The HOA held a meeting on Saturday, Feb 27, 2016. In attendance were Blogfinger reporters. It was a turning point for Ocean Grove. Several HOA board members stood shoulder to shoulder with two Neptune Committeemen (Bishop and Rizzo) and told the audience, in so many words, that they will continue promoting condominiums and commercialization without parking in Ocean Grove.
They pontificated about the RSIS, filling the room with jargon and gibberish, but they failed to explain that offering Ocean Grove an exemption from RSIS regulations will result in unfettered condo conversions, including not only big multifamily buildings, but conversions of smaller multi-family houses all over town. They never honestly explained why they support the RSIS Special Standard, and nobody pressed them to do that.
For those of you who want Ocean Grove to be a charming family-oriented historic town with single-family house zoning, your vision will never happen. If you want a low density town without crowding and congestion, your desire will never be realized. If you want a town where developers and politicians do not prevail over the citizens, you will never see that thanks to the OGHOA Board. It was their responsibility to protect our town, and they have failed at that.
The corruption of the HOA was made clear at that meeting. Ocean Grove is on its way further downhill, led by the HOA, the politicians, and the developers.
It’s time to pull the plug on that miserable organization. Only an insurrection can turn this around, because presently, there is no group in town to stem the tide. The town will change for the worse and few will try to stop the inevitable.
Ocean Grove is doomed to becoming an ordinary place, and that will disappoint many of you who have taken pride in the unique promise of this historic town and who have invested your lives and money in a dream.
Blogfinger will report the news, but we will not waste any more of our time with the feckless HOA, because the citizens have remained apathetic despite our efforts. At present, there seems to be little cause for optimism.
You should all read Jack Bredin’s comprehensive and unique discussion of the RSIS matter. It is disgraceful that his motion at the meeting was tabled due to a vote by the members.
I have experienced apathy in our democracy before. It happened in 1999 when corporate raiders tried to close a fine community hospital. They had no interest in what was best for the community, and the politicians were on the side of whoever showed them the money.
We went to Trenton where we met a brick wall at the Department of Health. The Governor’s office turned its back. We tried the NJ Medical Society, but they didn’t care. About ten local mayors joined us, but they had no real power.
But what hurt the most was the absence of community support by citizens who were too busy to get behind a hospital that delivered their kids and cared for their relatives and neighbors. In our democracy, the power ultimately resides with the people, but the people often don’t try to assert that power—they depend on elected officials, but they often fail the public.
We put together a community coalition, but only a small group actually turned out. We lost the battle.
In Ocean Grove I am seeing the same sort of thing. Citizens are too busy to do something to save our town. There are no leaders to carry banners, to demonstrate, to come to Committee and Board meetings, to pressure politicians. There are no activists (with a couple of exceptions.)
Did any of you see the footage of activism in the Ukraine when people risked their lives because they wanted freedom? That story is awe inspiring.
So is the story of the OGHOA from 25 years ago which showed courage and determination in the early 1990’s when they marshaled a variety of forces to turn the tide and bring the town back to recovery. Of course now is another story.
On Blogfinger we are trying to provide information and interpretation of what we see. One person is actually putting his personal money on the line to challenge the Township.
But based on the history in this town of elected officials ignoring state laws, favoritism for insiders/developers, marginalizing the taxpayers of Ocean Grove, and community organizations which are failing to address issues that affect the town’s future as a historic place, the slipping and sliding will continue, and this town may be OK in the future, but it will lose its soul.
This is an actual design for the North End submitted in 2007. It was by an outside developer who never had a chance. We can’t show you a picture of the NERP, the current plan, because no actual design has ever been submitted. This was designed according to what the CMA said it wanted. It was rejected so that WAVE could be in charge. Is this what the people would want? 2016
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger. 2016
We are about to have a new Township Committee. 3 of the 5 members are new. Will they consider listening to the voices of the people of Ocean Grove?
In 2008, bowing to pressures from monied interests, the Township Committee agreed to violate the spirit of land use law by implementing a special designation that was designed to help the downtrodden called “An Area in Need of Redevelopment.” They did that to get the zoning changed and they became enablers for a plan that most Grovers did not want. The CMA was perfectly capable of developing that space itself according to current zoning and the Master plan.
This was not Camden.
That decision cancelled the single family zoning that was present and allowed the Camp Meeting Association and private anonymous investors to plan for an Asbury Parkish commercial area in the North End which would change the town forever and make life in town more difficult.
Since 2008, the North End has stood barren while the investors plotted to achieve their goals, many of which are in violation of laws such as building condos on the beach. They never did sign a Redevelopers Agreement with the Township.
The public has been cast aside while all those years have gone to waste. We could have had a lovely neighborhood by now at that location. Isn’t it time for our Committeemen to reclaim that area in the name of the citizens of Ocean Grove?
All it takes is for someone to make a motion to dissolve the NERP and for 3 members of the Committee to vote yes, and we could have the North End back in private hands to develop a beautiful area with single family homes as is desired by the people.
It is time for all Grovers who care about this to pressure their Governing Body with letters, emails, demonstrations, petitions, loud voices at meetings, and even law suits. You can also encourage hundreds of your friends and neighbors to vote in our current poll regarding this topic. The new Committee needs to hear from us.
Let’s leave the North End as a beautiful community with sea breezes, light, openness, views of the ocean, and a fine path to and from A. Park to be enjoyed by future generations. Wouldn’t that be nice?
The Neptune Township Committee has the power to effect your lives. They can order you around because they can write ordinances and rules that will influence your quality of life, home values, historic preservation in Ocean Grove, and the look and feel of our town. They can tax you and tell you where to park. They can allow developers to construct big ugly buildings designed to make money and to increase density in OG.
Neptune Township receives its power from the people. Power flows downhill from the People’s Congress in Washington to the Neptune Mother Ship. So we need to tell our representatives that they can lose their power if they don’t pay attention to the wishes of the people.
At any Township meeting, with some exceptions, only a handful of citizens get to express their opinions, and then only for five minutes. This is hardly a good way for the voice of the people to be heard.
On Blogfinger we do polls and we hope that the Committee takes an interest in the results. They are supposed to be representing us, so you would think that they would like to know what the shifting winds of public opinion are saying about issues that concern us in Ocean Grove. We often get over 200 poll participants, and many more like to look at the polls. Many of the poll posts are shared on social networking sites or simply by sending BF links to friends and neighbors. But more voices need to be heard by the tone-deaf members of the Neptune Governing Body.
However, we get the impression that our representatives don’t care what we think. Perhaps they would care more if they heard from many hundreds or even thousands of Ocean Grove citizens/voters.
Blogfinger is basically a local news site. We offer opinions in our editorials, but we are not activists—we won’t organize a rally or a march on the Neptune Mother Ship.
We will announce an important meeting such as when the Committee might rule on the North End Redevelopment Plan, but we won’t get up and debate the issues at the HOA. That sort of thing is for community activists, who are in short supply in this town.
Recently a reader offered to make fliers to send electronically when it is necessary to rally attendance at a Town meeting. That’s great, because we will announce the meeting, but not make fliers.
Another reader suggested that someone do online petitions. That is a way to gather many hundreds of signatures to promote a particular point of view. Such petitions are used all over the world to influence local governments.
“Since 2007, the online petition platform Change.org has had more than 224 million online signatures in 196 countries to support and drive change in national, state, and local government legislation and corporate policies. (hubspot.com)”
But we will not initiate petitions, sign petitions or seek out signatures. Journalists don’t do that. We will publicize the efforts of others who would work on petitions—that’s news.
Petitions are a great idea to hit the Neptune Twp. Committee with a lot of voices on specific issues. If any of you want to actually do something, consider creating an online petition (eg via Change.org). Let me know, and I will publicize your project.
Here’s a sample idea for a petition ; “We the undersigned demand that Neptune Township cancel the North End Redevelopment Plan and return the project to private enterprise and original single family zoning.”
A statue of George Washington in Albany. Two of the most powerful men in the capital, Assemblyman Sheldon Silver and Senator Dean G. Skelos, go on trial this month. Photo: Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Recently we discussed how Neptune officials, engaging in irregularities and improprieties regarding the Ocean Grove North End Project might “get away with” such activities. We said that public apathy and a useless Home Owners Association could provide the opportunity for officials to successfully skirt or manipulate the law to achieve objectives which are not in the public’s best interest.
New Jersey has an infamous history of successful prosecution of elected officials who break the law, including cases in Neptune Township* and Asbury Park.
But with instances when there is just a suspicion of wrongdoing, the suspicion alone can result in loss of trust on the part of the electorate, and that loss of trust can produce a corrosive effect on our normal democratic processes which are supposed to result in justice and the public good.
In Ocean Grove, where Blogfinger and some citizens are suspicious of procedures being followed for the North End Redevelopment Plan and other issues, the situation has reached the point where there is mistrust of the Neptune Township Committee. We elected them to represent us and we loaned them the power to make decisions on our behalf. But their lack of transparency and possibly illegal behavior create a justified lack of confidence in them as our representatives. There already is one law suit in play naming the Neptune Township Committee.
It’s one thing to disagree with your Committeemen about policy, which is a normal part of our system, but it’s quite another if you don’t trust them. And it is not only a problem experienced at the local level of government.
Consider Meet the Press this past Sunday when the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, said, regarding working with the President, “I don’t trust the President on immigration.” Regardless of the merits, that charge has serious implications, and it illustrates how loss of trust may negatively affect our democratic processes even at that level of governance.
Let’s consider a shocking situation in NY State where loss of trust actually turned into indictments. In Albany two respected and powerful men, long distrusted by many, are now on trial for corruption. Consider what the NY Times** says about the “culture of corruption” in that state:
“In separate federal courthouses in Lower Manhattan this month, two of the most powerful men in New York are about to go on trial, an extraordinary spectacle centering on allegations of corruption, bribery and nepotism in the state’s highest chambers of political power.”
“The alleged acts are typical of a culture, according to the watchdog groups, that has made Albany practically synonymous with corruption and stubbornly resistant to reform, keeping citizens — and even most lawmakers — in the dark about much of the legislative work and spending done in their names.”
Because of these New York State cases, the electorate in that state has to wonder if the entire governance process in Albany cannot be trusted. This is the extent of the destructive effect on our democratic institutions when loss of trust evolves into criminal investigations.
The Times says, “This focus on Albany has already had a chilling effect in the Capitol and contributed to what was an anemic legislative session this year. Some lawmakers said this occurred, in part, because of their concern that investigators may view the normal, transactional nature of politics in Albany as crimes of corruption. And some lawmakers complain privately that the federal scrutiny has tainted the state’s many honest public servants.”
Locally, we have not gone on record to accuse anyone of a crime, but some of us are suspicious of what’s going on in the Municipal Building in Neptune, and we have every right to say so and to demand a transparent explanation of whatever is questioned and to insist on an outside investigation of the public processes.
Is there a “culture” at Neptune Town Hall which causes failure of trust? So it seems.
In 2005, the FBI indicted the Neptune Township Deputy Mayor for corruption. He served jail time. There also was another Neptune functionary, the Director of Code Enforcement, who got caught up in the same investigation which brought down numerous Monmouth County officials.
NEW BROADWAY CAST OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S “FOLLIES” “The Road You Didn’t Take”
Neptune Township Committee: It’s not too late to go down the better road; restore trust by pulling the plug on that North End Redevelopment Plan—-start over and earn back the trust.
By David Philo, Ocean Grove homeowner. David lives on Lake Avenue.
This picture of Wesley Lake shows the growth of Pondweed that has plagued the Lake the last three years. As a resident of the Lakefront I am asked many questions by visitors about what is going on and what is being done. I will relate what I know here.
The Wesley Lake Commission is a joint body consisting of Asbury Park and Neptune township officials. Recently some residents have been appointed. The CMA is mostly absent from the monthly meetings which are the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 5:30 PM at the Neptune Township building.
After the initial weed bloom the Commission hired a respected expert and business owner to analyze and treat the weeds, Dr. Souza. At that time an herbicide was sprayed and in time the weed bloom subsided. This year the bloom has been more intense and not responsive to the herbicide, which has been applied at least twice. I missed this month’s meeting so I cannot relate if the 3rd treatment was done. As anyone can see, the Pondweed persists.
Dr. Souza has stated that some nutrient source is likely responsible for the bloom, such as fertilizer, goose excrement, runoff, or even sewage.
The sad thing as far as I am concerned is that the trash/litter that floats in the weed islands is treated by the Commission as an inevitable result of the Lake’s being an “urban body of water”.
The Commission is planning to raise independent funds to further their efforts to improve the condition of Wesley Lake. The Friends of Wesley Lake is working with the Commission on this and other issues. To date the aerators that are now in place are the most visible results of the Commission’s ability to raise money.
There is a fall cleanup scheduled, and volunteers will be needed.
I also hope that anyone who can will participate in helping with the fundraising. I think the evidence is very visible that this is a Lake in crisis.
The shirt says, ” Support Garden State Equality.” The sign says, “Thank you Rev. Dr. Campolo.” Blogfinger photo 8/16/15. Police stand by in case someone wants to burn their Medicare cards.
Sunday, August 16, 2015, Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger, reporting live from the Great Auditorium.
Today was the day that Ocean Grove United called for a demonstration outside the GA prior to the weekly Sunday morning service.
Each week there is a different guest speaker, and today it was Tony Campolo, a well-known Baptist pastor. OGU previously announced that they wanted to welcome him. Couldn’t they just have sent him an email or a nice note?
OGU assembled a lively group of supporters, about 30 of them, in Auditorium Square Park, outside the GA, starting at 9:30 am. They spoke among themselves, but their body language indicated that they did not want to interact with others.
Many in the group were wearing matching blue T shirts with a slogan that said “Support Garden State Equality.” GSE is the state-wide gay advocacy group that showed up in the Grove at the time of the Pavilion problem and during the demonstration against Kirk Cameron.
I was there with my camera and my NJ Press Pass around my neck. I approached a small knot of demonstrators. One of them was a senior member of OGU who lives in OG (let’s call her S.–for silent) She refused to talk to me. Standing next to her was a young woman wearing one of those blue shirts clearly identifying her as a member of the demonstrators.
I asked her why she was there today. She began to speak, but S. demanded that she stop talking to me. The young woman was intimidated and she said, “I guess I can’t say anything.”
Then I approached Luisa Paster, Co-Chair of OGU. She would not say a single word to me—not even hello. She kept her lips tightly sealed as she looked at me. “So I guess you aren’t speaking to me?” said I. She shook her head to indicate “No,”
I told her that it was a shame. I wanted to ask her to tell us exactly what OGU wants in this town. Why have a demonstration if you won’t say what the message is?
Someone who did speak to me was Jen Giordano, at her table, promoting “Urban Promise” a Christian group that had been founded by Tony Campolo. She said that she was well aware of the issues between the CMA and OGU. Her reaction was , “God loves everyone.” But she followed up by saying, “Tolerance goes both ways.”
Another person who tried to speak to the OGU demonstrators was Colleen Batchelder, an outgoing, cheerful woman who came today from Barnegat with her dad to hear this speaker. She is the founder of “Recklessly Abandoned Ministries Inc.” I was standing there when she approached a group of OGUniks. She asked them what the demonstration was about. No one would speak to her. The same OGU member (S for silent) who turned me down, turned Colleen down as well. But Colleen is a determined person, and she asked S. to say something because she likes to “hear all sides.” No answer. Then she asked S. if she could pray for her. “What would you like me to pray for?” Colleen asked.
S. said nothing, but Colleen is persuasive, so S. said “Pray for world peace.”
After that Colleen and I spoke to each other. She said that we all should see each other not as groups but as individuals. She said that all should be welcomed in the church.
You would think these OGUniks would like to explain to the people of Ocean Grove what they are about. But evidently they are so embarrassed by their message that they would prefer we all guess what they are thinking. Ironically they are a group which says they are about “neighborliness, inclusiveness, and mutual respect.” (from their web site) Really?
Of course, no one is required to talk to Blogfinger, but stifling the speech of that young lady is another matter altogether.
Ocean Grove United has a history of trying to stiff-arm speech in the Great Auditorium. They have tried, but not succeeded, in intimidating the CMA into applying a gay litmus test to all speakers who are being considered for summer Sunday services in the GA.
How ironic it is that a group that claims to be about equality and freedom would violate somebody else’s right to speak.
As for Blogfinger, I am not surprised by their behavior, because they have shown hostility towards us before. But yesterday we had 1,800 visits to our site and we will probably have higher numbers today. We never get any commenters who identify themselves as being members of OGU, but that’s their loss. Their behavior seems childish.
And anytime someone Googles OGU, they will find our articles, but they won’t find OGU’s message as offered by themselves on our site because they are also silent on the BF site where their voice could be heard by many readers: www.blogfinger.net. (At the top of our home page is a search block where you can research our coverage of OGU-related issues in Ocean Grove.)
Golly….OGU really needs a PR person, because their recent activities, like bailing out on the Cupola dedication, have drawn predominantly negative reviews in the Blogfinger comments section.
Oh, by the way, Tony Campolo gave a fine and inspired sermon today to about 3,000 avid followers, but OGU’s favorite topic never came up. He did, however, remind the congregation that, “This is a Methodist place.”
Because these topics are quite incendiary, I have been doing more than the usual amount of editing and rejecting. It is difficult to mediate the give and take that occurs whenever these subjects appear. We have had experience covering the Kirk Cameron story in 2012.. We provide some guidelines in our “rules” at the top of this page.
The first point is to say that we try to stick to the issues raised in the post. It is so easy to stray off the topic, but we have to maintain some order, otherwise we get chaos. Our topics are the letter sent by OGU and the action that they took with respect to the cupola event. We are mostly interested in the effects of all this on Ocean Grove.
Secondly, we do not allow personal attacks, name-calling (such as “bigot” or “hateful”) or attributing motives. There are those who want to review the Rabbi’s credentials, his politics, his web site and his history of past statements. Some want to guess what is in his heart. Two commenters wanted to compare him to Hitler. Needless to say, that comparison was not permitted.
But we will stick to what the Rabbi actually said last week in Ocean Grove. His exact words can stand on their own and be discussed without commenters characterizing them as “bigoted” or whatever. We will not post highly volatile statements because we are trying to maintain a certain tone on this website, and for those who resent that, you can try to get your inflammatory opinions printed elsewhere. If you want to be heard on Blogfinger, just be careful how you craft your comments.
I want to point out that Blogfinger cannot vouch for everything that commenters say in terms of facts. Because just about all our commenters sign in anonymously, there may be a temptation for some to provide fiction instead of truth, so we all have to read anonymous assertions with suspicion.
Ordinarily, the trustees of the OGHOA never comment on Blogfinger.
However today we heard from Ken Buckley, a member of the OGHOA Board of Trustees, who commented about our sidewalk post. He said, “Did you see this one? About time he got on to something besides the North End.”
So, it seems that this OGHOA Trustee wants us to change the subject. Is this what the HOA membership wants? And why does Ken want Blogfinger to move away from the North End issue?
Well, regardless, he doesn’t get to say. Tomorrow we will post the next article in our series which seeks to educate our citizens about the NERP.
Blogfinger considers the North End Redevelopment Plan to be a threat to Ocean Grove. Wouldn’t you expect the Home Owners Association to forcefully get behind a movement to trash the NERP? What are they doing besides sending Ken out to complain about Blogfinger’s topics? Maybe they should start complaining to the Township Committee instead of whining to the Coaster and wasting their time delivering proclamations to the CMA.
Here’s a nice song that they can sing and dance to while the NERP moves along towards the start of construction:
The Ocean Grove Homeowners Association recently sent letters out to their members asking them to renew their dues at $10.00 per year per “household.” The letter contains a summary of their “accomplishments” in 2014.
But, if the members are to decide if they will get their money’s worth, they must consider not what the OGHOA did in terms of meetings, wheel spinning, touring derelict houses, misleading the public in the Coaster, and other nonproductive activities, but rather what have they actually done that has made a substantial difference?
They say that that their goal is “the maintenance and enhancement of property values in Ocean Grove.” Really? So have they achieved that goal? We will look at their “accomplishments” in a series of Blogfinger posts and let you comment.
Let’s begin with The North End Committee report: Anne Horan, the President of HOA said, “Last year the restoration of 4 Boardwalk, the building near the north end of OG, was halted as a direct result of the North End Committee’s information to the Township that the builder did not obtain the required permits.”
Is it the job of the OGHOA to police the town and look for builders or homeowners who are doing construction without permits? The Code Enforcement officers used to patrol the Grove and take pictures—-sort of like a junior secret police. Then they would pounce if you had peeling paint, the wrong retaining wall, or plants that were too high. But there was a public outcry, and they stopped doing that spying. The citizens spoke.
So now, the OGHOA has taken upon itself the job of junior secret police. Was it their job to complain to the Township about a building owner who is trying to bring his property back from the Sandy destruction? Are we better off now that the work has been halted?
Do we want our HOA to be patrolling around the Grove watching for derelict construction permits? Where will they take this task next? Will our HOA neighbors be watching us if we put up a fence or the wrong window replacement? Is this Pogo redux: “We have met the enemy and he is us!”
OGHOA members should demand that the Board of Trustees stick to their mission and not become enforcers for the Township.
What do you think? Do you say “hello” or do you say “goodbye?”
From the properly clothed historians and Blogarians at the HSOG.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
There is growing sensitivity in our society about personal privacy, especially concerns about government monitoring of citizens and collection of personal data by huge Internet companies such as Google and Facebook.
People are also wary of online or telephone scams—trickery designed to fool us into giving out personal data such as social security numbers and credit card information. Because of these worries, some don’t like to say much of anything in their emails or text messages. Another concern is that our money might vanish from our bank accounts if some outside group or nation hacks and destroys bank records.
On Blogfinger we would like more readers (Blogarians—to be distinguished from Bulgarians) to take part in our discussions, but I suspect that some are reluctant because of security concerns. We would never reveal a commenter’s real name unless they indicate that it is OK ..
As for email content, we may post yours unless you tell us not to. Email addresses are never revealed on the blog, so don’t hesitate to email us with comments or letters. I have little interest in your email addresses, although sometimes I like to contact you directly and I like to add to our BF Highlights mailing list.
We continue to welcome comments using pseudonyms because it is a way to encourage dialogues. It would be great if more people used their real names, but either way is acceptable. Remember that individuals can sign in by using a variety of pseudonyms thus adding another layer of public anonymity. Also, regarding gender, obviously a woman might be behind a man’s name, and visa versa (viva la versa.) I don’t care about it, because the message is what’s important.
Please voice your opinions on Blogfinger, because readers enjoy hearing what their neighbors think. It is the discussions that attract many bloogers to our site and it is the most unique aspect of BF. What other source of Ocean Grove news allows such dialogues and covers the topics that we do? And where else can your opinion be viewed by thousands of readers? Public opinion can cause change; it’s not just wheel spinning.
If you want to raise a new subject, either send a letter to the editor or email us with a “Just Wondering” question. (Blogfinger@verizon.net)
We are an information sharing website, and although that concept hasn’t worked out as well as we would have liked, we continue to be open to any news or information that you might send, within our usual flexible parameters.
Our best sources of information are our readers.
Thanks, Paul
JONATHAN STOUT AND THE CAMPUS FIVE: “You Talk a Little Trash.”
A recent poll by the Pew Institute indicates that most workers who use the internet find that email improves their productivity. In the past, there was concern about threats to email such as spam and phishing. In addition it was thought that texting and social media would displace email. But now we find out that landline phones are more important than cell phones to workers who use the internet, and the workers rank social media as being low in importance
In my experience, when I get a business related email from someone, it is usually well crafted in that the writing is proper. I would think that it would have to be if it is used, as described above, in the business world to improve productivity.
But in 2011, I wrote a piece complaining about the more casual uses of email. It relates to how email is used as we write to our friends or relatives about more informal matters. However, since we now see that emails have stood the test of technology time, I would like to bring that 2011 piece back (below) for your perusal:
“Communication of the Written Word.”
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger (March 2011)
Other than speech, words printed on a page were the main way to communicate, going all the way back to the invention of the printing press. But now we have instant messaging, e-mailing, web site posting, blog posting, Tweeting, and social networking.
Undoubtedly you have noticed that these new ways to communicate have had an effect on how we use language. For example with text messaging there is no pretense to sentences or spelling. It is all about speed and abbreviations.
Emails have been a source of concern to those who worry about “proper” use of the written word. It is acceptable in an email to avoid sentences, clarity, spelling, grammar or punctuation. Words go missing, uncapitalized or overcapitalized, and syntax is often “mangled*”. It also is a way to communicate without any evident emotion; so email messages may be misunderstood.
A new generation is emerging that does not know how to properly use commas, hyphens, semi-colons and other little punctuation symbols that give rhythm and meaning to sentences. For those who teach English, their jobs are now tougher and more important than ever.
So what to think about this deterioration in language usage? It can’t be a good thing—-or can it?
Lynne Truss* says, “With text messaging and emailing becoming such universal activities, reading and writing are more a fact of everyday life that they have ever been.”
David Crystal** says, “The internet encourages a playful and creative (and continuing) relationship with the written word.”
For myself, I am pledging to write whole sentences in my emails— with proper spelling and punctuation. I have come to realize that ideas may not be taken seriously if you do not maintain some standards in your messaging. On the other hand, language usage always changes over time, but, for now, I will stick to the usual rules, but with flexibility to allow for new trends, such as how to use commas. (How’d I do in that last sentence?).
Lynne Truss* (Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, 2003)
David Crystal** (Language and the Internet, 2001)
Homeowners Trustee comments on Blogfinger
Posted in Blogfinger editorial, North End Redevelopment, tagged Ocean Grove Homeowners trustee comments on Blogfinger on April 19, 2015| 5 Comments »
Future HOA leader. Vote for her.
Ordinarily, the trustees of the OGHOA never comment on Blogfinger.
However today we heard from Ken Buckley, a member of the OGHOA Board of Trustees, who commented about our sidewalk post. He said, “Did you see this one? About time he got on to something besides the North End.”
So, it seems that this OGHOA Trustee wants us to change the subject. Is this what the HOA membership wants? And why does Ken want Blogfinger to move away from the North End issue?
Well, regardless, he doesn’t get to say. Tomorrow we will post the next article in our series which seeks to educate our citizens about the NERP.
Blogfinger considers the North End Redevelopment Plan to be a threat to Ocean Grove. Wouldn’t you expect the Home Owners Association to forcefully get behind a movement to trash the NERP? What are they doing besides sending Ken out to complain about Blogfinger’s topics? Maybe they should start complaining to the Township Committee instead of whining to the Coaster and wasting their time delivering proclamations to the CMA.
Here’s a nice song that they can sing and dance to while the NERP moves along towards the start of construction:
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
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