Published: February 28, 2010
Snow is Better in Art |
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Thousands of Bergen County residents continue to carry on without power to their homes. In Franklin Lakes, the Ambulance Building was opened to residents who needed emergency shelter, and in Wyckoff the Public Library was made available to residents in distress. Some homes were not expected to get power restored till the beginning of the [...]
Published: February 28, 2010
March Daffodils |
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“Then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils…” - William Wordsworth
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Daffodils are truly one of the first signs of spring. Their bright and sunny heads pop out of the ground all at once, just when you think winter will last longer than Punxsutawney Phil says. And what [...]
Published: February 28, 2010
March Teen Book Reviews |
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Refresh, Refresh by Danica Novgorodoff
As in times past, many teenage boys are growing up without dads. Refresh, Refresh illustrates the lives of three boys who are waiting for their dads to come home, hoping that the military and the war doesn’t swallow their families whole. Gordon, Cody, and Josh are three friends whose dads are [...]
Published: February 23, 2010
Canada Goose Egg Addling |
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Lou Dobbs might be off the CNN Network, but he still lives in New Jersey. The fiery populist well known for his advocacy for immigration reform may yet take an official stance on migration reform, specifically migratory birds. New Jersey is hip deep in the droppings of Canadian Geese, birds protected under the Federal Migratory [...]
Published: February 20, 2010
"Clusters" Dance RHS |
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Clusters (2010)
Music by Osvaldo Golijov
Performed by: Allison Balter, Emily Burns, Trevor Jones, Stephanie Rosenblum, Francesca Toscano
Filmed & Edited by: Colin Walker
Ramapo High School, Franklin Lakes, NJ
Published: February 20, 2010
Schools, Spying, and Security |
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A photograph is worth a thousand words, especially in a court room, but with a variety of tools available for tracking a stolen computer, some wonder if remote imaging should be implemented with respect to children or teenagers.
The recent case in Pennsylvania of a student photographed by school officials while in his home reflects many [...]
Published: February 19, 2010
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New Jersey Monthly recently published the best places to live in NJ. While several years ago Oakland was voted one of the top 50 places in America to raise kids by BusinessWeek Magazine, no towns in Bergen County made the top ten list in the poll commissioned by NJMonthly.com. The first Bergen County town to [...]
Published: February 18, 2010
Kerik Justice Bubble |
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Federal prosecutors had argued that Franklin Lakes resident Bernard Kerik be punished not only for his crimes but for “egotism and hubris”.
Defense attorneys agreed with proposed guidelines that would have sent Mr. Kerik to jail for between two and three years. But in operatic fashion, federal Judge Stephen C. Robinson went beyond that recommendation with [...]
Published: February 18, 2010
AllyMikey |
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CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE THE WHOLE IMAGE
Published: February 18, 2010
Winter Blues |
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Snow, and more snow to come for Franklin Lakes. While it may have been a somewhat cloudy winter, and sometimes chilly, it was only recently that snow begot more snow and more snow still to come. Providing a play-land for kids, skiers, snowboarders and ATV riders, the onslaught of snow has lost it’s scenic beauty [...]
Published: February 18, 2010
Romeo poses with family. |
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Therapeutic Dogs Help Heal Our Elderly
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
The effects of pets on people are undeniable. Studies say pets can lower the heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and calm autistic children. Anyone who has had a pet can attest to the emotional bond between man and animal, as well as the physical one that is [...]
Published: February 15, 2010
Crazed Fan or Just Plain Crazy? By Veronica MacDonald Ditko An Accidental Anthropologist [caption id="attachment_7427" align="alignleft" width="288" caption="Constantine with Emily Dougherty, another adoring fan!"]
[/caption] Famous ties to Wyckoff are many - The Jonas Brothers, Tara Reid, etc. - but the most tangible one to me is Constantine Maroulis, the former
American Idol finalist who is now star of the Broadway show "Rock of Ages," a musical homage to 80's Rock ballads. I was lucky enough to see him in the show and even luckier to get his autograph by the stage door after the show. Am I a crazed fan? No. But I really admired his acting abilities. The great singing bit was not surprising - he has a fabulous rocker voice. But the way he inhabited his character on stage was a little piece of magic. In his Playbill bio it said he trained at the Boston Conservatory. I was more than impressed. I was shocked because none of that came across when he was on
American Idol. And then I realized that Constantine was probably creating a character during the
Idol show as well. There is no question that his rocker persona was unforgettable. But in person, he seemed reserved and even a little bit shy. If you have a chance to see "Rock of Ages" you will also be impressed by the great supporting cast. There are two actors in particular that steal the show. I'm not going to name them; I'd hate to spoil the treat. I am a person that likes to stay by the stage door after the show. I think it's important to tell people when they've done a great job. I truly believe in putting good karma out there. And when else would I meet Constantine? Well, maybe not really meet, but try to say hello anyway. Constantine was very gracious, signing Playbills and taking photographs. My husband thinks I'm nuts. He is an under-the-radar type of person. I am too most of the time. But I hate the "celebrity" factor. I know just as well as the actors do that this is their job and they get up in the morning and brush their teeth just like me. I'm not fazed by celebrity. But I do like the connection I feel to performers during a play. And I find so much joy in actually meeting them in person. Except, they may not realize that. Something happened that makes me think I will never ask for an autograph again. One of the scene-stealing actors came out of the stage door after Constantine and tried to sneak across the street. I was actually really hoping to meet him. And there he was on the sidewalk across from me, no barriers, no nothing. I jogged (my husband would say ran) over to him, and accidentally tripped into (my husband would say attacked) him. I will never forget the look on his face. The horror. The fear. The look of absolute disgust. I was in the middle of saying how he stole the show, and I stopped. Then I apologized for scaring him...then I asked for his autograph. I felt like slime. This poor man really wanted nothing to do with me. And I was confessing my thoughts to him without his consent. I inflicted myself on him. I became one of THOSE people. Like the woman who literally knocked me over to get a picture of her daughter with Constantine. The poor actor didn't know me from a hole in the ground. He didn't know that evil thoughts never pass through my mind. I am a harmless creature. I even look pretty harmless. So what exactly should I have done? I felt the need to tell him he was awesome. Maybe I should have just left him alone, kept my thoughts to myself, and let him duck out unnoticed. But when I fell into him, I had to say SOMETHING. So here it goes, I will try to put the good karma out there again into the universe:
In all my sincerest, I only meant to flatter you and your talent. I apologize for falling into you and whacking your arm. I would like to retract the autograph because I don't really need it. And please, just know, that you are meant to do what you are doing on stage. Keep up the stellar work. Peace out. What would you have done? Do you have similar stories? We'd love to hear your thoughts here. Please feel free to leave comments below. |
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Crazed Fan or Just Plain Crazy?
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Famous ties to Wyckoff are many - The Jonas Brothers, Tara Reid, etc. - but the most tangible one to me is Constantine Maroulis, the former American Idol finalist who is now star of the Broadway show “Rock of Ages,” a musical homage to 80’s [...]
Published: February 15, 2010
Ted Kennedy and The Boston Globe |
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Kennedy, Edward M. True Compass: a Memoir. New York:
Twelve, 2009.
and
Team at the Boston Globe: Last Lion: The Fall and Rise
of Ted Kennedy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009.
as reviewed by Ten Odenwald
Here is an interesting choice: the memoir of the late Massachusetts Senator or an interpretive biography compiled and edited by several [...]
Published: February 13, 2010
Love For The Ages |
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Valentine’s Day, perhaps the most holy of secular holidays. A day to celebrate the intent of Love which rises above the joys, the heartaches, the lost and found. Franklin Lakes resident Nancy Rosin is a recognized authority on the history of Love, at least as it relates to Valentine’s Day. She is president of the [...]
Published: February 12, 2010
Pot Brownie Bust |
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Drugs have been an issue in schools going back almost half a century now, and the recent “pot brownie” arrest at Ramapo HS illustrates the continuation of drug availability in the schools. The incident in Franklin Lakes involved two Wyckoff students, a drug transaction, and an unexpected trip to the hospital for the consumer and [...]
Published: February 12, 2010
Shared Service for FLOW |
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According to Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney a shared services agreement was reached when Bergen County entered into an agreement with 13 northwestern Bergen County municipalities for two street sweepers to be shared among them, including Allendale, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, Midland Park, Oakland, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick and [...]
Published: February 9, 2010
211 - 5 Yrs of Service in NJ |
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Many residents in New Jersey may not be aware that a five year old service coordinated by The United Way provides for a 211 phone number to help facilitate people’s needs to connect with various community or governmental services. 211 is a number to call when you need to find state or local health and [...]
Published: February 9, 2010
Bylaws Brouhaha |
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The all Republican town council in Franklin Lakes appears to be getting off to a rocky start though there were little expectations of anything less.
In addition to having to balance another fiscal budget with the added burden of expected state aid cuts, the council found itself debating how it governs itself. The newly installed councilman [...]
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