~ Drama

Peter Giovine

Ranney School~Antigone

Outstanding SupportingActress~ Drama

Samantha Clifford

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School ~ Beauty And The Beast

Outstanding SupportingActress ~ Musical

Lori Tishfield

Freehold High School ~ Cabaret

Outstanding Supporting Actor ~ Musical

Aaron Fried

Wall High School ~ Bye Bye Birdie

Outstanding Supporting Actor ~ Musical

Sean Fulton

Raritan High School ~ Once Upon A Mattress

Outstanding Lead Actor ~ Drama

Anthony Greco

Monmouth Regional High School ~ Brighton Beach Memoirs

Outstanding Lead Actress ~ Drama

Jenny Vallancourt

Middletown High School South ~ Psycho Beach Party

Outstanding Lead Actor ~ Musical

Rob Guiry

Red Bank Catholic High School ~ The Wizard of Oz

Outstanding Lead Actor ~ Musical

Connor Spahn

Freehold High School ~ Cabaret

Outstanding Lead Actress ~ Musical

Jamie Rubenstein

Marlboro High School ~ Anything Goes

Outstanding Chorus ~ Musical

Raritan High School ~ Once Upon A Mattress

Outstanding Orchestra ~ Musical

Marlboro ~ Anything Goes

Outstanding Musical Director ~ Musical

Patrick M. Dalton

Marlboro ~ Anything Goes

Outstanding Direction ~ Drama George Liebenberg

Student Direction ~ Robert Lyon III & Krissy Ruhnke

Monmouth Regional High School ~ Brighton Beach Memoirs

Outstanding Direction ~ Musical

Melanie Taylor

Raritan High School ~ Once Upon A Mattress

Outstanding Choreographer ~ Musical

Lisa Zuar & Gina Cichorz

Raritan ~Once Upon A Mattress

Outstanding Production ~ Drama

Freehold High School ~ Our Town

Outstanding Production ~ Musical

Raritan High School ~ Once Upon A Mattress

The Count Basie Theatre is a not-for-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization located at 99 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, NJ. The theatre is wheelchair accessible and FM assistive listening devices and large print programs are available.

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PASTOR'S CORNER
By Rev. Dr. George Hancock-Stefan
Central Baptist Church
Atlantic Highlands, NJ

cbcbeacon@aol.com

Area Houses of Worship

BODY POLITIC
by Jack Archibald,
Atlantic Highlands
Councilman

View past articles

jack@ahherald.com

GOOD NEWS FOR ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS TAXPAYERS

There is good news for Atlantic Highlands taxpayers this year. At last weeks borough council meeting, a municipal budget was adopted that did not include a tax increase to our residents. In a year when municipalities throughout the county are facing double digit tax increases, Atlantic Highlands residents can breathe a sigh of relief.

The budget included some tough cuts while preserving many of the essential services that our citizens have come to expect. Led by Councilman Peter Doyle, the finance committee reviewed each line in the budget and maximized the contribution from the harbor. Among the highlights in the budget is a reduction in borough attorney fees by 25% and reinstituting the sidewalk program after a two year hiatus.

Like any budget, there are expenses that cannot easily be controlled. Specifically, the health care costs that challenge employers in both the private and public sector contributed to much of the spending increases. Additionally, money had to be set aside for professionals in the continuing fight for the McConnell property and the borough's COAH requirement.

Nonetheless, the Republican controlled council delivered a sound budget that taxpayers can be proud of. While he was unable to vote on the final budget, Democrat Councilman Carl Nolan as a member of the finance committee made a significant contribution towards holding the line against taxes. The fiscal house of Atlantic Highlands is the envy of many municipalities in the county this year.

AT LARGE
by Woody Zimmerman

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INFLATION THEN AND NOW

Inflation has been in the news lately because it was higher in 2005 (3.4%) than in recent years. The Fed is steadily hiking interest rates to try to “cool off” the economy and stop inflation before it really gets going. This has been tried before – with questionable effect. In the late 1970s we had gas prices comparable to today’s and 14% inflation. The Fed raised interest rates until we had 18% mortgages and the economy was in the tank. (Experts called it “stagflation”.) Inflation didn't cool off until Ronald Reagan deregulated oil, got the Iran-hostages back, and told us inflation was just an expectation of higher prices that was – more or less – in our heads.

Historically, not all inflation has been that benign. Young people whose world history education goes no farther back than, say, 1941, may or may not have heard of the great German inflation of 1923. A confluence of economic factors, which I won’t attempt to describe here, caused the German mark – historically stable at approximately 4 marks to the dollar – to inflate horrifically during 1922-‘23 until it reached something close to 6 trillion marks to the dollar in November 1923. The precise figure is irrelevant, as the currency was literally worth less than the paper on which it was printed. (See figure below.) Interested readers should review “The Nightmare German Inflation”, a News and Views Special Report from 1994 (1) which details those events.

Americans tend to view that era as a foreign curiosity that has nothing to do with us. Germany, after all, was universally condemned for having started the World War, which it lost. The country was in economic and political chaos. Millions lost their life savings. Armed bands roamed the streets, and insurrection was in the air. On November 9, 1923, Adolph Hitler led his nascent band of Nazis in an abortive attempt to overthrow the government of Bavaria. The Beer Hall Putsch was crushed, but Hitler used it to become a national figure. The rest (as they say) is history.

If you’re under forty, you could think we have always had inflation as low as now. But things were different in the late 1970s. Before Ronald Reagan, inflation was nearing “galloping” speed (14%). Gerald Ford tried Whip Inflation Now (WIN) buttons and jawboning. Jimmy Carter told us we were a bunch of wusses, turned the White House lights off, and tried to slap us into shape. But no one seemed to know how to stop inflation. After Mr. Reagan changed our expectations and lowered taxes, the hobgoblin of inflation seemed to evaporate.

The truth – realized retrospectively, but not at the time – is that inflation tends to flare up when people sense weakness in their leaders. (Something to think about now.) The ‘70s were an insecure decade. After Richard Nixon got the bums rush, inflation flared from 6.2% (1973) to 11% (1974), dropped a little to 9.2% (1975), then fell considerably to 5.75% (1976) as Mr. Ford got his sea-legs. But Mr. Carter blew an uncertain trumpet. Inflation increased steadily through his term, reaching 13.6% in 1980 as his weaknesses became obvious. It was still 10.4% in Mr. Reagan’s first year (1981), but diminished markedly through his terms to a low of 1.91% (1986).

I know tables of numbers make some readers’ eyes glaze over, but I hope the table below will pique some interest. It lists yearly inflation rates from 1914-2005, as well as the cumulative cost-price index for each year, based upon 1.00 in 1913. As shown, the 2005 CPI is nearly 20. Thus, a 2005 dollar has approximately the purchasing power of a 1913 nickel.

YEAR	Rate (%)	CPI	YEAR	Rate (%)	CPI	YEAR	Rate (%)	CPI
1913		1.000	1944	1.64	1.793	1975	9.20	5.502
1914	1.35	1.014	1945	2.27	1.834	1976	5.75	5.818
1915	0.92	1.023	1946	8.43	1.988	1977	6.50	6.197
1916	7.64	1.101	1947	14.65	2.279	1978	7.62	6.669
1917	17.80	1.297	1948	7.74	2.456	1979	11.22	7.417
1918	17.26	1.521	1949	-0.95	2.433	1980	13.58	8.424
1919	15.31	1.754	1950	1.09	2.459	1981	10.35	9.296
1920	15.90	2.032	1951	7.88	2.653	1982	6.16	9.869
1921	-10.85	1.812	1952	2.29	2.714	1983	3.22	10.187
1922	-6.10	1.701	1953	0.82	2.736	1984	4.3	10.625
1923	1.80	1.732	1954	0.32	2.745	1985	3.55	11.002
1924	0.45	1.740	1955	-0.28	2.737	1986	1.91	11.212
1925	2.44	1.782	1956	1.52	2.778	1987	3.66	11.622
1926	0.94	1.799	1957	3.34	2.871	1988	4.08	12.097
1927	-1.92	1.764	1958	2.73	2.950	1989	4.83	12.681
1928	-1.15	1.744	1959	1.01	2.979	1990	5.39	13.364
1929	0.00	1.744	1960	1.46	3.023	1991	4.25	13.932
1930	-2.66	1.698	1961	1.07	3.055	1992	3.03	14.355
1931	-8.94	1.546	1962	1.20	3.092	1993	2.96	14.779
1932	-10.30	1.387	1963	1.24	3.130	1994	2.61	15.165
1933	-5.09	1.316	1964	1.28	3.170	1995	2.81	15.591
1934	3.51	1.362	1965	1.59	3.221	1996	2.93	16.048
1935	2.56	1.397	1966	3.01	3.318	1997	2.34	16.424
1936	1.04	1.412	1967	2.78	3.410	1998	1.55	16.678
1937	3.73	1.464	1968	4.27	3.556	1999	2.19	17.043
1938	-2.01	1.435	1969	5.46	3.750	2000	3.38	17.620
1939	-1.30	1.416	1970	5.84	3.969	2001	2.83	18.118
1940	0.73	1.427	1971	4.30	4.139	2002	1.59	18.406
1941	5.11	1.500	1972	3.27	4.275	2003	2.27	18.824
1942	10.97	1.664	1973	6.16	4.538	2004	2.68	19.329
1943	6.00	1.764	1974	11.03	5.039	2005	3.39	19.984

Before anyone looks for a window to jump out of, it’s worth pointing out that things in 1913 didn’t uniformly cost 1/20 of current prices. DVDs didn’t cost 50¢ because they hadn’t been invented yet. A cup of coffee did cost a nickel – my grandma, who lived in New York in 1912, said so – and you can still get one for $1.00 at some places. (Probably not at Starbucks.)

The table reflects our history. One glaring fact is that thirteen out of 92 years actually had negative or zero inflation. (I marked them with blue shading.) This is more correctly called “deflation”. The last such year was 1955. Six deflationary years came during the Great Depression. Our worst inflationary periods were 1913-‘20 (100%, due to World War I) and 1970-’80 (112% during the Nixon-Ford-Carter era, as mentioned previously).

Along with many, I never realized that the CPI started diminishing from 2.03 in 1920 to a low-point of 1.32 in 1933. (A deflation of 35%!) The CPI did not regain its 1920 level of 2.0 until 1946. The deflation was tough on people who owed money – e.g., mortgages on their homes – since they had to pay their loans with “dearer” dollars. Debtors always benefit from inflation, which is why we generally have more of it than deflation. In the 1923 German hyperinflation, some Prussian landowners paid off their million-mark mortgages with postage stamps. Every economic situation is good for someone.

The table enables calculation of inflation over any span of time. One divides the CPI from an ending year by the CPI of a beginning year. Thus, I can find inflation from 1960 to 2005: i.e., (19.984)/3.055 = 6.54, so the inflation was 554%. (If the quotient had been 1.00, the inflation would have been 0.) If you earned $5,000 in 1960, you would need $32,700 today to have (approximately) the same buying power. I know the minimum wage was $1 an hour then because I worked for that wage. To be equivalent, the minimum wage should now be $6.54 an hour. In fact, it is $5.15. (Was $1.00 was the correct minimum wage in 1960? Or should there be a minimum at all? I don’t know. Economists are still arguing about it.)

Using the division method, we find that inflation has been:

404% since 1970;
137% since 1980;
50% since 1990.

After you see that inflation was 15% in 1947 and nearly 18% in 1917, you can’t get very excited about 3.4% in 2005. Some wags wonder if the Fed chairman wants to crash the economy so he can look good reviving it. I doubt that, but I do think our politics and economics today are still haunted by the high inflation of the 1970s.

The important thing for ordinary people to realize – Mr. Bernanke already does – is how quickly relatively small annual inflation rates can drive the CPI upward. The useful approximation called the “rule of 72” shows this. Divide 72 by any interest rate (expressed as percent) to discover how many years it will take, at that rate, to double the initial index. Thus, 3% inflation a year will double the CPI in 24 years (not 33 years, as the man on the street imagines). The rule works either way – e.g., to double the index in 12 years, the inflation rate must be 6% a year (72/12=6).

All this matters because no one rides the income/inflation wave forever. When you stop working, your income usually trails inflation. Even small inflation rates can seriously degrade a fixed retirement income over time. In the past, many people had CPI-adjusted pensions. They didn’t worry about inflation, as their pensions went up too. (Social Security and federal pensions still do.) In the future, fewer people will enjoy inflation protection. As people live longer, their retirements might stretch far enough to see significant inflationary erosion of their incomes.

The inflation table enables all kinds of fascinating comparisons, but space limitations let us record only a few. One that I will mention is the cost of college. In 1960 I paid $1300 for my first year at a private school. (My buddies thought I was crazy, since their state teachers college tuition cost only $150/year.) Today, a year at my old school costs $26,000 – twenty times what I paid, and far ahead of inflation which would make it $8600 today. I recall reading that a year at Harvard cost $4000 in ‘64. That would be $25,000 today. I’m sure Harvard costs twice that.

Gas cost 30¢ a gallon in 1960. That’s $1.99 a gallon in today’s currency. The 5¢ candy bar from 1955 should cost only 37¢ today, but it’s twice that. The dollar shrank to 50¢ of its 1913 value by 1920, recovered to 75¢ by 1934, dropped to 50¢ again by 1946, was worth a 1913 quarter by 1970, and hit a thin 1913 dime by 1982. As mentioned earlier, it’s worth a 1913 nickel now. Today’s dollar has the buying power of a 1982 half-dollar or a 1974 quarter.

My neighbors bought a new color TV in 1958 for $400. The color was very primitive. In inflation-adjusted 2005 dollars, that’s equivalent to $2710 today. But modern color TVs cost only $300, and their quality is miles beyond that 1958 model. Technology doesn’t stand still.

In 1927, the last year Ford made the Model T, a basic car cost about $300. That would be $3400 in today’s dollars. A new car costs far more than that now. Luckily, it’s not a Model T any more.

*******

(1) “The Nightmare German Inflation”; 1994. ( http://www.usagold.com/GermanNightmare.html)

WINDOWS ON RED BANK
by Daniel Murphy, Jr.
Danny's Steak House

danssteaks@aol.com

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SPOTLIGHT ON KEANSBURG
by Patrick Pecora
Keansburg Councilman

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COUNCIL MEETING 5/24/06

This past week there was a regular monthly meeting of the Keansburg Borough Council. The meeting began with a rather lengthy presentation by Dave Roberts who is a planner for Schoor Depalma. Schoor DePalma is an engineering firm our town is using for planning our redevelopment efforts. I will speak more about the plans and the presentation in a future article.

At the most recent meeting the council members took action on three ordinances and ten resolutions in addition to receiving reports from department heads.

Ordinance 1408 amends the development regulations of the Borough of Keansburg as they pertain to fencing. This ordinance passed by a vote of 4 in favor and none opposed. No members of the public provided any input to this ordinance. It allows for the zoning officer or his designee to permit construction of a fence not to exceed six feet in height along an improved public street. Ordinance 1409 amends the development regulations of the Borough of Keansburg as they pertain to storage sheds. This ordinance passed by a vote of 4 in favor and none opposed. No members of the public provided any input to this ordinance. This ordinance allows for a set back of three feet from the property lines for the location of a shed. Lastly, ordinance 1410 amends the development regulations of the Borough of Keansburg as they pertain to storage sheds. This ordinance passed by a vote of 4 in favor and none opposed. No members of the public provided any input to this ordinance. This ordinance allows for a permit fee of $25.00with the submission of each development permit application.

As I stated above, ten resolutions were approved during the meeting. Resolution 55 was for the normal monthly payment of borough bills. Resolutions 56, 57 and 58 all pertained to bingo and raffle licenses for St. Ann’s. Resolution number 59 was the refund of excess construction escrow fees. All of these resolution passed by a vote of four in favor.

Resolution 60 was for a person to person transfer of a liquor license. This is usual when an establishment with an existing license is sold. This transfer however was held until after and executive session discussion of the transfer by the council. After the discussion and after the council returned from execution session this resolution passed by a vote of five in favor.

Resolution 61 was for the refund of a tax overpayment. Resolution 62 was for line item budget transfers. These are normally allowed to move funds from one line item where it is not needed to other line items or departments that need extra funds. Resolution 63 was the authorization of a lease agreement between the borough and the board of education for the use of St. John’s ball fields.

I want to talk about resolution 64 separately. This resolution was for the appointment of another member of the Keansburg Housing Authority. Again, I had a problem with this appointment as the seat that is to expire in July is currently held by a resident of public housing. When he was appointed the person holding this seat was living in a development that was part of the Keansburg Housing Authority (McGrath). In the ensuing years since his appointment, that building is now no longer part of the Keansburg Housing Authority. It is my understanding that a seat on the board of directors must belong to a resident of public housing, specifically a Keansburg Housing Authority resident. I asked that the appoint be held to give the borough attorney time to investigate that specific rule since he did not know at the time of the meeting. Of course the appointment was made anyway pending determination and investigation by the borough attorney. This appointment was made by a vote of three in favor and one against (me). At the time of this article, I did not hear from our attorney as to the legality of this appointment.

Upcoming Council meetings.

Regular Council Meeting – The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Keansburg Borough Council will be on Wednesday 6/28/06 at 6 PM in Borough Hall. All of the regular monthly meetings of the Keansburg Borough Council are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6 PM unless otherwise announced.

Upcoming town events and announcements

None at this time.

Meeting Reminders

The Keansburg Planning and Zoning board meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 PM in Borough Hall. Usually a workshop meeting begins at 6:30 PM. All meetings are open to the public. You can also check the municipal website at: http://www.keansburgboro.com.

Please be advised that the Keansburg Hispanic Heritage Society meets on the First Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM in the United Methodist Church located at 21 Church Street in Keansburg. Please help to spread the word of this organization and the regular monthly meetings by telling all of your relatives, friends and neighbors.

The Keansburg Tree and Beautification Committee meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 PM in Borough Hall. All meetings are open to the public. This organization is still seeking volunteers to help with the many projects they have planned. If you would like to volunteer, please attend any of the monthly meetings.

Please make note that the Keansburg Board of Education usually meets on the fourth Tuesday each month at 7 PM in the teachers lounge at the J. R. Bolger School. These meetings always open to the public. You can check the meeting schedule on the following link: http://www.keansburg.k12.nj.us/BoardMeetings.php.

Please make note that the Keansburg Recreation Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 PM in Borough Hall. The meetings are always open to the public. Volunteers are often sought to work on upcoming projects.

Please note that the regular monthly meetings of the Keansburg Borough Council are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7 PM in Borough Hall.

The new Keansburg Waterfront Public Library has a web site however like our library you may find that some of the site is still under construction at this time. However, I wanted to remind everyone of the library web site. The address is: www.keansburglibrary.us. This web site has been built and is maintained by the members of our library committee and the volunteers.

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GORDON BISHOP ON THE ISSUES

by Gordon Bishop
Syndicated Columnist

Archive

IDOL: I LIKED TAYLOR…BUT I LOVED KATHERINE

I’m addicted to the most popular television show in history: American Idol.

That doesn’t automatically make me stupid or shallow. I just enjoy watching people making fools of themselves before a TV camera. I don’t mean the top 12 American Idols, but the thousands that took their first auditions before the three blind mice, that is, the three Idol judges – Randy, Paula and Simon.

Simon’s my favorite because of his command of the English language. No, he is not a “simple Simon,” as his worst critics see him

This season was the best in the American Idol series. Katherine McPhee, 22, was the best female vocalist in the line-up. Taylor Hicks, 29, was the best male singer in the line-up.

At least American Idol had two winners, not one! All along, I though Katherine was going to be The Idol for the fifth season because Simon liked her more than he liked Taylor, whom he did not vote for when Taylor did his first audition. It was Judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul who pushed Taylor through to get him to Hollywood with his yellow “pass” slip.

At one point, Simon compared Taylor to a drunken dad at a wedding. Poor Taylor blew it off and kept being Taylor Hicks. That’s character, a man with a strong constitution.

What I appreciated most about Taylor was his incredible energy and doing his own thing, singing and dancing all over the place, which irritated Simon. It wasn’t until the near end of the finale that Simon finally witnessed Taylor singing a song without dancing and jumping all over the stage and in the audience.

This guy was like Frank Sinatra, whose signature hit song was : “ – and I did it my way!”

Taylor could care less what anybody thought of him. He knew he had it in himself to be a winner. And a winner he was. Taylor was the only contestant never to be in the “bottom 3” or the “Bottom 2.”

Katherine wound up only once in the “Bottom 2,” a surprise to both herself and Taylor.

Throughout the contest, Simon would say that Katherine (who host Ryan Seacrest nicknamed “Kats”) was in “a class by herself, a league by herself… who was ready to go to Hollywood as a star just halfway through the series).

I rated Katherine a perfect “10” because of her flawless features, her sexy body, and most important, her incredible voice. No one could reach the high notes and the low notes and all the notes in between except Katherine McPhee, whose mere appearance gave her male fans “the fever.”

At the end, after the last performance, Simon pointed to Taylor as he finished his song, and declared: “YOU ARE THE NEXT AMERICAN IDOL!”

I was shocked, baffled. The show was over and Simon did a 180 turnaround, endorsing Taylor over his favorite Katherine. It was Simon who picked the Judy Garland song “Over The Rainbow” for Katherine to sing near the end of the contest. He rated Katherine’s perfect rendition of “Rainbow” as the best performance of the entire 2006 Idol season.

So why did Simon suddenly change his mind, first promoting Katherine as “the one to beat,” and then handing his vote to Taylor Hicks? Something screwy’s going on here.

It really doesn’t matter. Look who won the second American Idol: Reuben Stoddard, a guy who was morbidly obese at some 300 pounds or more, beating out the best voice of that season, Clay Aiken, who has since sold many more CD recording than the big guy who sweat his way through every song.

I think Katherine McPhee has the potential to be the next Grace Kelly super-star with a lot more talent than the blonde Princess from Philadelphia.

I’ll buy any CDs that Katherine releases because of her crystal voice. I’m not into Taylor’s raw, raspy voice that seems always to be straining to reach beyond what his voice can deliver.

I have only one question for Simon: Why did you decide to use your influence to push Taylor into the No. 1 spot, while abandoning your favorite sweetheart throughout the five-month Idol season?

(Gordon Bishop is a Who’s Who in America, national award-winning author, historian and syndicated columnist, and New Jersey’s first “Journalist-of-the-Year” – 1986/New Jersey Press Association.)

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OLD OAK TRAIL
by Joe Reynolds
AH Environmental Commission Member

joe@ahherald.com

mini-autobiography

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THE HORSESHOE CRAB AND SHOREBIRDS BOND IN SANDY HOOK

The harbor in Atlantic Highlands is nearly full of boats being moored for the Memorial Day weekend. Upland, the sweet perfume smell of Locust tree flowers fills the air. Down by the beach, sensitive wrinkled flowers of Rosa Rugusa, also known as the Beach Rose or Salt-spray Rose, cover the sandy high dune landscape with purplish-pink to rose-red hues and sweet scents.

It is the last full weekend of May. Summer is upon us. The air is warm and humid. The soil is still damp from overnight thunderstorms that must have poured out at least an inch of rain. With the passing of a front yesterday comes the promise of sunny skies and dry weather for the remainder of the holiday weekend.

I drive to Sandy Hook after 4pm when the entrance fee is waved off and the mass of visitors have departed. I find a parking place at Parking Lot C. I cross over Hartshorne Drive and begin my solitary walk beside the bay to enjoy the cool breezes and serene setting along the water’s edge.

The evening shoreline stroll reveals a dozen or more Horseshoe Crabs that have been overturned by tides and waves during the act of mating. Although some people (especially new residents and visitors) are afraid of the critters, Horseshoe Crabs are actually harmless to humans. I have never heard of anyone being attacked by a Horseshoe Crab. The idea seems silly to me. The crab’s legs will not hurt a person and the tail is really delicate, So much so, that if you pick up a Horseshoe Crab by its tail, it might disconnect from the body and break off.

(An upside down Horseshoe Crab in need of someone to flip it over)

I do my small part to try to preserve the Horseshoe Crabs by gently grabbing the shell along one side and just turning them over one by one. I am not sure if this animal can feel joy, but the crabs seem more at ease now as they head to secluded estuarine waters.

Quite a few environmental organizations in New Jersey and Delaware will tell you that most of the Horseshoe Crab population along the East Coast can be found in the shallow waters of Delaware Bay. Yet, how would they know? To the best of my knowledge there has never been a proper scientific population study of Horseshoe Crabs throughout New Jersey, including the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary and Raritan Bay-Sandy Hook Bay. I think there are some people who want to write off the northern Bayshore region of Monmouth County as being biologically void of Horseshoe Crabs, perhaps because we live in an urban region. Yet people, especially scientists and policy makers, should not make the mistake of ignoring Horseshoe Crabs in other parts of the Atlantic Coast other than Delaware Bay.

If the Horseshoe Crab is to survive and co-exist with people in New Jersey we must learn to celebrate their spring visits to Sandy Hook Bay and any sandy beach within an estuarine area along the Jersey Shore, from Raritan Bay to Delaware Bay. We ought to welcome Horseshoe Crabs to our beaches, fully protect their habitat statewide, and value them for the important role they play to sustain many migrating shorebirds.

(A collection of Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstones and other migrating shorebirds looking for Horseshoe Crab eggs along Sandy Hook Bay)

Every year in May and June, for thousands of years now, countless Horseshoe Crabs have been arriving to beaches along the Jersey Shore for just one reason – to reproduce. During this time, female crabs will give off a chemical pheromone that will attract male crabs. It is not unusual to see loads of males courting a single female. Only one male, however, will be lucky in grasping the female with his specially adapted front claws that sort of resemble boxing gloves. Females will then drag the male at her rear along a shoreline to fertilize newly deposited eggs. In total, a single female Horseshoe Crab will lay between 80,000 to 100,000 eggs each year.

This potential food source does not go unnoticed by birds and other animals. About 90 percent of Horseshoe Crab eggs are eaten by predators, such as gulls, raccoons, grackles, turtles, and some shallow water fishes and crabs.

Yet, the most significant consumer of Horseshoe Crab eggs are migratory shorebirds. Just as Horseshoe Crabs are beginning their mating season, thousands of miles away, another natural phenomenon is starting. Tiny coastal birds, such as Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlins, Sanderlings, and Semipalmated Sandpipers have set forth from their wintering homes in Central and South America, some as far south as Tuerra del Fuego, to fly thousands of miles towards their summer nesting grounds in the high tundra of the Arctic

In between their long and exhausting journey they will need to stop for rest and refueling. This is where the Jersey Shore and our Horseshoe Crab population play an important role.

After several days of non-stop flight, and having come as far as perhaps 10,000 miles, these shorebirds are depleted of energy. They arrive to the Jersey Shore very thin and literally down to feathers and bone.

The migratory birds will spend between two to three weeks along the Jersey Shore to rest and gorge primarily on newly laid Horseshoe Crabs. The Jersey Shore provides an important migratory rest stop for the shorebird’s spring northward winged migration. Eating Horseshoe Crab eggs will provide the birds with enough protein and fat to allow them to nearly double or triple their body weight before continuing their long, non-stop flight to the Arctic. Sanderlings for example, may double their weight by feeding on an average of nine thousands eggs a day.

On my walk along the sandy beach of Sandy Hook Bay, I catch sight of numerous Red Knots, Dunlins, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. They squabble about alongside mud flats and the sandy shoreline to get their fill of Horseshoe Crab eggs. These birds depend on Sandy Hook Bay as an important place to have a rest on their long northward migration. They also put their faith in Horseshoe Crabs laying enough eggs to not only allow birds to feast on, but to continue another generation of Horseshoe Crabs.

(A group of small migrating shorebirds: a Dunlin and several Sandpipers along Sandy Hook Bay)

There is no doubt in my mind that Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay with our long sandy beaches and shallow waters provide an ideal habitat for Horseshoe Crabs and their young. As a result, the northern Bayshore region of New Jersey is an essential resting point for migratory shorebirds that provides a rich feeding area.

Of course how long will this vital resting point be around? As more sprawl and unwanted development looms over our beaches, the region starts to lose important habitat for resident and migratory animals. How long until the population of Horseshoe Crab fades away and the birds waste away and die on their northward migration.

If you care about preserving our coastal environment and preserving the vital link between Horseshoe Crabs and migratory shorebirds, then you need to speak out for their protection: always vote yes for open space ballot measures, speak up at town meetings against unwanted and poorly planned development that will exist in close proximity to beaches or wetlands, and make sure your community provides wide, vegetated or riparian buffers between a waterway and local development.

In addition, we all need to support further research on the present status of the Horseshoe Crab population statewide, including in Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay, and to support a restricted state-wide ban on harvesting Horseshoe Crabs by commercial fisherman for eel and whelk bait.

It is getting dark now as I return back to Parking Lot C. Still, I continue to see quite a few Horseshoe Crabs plodding along the beach and the floor of the bay. Tiny migrating shorebirds are also still active as they seek a fatty meal of crab eggs. I only hope that our lack of knowledge about the vital link between Horseshoe Crabs and tiny migratory shorebirds is on a short path to a better understanding and a happy ending for the crabs and the birds. They are both important elements to the character, history, and environment of the Jersey Shore.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
by Chef Mark R. Vogel

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DINING ON DEATH ROW

If you were on death row what would be your last meal? Think about it. It’s not as simple a question as it appears. Your first instinct might be to pick your favorite food. But maybe you might select your most meaningful food, such as the first meal your wife made you, or one of your mom’s memory-laden classics. Or maybe your desolation and bitterness would leave you so resigned that you would forgo a final feast.

As morbid as it seems there exists great fascination about the last meals of condemned prisoners, especially the famous ones. Man has always been beguiled by the macabre. Just look at the historical popularity of horror stories and movies, murder mysteries, forensic TV shows, and the countless traffic jams created by the curious queue of commuters anxious for a glimpse of the adjacent accident.

The state of Texas used to keep a list of its inmates’ last meals on its website. One of their convicts who participated in preparing last meals compiled them into a cookbook entitled “Meals to Die For.” A similar book is entitled “Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals From Death Row.” There’s even a website (deadmaneating.com) containing lists of prisoners’ last meals and other related information. However, despite all the interest there are detractors as well. Texas eventually eliminated the last meal list from its website due to complaints that it was in poor (do NOT pardon the pun), taste.

The tradition of providing a condemned person a final meal goes back to the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans who all practiced this custom. Ages ago in Europe the provision of a last meal had superstitious underpinnings. It was believed that if a condemned person received a last meal, he tacitly accepted his fate and forgave those responsible for his demise, (i.e., the executioner, the judge, the witnesses to the crime, etc.). Thus, his acquiescence and absolution would prevent his spirit from vengefully haunting those who had played a role in his prosecution.

Today, most governments provide a last meal to those who are sentenced to death. In the United States, the actual parameters of the last meal vary from state to state. Naturally there are limitations on the requests. You will not find any convicts chowing down on foie gras and Russian caviar before meeting their maker. Texas limits the meals to food that can be made within the prison. Florida imposes a twenty dollar price limit. Some states will allow take out from pizza parlors or other popular restaurants. Maryland conversely, does not offer its inmates a special last meal. Alcohol is universally forbidden and a final smoke depends on whether the prison is smoke-free or not.

So what is so fascinating about the meal choices of those on the precipice of execution? Undoubtedly it emanates from the aforementioned allure humans have with the lurid side of life. More specifically, the last meal gives us a glimpse into the darkest recesses of the human mind. What does a soulless serial killer want to consume on his last day on earth? Why does he choose that? And more frighteningly, what does it mean if I might choose the same? Does the fact that I’d also pick fried chicken mean that there’s something sinister lurking within me? Or is it just an eerie coincidence?

So what are some famous last meals? Ted Bundy, the notorious serial killer and necrophiliac, dined on steak, eggs, hash browns and coffee. Don’t see anything crazy there. And before you anti-red meat crusaders attempt to link carnivorousness with his lechery consider the last meal of Oklahoma inmate Michael Pennington: a vegetarian pizza, salad, and dessert. John Wayne Gacy, another depraved serial murderer chose fried chicken, fried shrimp, French fries and strawberries. Velma Barfield, the famous female arsenic killer asked for a bag of Cheez Doodles and a Coke. Aileen Wuornos, another infamous female killer who took the lives of seven men, declined a last meal. Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber) received ice cream. Victor Feguer, who kidnapped a doctor and killed him, asked for a single olive. Adolf Eichman, the notorious Nazi, in what could only be considered sadistic and twisted, requested an Israeli wine. California murderer Robert Alton Harris desired Kentucky Fried Chicken and Domino’s pizza. Joan of Arc asked for Holy Communion.

As to what these specific choices mean, if anything, about the individuals is really anybody’s guess, (with the exception of Joan of Arc; she suffered from religious delusions). What’s more revealing is the larger picture, namely, the role that food plays in our lives. Food is so much more than the sustenance needed to biologically survive. Food is woven into virtually every meaningful event in our lives be it the most joyful or the most morose.

The last meal is a symbol of our empathy. Even though we may be putting to death the most despicable person on the planet, those of us who are not despicable still feel some consternation and sometimes even sympathy. It’s our attempt to ease the individual’s suffering and somehow make their final journey, (this time pardon the pun), more palatable.

HEY, BEER MAN
by Ed "The Beerman" Kelley

A CHANGE OF PACE

This morning I did something different. I got up at my usual hour, but instead of suiting up and heading to work I put on some shorts and took a nice stroll up the Mount, down to the Harbor and then back up First Ave. The air was heavy; a thick fog had descended on the Bay. The tympanic sounds of song birds were supported by the deep Bass tone of the ferry’s fog horn. A nice change of pace … memo to self- do this more often…

Hefeweizen is a hazy unfiltered brew that is made with a healthy dose of un-malted wheat and special strains of top-fermenting yeast. As a summer quencher it is a refreshing treat! This weekend I made it a point to chill and enjoy three different “hefe’s.” The first hefe I sampled was Franziskaner from Spaten-Franziskaner- Brau, Munich, Germany. This brew is very much a mainstream beer. It pours a hazy, bright yellow with a generous, tightly-knit head. The much anticipated aromas of fruit and spice are somewhat muted but are definitely there - predominately ripe bananas and earthy cloves as well as a pleasant yeast aroma. The taste is slightly tart with the some bread notes and a floral hop bite. In a word – refreshing. This brew is commonplace in our area. It is available on tap at Briody’s in Rumson and available in bottles in better local stores.

More difficult to find and in my opinion worth seeking out is Julius Echter Hefeweizen from Wurzbuger Hofbrau. This is a more complex and strongly flavored brew. The aroma is richly fruity, the palate is sharp and slightly tart and the appearance is a darker yellow by comparison with the Franzikaner.

Brewed closer to home, Vermont based Magic Hat’s Circus Boy is a very accessible American interpretation of the style. It is available in six-packs and as part of their “Joe’s Garage Sampler.”

Some notes on serving Hefe’s: In general this beer style has a tendency to generate an overabundant head. This can be tamed by rinsing your glass with cold water just prior to pouring and by carefully pouring it down the side until a small amount (about two inches) remains in the bottle. At this point stop pouring and swirl the bottle a few times to dislodge the yeasty sediment and then pour the remainder into your glass. Be sure to use a tall wide-mouthed glass if you can locate one. This will best showcase this great style’s exotic aroma and sunny appearance. Many places insist on serving a lemon wedge with a hefe. I recommend you pass on this, but the curious can ask their server for the lemon on the side and try it both ways.

Welcome to summer!

thebeerman@ahherald.com

JOBPATH
by Caroline Ceniza-Levine

www.thinkasinc.com

Series on Follow-Through:

KEEP YOUR LUNCH DATES

Last week, I had a lunch date with a colleague who like myself is a busy working mom. We work in the same department but in different roles, so lunching is mostly for fun but also a chance to learn about what is happening around the department and trade work/life tips. About five minutes before our appointed meeting time, she was hovering outside my office trying to get my attention. Extreme punctuality? Actually, she was canceling at the last-minute. She had an all-morning meeting and came back to a stack of emails, so surely she couldn’t lunch.

This colleague always cancels last-minute. She thinks that the hour she saves by skipping lunch keeps her from getting overwhelmed. Actually it is just the opposite. I keep one or two lunches a week open for last-minute additions – e.g., a professional meeting that has to be over lunch, a personal errand that is time-sensitive. But I typically have my lunch hours booked two to three weeks in advance. I try to balance my lunches between internal appointments (current colleagues in my department and in different departments) and external (colleagues in the industry, colleagues from a former company, informational interviews). I also try to balance my lunches between current goals, future goals, and fun. Lunch is time for myself – for sustenance, career reflection, career promotion, and catching up with old friends. Rather than overwhelming myself, planning my lunches in such a way provides a substantive break in the day. It helps my long-term career management. I don’t just react to the stack of messages that come in. I have plans.

Of course, the benefit of lunch dates only works if you keep them. The strategy is common sense (how else can you get to know your colleagues) but the execution is key. How many busy executives feel like they are being too reactive in their careers and yet cannot plan and keep their lunch hour? Before you make grandiose plans about the next promotion, building a side business, or looking for your dream job, practice taking your lunch hour. You’ll get a midday burst of inspiration and welcome practice in follow-through.

Caroline Ceniza-Levine is an Associate Director in HR at a Fortune 500 media company, an adjunct professor of Professional Development at Columbia University, and a life coach. Caroline can be reached at 212-502-8593 or at her website at www.thinkasinc.com.

UNION BEACH NEWS

by UB Councilman
Frank A. Wells

SENIOR SAVVY
by Bernice Roberts
email - bernice@ahherald.com

KILLING US SOFTLY

What is it that kills us so softly that we hardly notice it happening?

I am reminded of the philosopher Eckert Tolle who told this of his life. After attaining a position of Professor of Philosophy at Oxford University while a young man, instead of being elated Tolle fell into a profound depression. The despair was so inexplicable and so devastating that he thought that suicide must be his escape from the torment.

It was at that depth of despair that the suicide thought expressed itself in his mind in these words, "I cannot live with myself any longer."

Perhaps because he was a philosopher and was accustomed to examining statements, he was astonished by this choice of words. The "myself" that he could not live with any longer he recognized was not real at all. Tolle now saw the "myself" as the sum total of the guises layered upon him by others from the moment he was born. Opinions overt and covert were cast upon him throughout his life and, as is the case with all of us, he accepted and digested and wore them. Who he was, was not that fictionalized person that he believed himself to be, and his lifelong struggle had been his inability to see it as a fiction. He had a deep sense that something was wrong with the apparel he wore.

When he realized that the faulty premise he had lived under was the generator of such enormous pressure, he was immediately relieved. In fact, he felt such a freeing of the false restraints that he became euphoric as in an epiphany. He remained in that state for some time and years later retains that state of well-being.

It is as though each person who ever came into our lives holds a resume of us. It may be that we spend so much of our time and efforts trying to be authentic and yet our only brief successes are in verifying those resumes constructed by others. Does this often lead to depression? I think it does.

As Tolle goes on to explain, the whole lot of opinion fashions our self-image. Again, it is our image as created by others, some of it true and some of it false. It is that unreal self-image or the egotistical layer we wear that causes the trouble. The ego that resulted from our intensive brush with society must be defended at every turn. It is important; indeed even necessary, to be right. Manipulation, spin, even lies become necessary. We see those defenses in ourselves and in the world around us. Need I mention that it is easier to see them in the world around us?

No wonder depression besets us. We march to the many resumes that others hold of us. What can we do about it? Does it matter when, at what point in life, we discover ourselves? No, it seems to work at any age. For we each have a purpose in life and we can’t fulfill it as well with ego holding the baton.

Perhaps it seems inappropriate to speak of forgiveness at this point, however if we can understand how we arrived at some point in our lives where we acted badly, perchance we can understand it in others too. The pay-off in forgiveness is the concomitant erasure of the loss of self-esteem we experienced in the act or acts that had so offended us.

highlands happenings

by Councilwoman Rebecca Kane

bkane007@aol.com

Rebecca Kane is a member of the HHRS School Board and a former councilwoman for the Borough of Highlands. '03-'06

disablities week
By Daniel J. Vance

GALLAUDET SELECTION CAUSES STIR

In March 1988, I started a new job commuting from Baltimore to Washington D.C. One day in on New York Avenue I noticed the driver and passenger next lane over gesturing wildly with their hands. They were deaf persons "signing."

As it turned out, my job was only blocks away from Gallaudet University, which calls itself "the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students." The U.S. has an estimated 500,000 deaf people.

The Gallaudet campus made national news in 1988. The National Association of the Deaf was helping fuel a student protest called "Deaf President Now" to pressure the university board into hiring a deaf president. Eventually, they did hire the 124-year-old school's first deaf president, Dr. I. Jordan King. His selection was a turning point for deaf people worldwide because one of their own had been chosen, finally.

Recently, Gallaudet went through another change of presidents and yet another student protest. The new president selected, Jane Fernandes, grew up speaking and didn't learn sign language until age 23. Many Gallaudet students and other deaf people around the world have felt she isn't “deaf enough.”

This latest student protest didn't make any sense to me. To learn more, I emailed Gary Frazier, of Milledgeville, Ga., who I met on a business trip last year.

So why the uproar, Gary?

Here's his opinion: “During my two years at Georgia School for the Deaf, I repeatedly noticed the kids there ignoring hearing teachers, hearing house parents and even other deaf kids who were raised [to speak and not sign.] With that in mind, it's obvious why the students at Gallaudet have a problem with Fernandes.”

I've read many other opinions about the opposition to Fernandes and each have a different take.

Like Dr. Fernandes, Frazier learned sign language later in life, at 11. “I'm what they call 'late-deafened,” Frazier continued in his email, “which means I'll always be an outsider looking in with both the deaf and hearing cultures.” He became deaf at ten after a bout with spinal meningitis.

As in 1988, this battle over selecting a new Gallaudet president has had worldwide ramifications.

“Gallaudet is looked at as the 'world capital' of Deaf culture,” Frazier added. “It was the [first deaf college] and will always be top dog.”

For more, see danieljvance.com or www.gallaudet.edu.

[This column made possible by a grant from Blue Valley Sod, www.bluevalleysod.com]

NO BULL FISHING REPORT
by Jay Cosgrove
of Bahr's Landing Marina and Restaurant
Highlands, NJ

REPORTS OF RIVER, BAY AND OCEAN FISHING

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IT'S ALL RELATIVE

by Amy Shore

Picture This!View Picture This! Archive

photo ALLAN DEAN

Send your response to editor@ahherald.com If you are the first person with the correct response we'll publish your name and the town where you live.

Picture This! We'll show you a photo each week - taken in Monmouth County - and you tell us where it is located. If you have not won in the last 3 months and you know the answer, send your response to editor@ahherald.com along with your name and the town where you live. Be the first person to respond with the correct answer before next Thursday and we will publish your name and the town where you live.Only those responses received on, or after, the date above will be accepted.

Last Week's Picture This! Answer

Maureen Dellafave of New Monmouth was the first person to correctly identify the location in this image.

A: Sabatos Prime Meats boasts this large steer on its roof in Cambells Junction, Middletown.

MONMOUTH COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL - THIS WEEK IN THE ARTS

See events information at Monmouth County Arts Council

For more details about the Monmouth County Arts Council, browse to: http://www.monmouthartscouncil.org or call 732-212-1890.

VIEW FROM MY DESK
Editorial Opinion by Allan Dean

READER'S WRITE

The AH Herald provides this space for community commentary on issues of local importance. We hope you find the information compelling and informative. If you have something to say about a LOCAL issue, send your comments, along with your name, street address and daytime phone number to: editor@ahherald.com

VIEW ARCHIVE

WETLANDS MUST BE PROTECTED FROM DEVELOPMENT

Wetlands are important to the entire ecosystem. Look at what happened in the New Orleans partly as a result of their not maintaining the wetlands.

There is enough development going on around Middletown. Let us keep these precious areas protected.

Wetlands Must be Protected from Development
Rita Scholl
Middletown, NJ

BEARS ARE MORE AFRAID OF HUMANS

Dear Editor:

There is no reason for people to fear black bears "in their midst" because bears are basically timid creatures.

No one knows how the three bears tragically killed recently found their way to Trenton, Livingston and Short Hills. There were no reported sightings along the way in towns to the north - the bears mysteriously showed up.

There were many sightings of the female bear after it left Livingston on its way to Irvington.

There was no reason why the female bear was killed in Irvington when it was falsely reported in the press that the bear reared up on its hind legs before she was shot. An ABC Channel 7 video clearly shows the bear with all four feet on the ground 9 seconds before she was shot and she was a danger to no one.

The bear killed in Short Hills was in a tree and a Millburn police officer said the bear looked "scared." She was "scared" because bears are more afraid of us than we of them.

There were news reports that the bear killed in Trenton had Pennsylvania tags and was not even a New Jersey bear.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife should not relocate bears to Assunpink Wildlife Area as they did last year causing mayors of towns in southern New Jersey to complain loudly. Then there is no reason to cause people to fear bears and no reason to hunt and kill them as they did last year and may again this year.

Bears Are More Afraid of Humans
Carol Rivielle
West Orange, NJ

WHY APPEASE PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS ON EMINENT DOMAIN

Over the last few months I have watched and hoped that a statewide group of eminent domain victims would emerge and take the lead on reform of the New Jersey Eminent Domain laws. Obviously, the Public Advocate gets it, and he is saying we have been right all along.

Recently, the Institute for Justice asked a group in Long Branch to celebrate the anniversary of Kelo v. New London with a rally here. That decision shouldn't be marked with a celebration. As a matter of fact, I am even more confused about why we would "celebrate" an event that was a blow to every land owner in America!Mrs. Kelo certainly doesn't feel like celebrating; Call and ask her. That decision was the Institute for Justice's DEFEAT, their FAILURE. They are looking for another defeat at the local level so they might have another case to bring before the United States Supreme Court. Why should we support or appease public interest law firms in Washington, D.C.?

Public interest groups need us; It's not the other way around. They need us to make headlines so they can raise money from financial backers.

If Long Branch needs a rally, let's pick a better reason, with a more positive meaning and message: rally in a place of victory for an event of victory. Let's honor the New Jersey lawyers who fight this injustice for the people right here in New Jersey, including the lawyer who recently represented Cramer Hill in Camden. We could even honor the elected officials who refuse to apply eminent domain to the homes and businesses in their communities.

I would prefer to see us win these cases right here in the New Jersey courts. If we support our New Jersey lawyers and legislators, we just might accomplish that.

Rev. Kevin Brown
Long Branch, New Jersey

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

I just finished viewing your Memorial Day Slide Show and I must say, thank you and job well done!

I must say seeing the parade bought back many wonderful memories of taking part in the Memorial Day Parade over 50 years ago.

Yes, over 50 years ago! I was a proud member of Girl Scout Troop 48 for many years and we all looked forward to participating in the parade.

Thank you for the memories that came to light and as always Atlantic Highlands will remain dear to my heart. I'm so very glad that I grew up in Atlantic and graduated from the now nonexistent Atlantic Highlands High School. Can you believe we had only 23 students in our graduating class? Times sure have changed!

I look forward to your next issue of the Herald and wonder if any more memories will unfold.

Bev (Ruch) Dobrowolsk
Eatontown, NJ