Month: February 2012

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Toll increases were for ARC tunnel, should be rolled back

A trip to Woodbridge yesterday from Bergen County cost me a whopping $1.50 in tolls. The toll increase was to pay for the ARC tunnel, which Christie cancelled. New Jersey Senate Democrats have proposed legislation to roll back the toll increases on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. What do you say people – will you join me in getting behind this?

Contact your state senators and assemblypeople. Let them know you support Bill S-2636 which calls for the toll increase to be rolled back. read more

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Help for low-income families to fight an eviction demand

I’d like to direct D to some resources that may help her fight eviction.

D writes:

Looking for an attorney who would be willing to help on a pro bono basis a young family with two adorable children (under three years old) to avoid eviction from their apartment. The apartment has not received the appropriate heat this winter, and thus their children are always sick. So they withheld their rent to try to get the landlord’s attention. Instead they received an eviction notice. The court date is this Thursday. Any help would be truly appreciated.” read more

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The Wei Family loves World Happy Day

When I’ve been praying for something happens and my prayers are suddenly answered in the most offbeat way imaginable, I see the breath of G-d moving through my life. That was the case yesterday. Rachel Wieland posted that she was headed to the city to watch a screening of The Happy Movie yesterday on World Happy Day. Wow! This sounded like a fabulous idea so I dived onto the site to look for place to see it with my sons Ivan and Ari.

This was around 3pm. I found one screening in New Jersey and two in New York which had taken place at 11am yesterday morning and one way up in New York State and then one more – in Astoria, Queens at a social club, which was scheduled for 5pm. If the boys made it home early enough from Chinese school, we could just make it! So I loaded up my EZpass card, took a shower, got ready and when their ride pulled up I ran downstairs and told them to come on, we were going to see this crazy movie about happiness. I knew Ari wouldn’t want to go because he’s a high school junior and wants to do as little as possible with his family. It surprised me that Ivan didn’t want to go either. So I pulled the mother card out of my pocket and checked. Yep, it still says, Mom has the last word – I showed it to my sons and we headed to the car and New York City. On the way, we grabbed some Wendy’s for the boys. It was dinner time and they were hungry! read more

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Congressman Payne, we’re praying for you!

One of my family’s favorite pols has colon cancer. Congressman Donald Payne is also the first – and remains the only – African-American to serve New Jersey in our nation’s House of Representatives. We hope friends everywhere will join Ari, Ivan and I in wishing you a complete and speedy recovery, Congressman. We look forward to a future with you standing front and center in New Jersey and national politics. Here are some success stories that will give you encouragement to stand strong! read more

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Columbia prof asks: “Where did the benefits of technology go?”

Sometimes people ask such good questions they blow me away. I know I’m going to be asking myself this one for quite few days and I’ll be reviewing in my mind snippets out of Columbia Professor Steve Unger’s Feb 10, 2012 article and other answers I think of myself. It’s a great question!

As a young engineer, a half century ago (Wow! Time does fly), I was fascinated by the ideas I was wrestling with, mainly dealing with various aspects of what is now called computer engineering. I greatly enjoyed my work in research and development. But I did have concerns over possible misuse of what we were developing, particularly about possible military applications. I dealt with this mainly by avoiding work on military projects. read more

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Film the police. Hold them accountable to society.

This YouTube video is so striking, it deserves a space all of its own. Some of its violence is brutal, shocking and from the filmers’ perspective, apparently pointless as well. The film’s title says it all: If You See Something, Film Something (Recording The Police is a Dangerous but Necessary Thing To Do). Make sure you watch carefully and observe what’s really happening, instead of what the police are suggesting that you see: in the very first scene, the police surrounding a man say something to him about putting his gun down, but he’s actually holding a snow scraper. And then they shoot him 8 times. read more

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Erma Bombeck’s words on living well

I spotted this in the rest room of a domestic violence shelter for women and families during the 2011 end of year holidays. It struck me as so beautiful, and tonight I had a little time to find it on the web and post it. I hope you love it too. This is the wisdom shared by Erma Bombeck after she discovered that she was dangerously ill. Just a little heads up: some of these items are tear-jerkers . . .

  • If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.
  • I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
  • I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
  • I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
  • I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
  • I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
  • I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
  • I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and more while watching life.
  • I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
  • I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
  • I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
  • Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
  • When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”
  • There would have been more “I love you’s”.. More “I’m sorrys” …
  • But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it … live it…and never give it back.
    • read more

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    Do elitist terms get in the way of political progress?

    OK, progressives know that Bernie Sanders is unmistakably a good guy. He pointed out recently that in a country with such a huge gap between economic classes, and with so many low and moderate income people drowning financially, any talk about cutting Medicaid and Medicare is inhuman and should be unthinkable; he’s certainly right about that, and it’s great to have a national political representative speaking plain truths on the public’s behalf like this. But then, Sanders goes on to talk about health care reforms that are still needed and throws out that ridiculous term, “single payer healthcare.” read more

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    Postpone Colombian trade agreement until workers are treated right

    It’s hard to understand why the Free Trade agreement the US has made with Colombia is a bad thing, but this article lays the issues out pretty well. Basically, workers aren’t treated too well down in Colombia and when labor activists try to step in and organize unions for the workers’ protection, the activists are, “assassinated, threatened, and intimidated, and the perpetrators enjoy almost complete impunity.”

    Union leaders and other worker advocates, seem to be saying that the US should throw its weight behind trade embargoes to force Colombia to improve conditions for its country’s work force. That means a US moratorium on trade with Colombia and agreements to trade, until worker conditions are put right. A few days ago, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka wrote President Obama asking him to, “postpone indefinitely the implementation of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement”. How about it, Prez? read more

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    Wealthy steal children – that’s not news in the US

    After Encarnación Bail Romero was arrested for being an undocumented United States resident, Judge David Dali ruled that because she was in jail, Encarnación had abandoned her son and was an unfit mother. The judge allowed Seth and Melinda Moser of Carthage, Missouri, to adopt Carlos, who is called Jamison by his new parents. Although Seth Moser has a criminal past, the judge ignored it. In 18 federal detention centers around the country this story is played out time and again. Now, ABC news reporters are showing the pain caused to families on both sides of the involuntary adoption issue whose lives are torn apart by difficult immigration issues. read more

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    Banks must give back to the people

    You just know the Washington suits and Wall Street sharks are going to try to rip Obama into shreds for his effrontery. They’ll demand to know how the president could suggest that banks pay a fee to finance the restructuring of mortgages to lower interest rates, when just the restructuring alone is going to cost them money. Well, I understand that this interferes with these people’s notion that nothing should get in the way of their (apparently) G-d given right to endlessly make money on the backs of the 99%, but I’m awfully glad voices are emerging in America who stand up to these guys and tell them, “enough is enough.” read more