New Jersey Gold Star Family Monument Planned In 2014 at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel

By Bob English

Plans are well underway to build a monument that will be located on the property of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, which will honor the sacrifices of families who have lost a loved one in defense of the United States.  The project is being spearheaded by the New Jersey Run For The Fallen.  Hopes are to have the New Jersey Gold Star Family Monument in place and dedicated by the middle of 2014.

The monument will serve as a place of reflection and remembrance for all but especially for those whose loved one made the ultimate sacrifice for their county.  Gold Star parents Ken and Helen Gurbisz of Eatontown are co-chairing the committee to develop a design, fund and build the monument.  Mr. Gurbisz noted that “We are getting very close to a final design which we hope to unveil at the Gold Star Mothers holiday luncheon on the 7th of December.” .

Ken and Helen be reached via e-mail at [email protected]   Donations to complete the project are needed and can be made by mailing a check to:

The New Jersey Gold Star Family Monument Foundation, Inc.

PO Box 104

Holmdel, NJ 07733

Click on this link to make a donation via PayPAL (PayPal account not required.)

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Typhoon Haiyan: Day 17

By Ernesto Cullari

Janine Cinseruli and Kimberly Perkins of Seagrass Restaurant, 68 Main Ave in Ocean Grove, are sponsoring a benefit dinner on behalf of Street Kids Philippine Missions on Wednesday December 4^th at 6pm. Tickets are $50 each, cocktail hour is from 6pm to 7pm. Act now, there are only 35 more dinner reservations left. Artist Roddy Wildeman has donated a magnificent piece for auction that was inspired and constructed from debris and found wood following Hurricane Sandy. To register for the dinner Online add Ernesto Cullari on Facebook.

We all remember what it was like to live through Hurricane Sandy and the days that followed without heat or electricity. The long lines for gas and food were humbling. My friends and I would boil water and pour it in with cold bath water whenever any of us needed to wash up. We wandered about in the dark with flashlights and battery operated radios. Hot coffee and cooked food was truly splendid. We helped each other by using Facebook to figure out which stations had gasoline or who needed clothing. We rescued each other.

A year later many of you are still recovering from construction or dealing with insurance companies that don’t want to honor their obligations to you. Now take everything you experienced, every hardship and every setback and put yourself in the position of someone living in the Third world, a place like the Philippines. The islands are so vast and numerous, it could take many years before their government reaches them with significant help. By then it will be too late.

I went 10 days without electricity following Hurricane Sandy. What takes 10 days here could realistically take 6 months where my mother is in the Philippines. My mother Lee who operates Street Kids Philippine Missions, an orphanage filled with 27 children and teens in Bohol, has estimated that it could take 6 months for electricity to be restored to their part of the island.

My mother reports that lines for clean drinking water, a badly needed necessity, are 3 hours long. “Everything is 3 times as expensive now because all the store operators must use gas or diesel generators to keep the refrigerators and lights on,” she said. They must wash their clothes by hand and hope that their clothing can manage to dry before becoming mildewy from the Philippine’s intensely humid climate.

In spite of their hardships and the devastation that surrounds them, my step dad Matt writes with joy and optimism:

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Booker, Menendez vote yes on historic “nuclear option”

Booker, Menendez vote yes on historic “nuclear option” (via NJ.com)

New Jersey’s two senators were among 52 votes in the upper chamber today in favor of the so-called “nuclear option” eliminating the filibuster and allowing a simple majority to approve executive and judicial branch appointments. The ‘majority rules’…

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Scott Walker stands up for Chris Christie’s conservative credentials, report says

Scott Walker stands up for Chris Christie’s conservative credentials, report says (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — At least one prominent Republican isn’t buying the idea that Gov. Chris Christie is a moderate. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker defended Christie in the wake of criticism that the New Jersey governor isn’t conservative enough for some Republicans…

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Marlboro Police searching for missing autistic man

Marlboro Police searching for missing autistic man (via NewsWorks)

Marlboro Police are searching for an autistic man who has been missing since late Tuesday night. Michael Karwan, described as a high-functioning autistic 19-year-old, left has house after an argument with his parents, wearing a black jacket, blue jeans…

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, November 22-24, 2013

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

Saturday, November 23

• Sea Girt Craft Fair – MORE INFO

• White Christmas at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Affordable Art & Fine Crafts Show/Sale (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Live Animal Road Show (Tinton Falls) – MORE INFO

• Middlemen at NJ Repertory Company (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Les Miserables at Axelrod PAC (Deal) – MORE INFO

• Granny’s Attic Craft Show (Middletown) – MORE INFO

• Indoor Graft Fair (Ocean Grove) – MORE INFO

• St. Jude Give Thanks Walk at Monmouth Mall (Eatontown) – MORE INFO

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Christie’s role as RGA chairman bestows power over GOP’s fate, and his own

Christie’s role as RGA chairman bestows power over GOP’s fate, and his own (via NJ.com)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Gov. Chris Christie arrived on the impeccably manicured grounds of the Phoenician Resort Tuesday with one stated goal for his term as chairman of the Republican Governors Association: To elect governors from his party. But along…

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LG Smart TV Caught Collecting Data On Files Stored On Connected USB Drives

LG Smart TV Caught Collecting Data On Files Stored On Connected USB Drives (via Techdirt)

The growing presence of “smart” devices, each one requiring a connection to the outside world, is a bit alarming (Samsung TV zero day exploit, anyone?). The territory still remains largely uncharted and device manufacturers are still pretty much free…

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Arnone Thanks Voters

Sheriff Shaun Golden, Freeholders Serena DiMaso and Tom Arnone at Christie fundraiser, facebook photo

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO SUPPORTED Sheriff Shaun Golden, Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso and myself through the many months of what turned out to be a very exciting and sometimes exhausting 2013 political campaign. We are very grateful and extremely blessed to have had so many people come out and volunteer countless hours of their free time to support and join us in our efforts to make certain that the progress that has been made over the last three years continues. As a direct result of the loyal support we received, we were afforded the ability to serve all the residents of Monmouth County for another three years. With that we would like to thank everyone involved because this is something we truly could not have achieved without the involvement from the multitude of residents.

          Ultimately, we would like to recognize and thank each and every resident that took time out of their day to vote on November 5^th and take part in what truly is the greatest aspect of democracy. For the next three years we promise to continue to represent all 600,000 residents of our great county with the same resolve and dedication they have come to know and expect. Thank you for having the confidence and the faith in what we are doing for the betterment of Monmouth County.

          As I said, we will continue our commitment to the businesses and the people who make up Monmouth County, and we will do so with the same energy and enthusiasm that we have demonstrated in the past.

          Once again, we applaud your dedication and your support. We are proud and honored to be able to continue to serve the 600,000 residents which comprise all of Monmouth County, and we will strive to ensure that Monmouth County continues to be the greatest county in the State of New Jersey.

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Historians Will Judge ObamaCare Harshly

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