Our Monmouth Blog

Tom Johnson of The Star-Ledger reported today “Cost of heating a home could skyrocket“. Call me crazy but hasn’t it already gone through the roof? According to the report:

The cost of heating a home in New Jersey with natural gas could rise by 20 percent if state regulators approve a pending rate increase. Public Service Electric & Gas filed for the increase, which would boost the monthly bill for the average customer by $28.60, to $174.06. The company, based in Newark, is the state’s biggest utility and has 1.7 million gas customers.

This degree of inflation is not sustainable:

1. The exponential rising costs of purchasing a home
2. Significant rising cost of fuels
3. Double digit percentages cost increases of food
4. Uncertain/shrinking job market

While I am no economist the trend is clear and we have some serious issues to deal with as a nation.

Stever Robbins’s of Business Explained by Stever wrote an excellent related post about spotting trends.

What steps are you taking to protect your financial future and the health of your business?

comScore Releases April 2008 U.S. Search Engine Rankings

According to the May 22nd comScore press release “April 2008 saw Americans conduct 10.6 billion core searches, with Google Sites continuing to gain market share as the leading search engine.”

The report continued:

In April, Google Sites extended its share of core searches to 61.6 percent, up from 59.8 percent the previous month. Yahoo! Sites ranked second with 20.4 percent, followed by Microsoft Sites (9.1 percent), AOL LLC (4.6 percent), and Ask Network (4.3 percent).

There is no doubt Google is the steak and the potatoes in the search industry. If you are serious about improving your Internet marketing ability you need to strongly consider how you can improve your Google search results. Search Engine Marketing should be a part of any businesses marketing plan. Local businesses can make their mark in search if there is a focused effort.

Wayne Woolley of The Star-Ledger reported a detailed story titled “200 NJ police officers are heading to Iraq“.

As many as 200 law enforcement officers from New Jersey will deploy to Iraq in the fall as part of the state’s largest combat mobilization of military reservists since World War II, affecting police departments statewide.

The officers are either soldiers in an Army National Guard combat brigade that drills from armories across the state or belong to a Marine Reserve infantry company based in Morris County. The two units have more than 3,000 troops in all.

While I may not always agree with our countries foreign policies I do always support our troops. Their sacrifices pave the way for our freedoms past and present.

Our troops and their families really deserve community support for their sacrifices. Please help us show them that we appreciate their service to our county. American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S), a 501 (c)(3) Public Charity.

I wish them all a speedy and safe return home to their families and friends.

Tom Hester of the Star-Ledger reported yesterday that the “NJ court system struggling with flood of debt-related cases“.

Foreclosure filings for the first three months of the year exceeded 4,000 a month, a staggering 44 percent increase over the same period last year, Judge Philip S. Carchman told the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. They are on track to hit 49,000 cases by the end of the year, double the number from just two years ago.

Debt cases, mainly from credit cards problems in which $15,000 or less is owed, are also spilling into the courts. Carchman said 621,000 are expected this year, 100,000 more than last year.

The cost of living has increased dramatically over the last few years. The back-up of the court system is just one of many minor consequences. If the corporate fleecing of America continues to go unpunished why would it stop? For example, the cost of gas continues to rise as the oil corporations make record profits. Lending companies that pitched risky loans and used unethical tactics walk away leaving the consumer holding the bag. Property and local taxes are rising because of corruption and misuse of public funds. The list seems endless.

How has the current economic conditions effected your business or your spending?

American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S), a 501 (c)(3) Public Charity

In order to help the local charity ARMS on its important mission we have volunteered to actively help promote its latest fund raising efforts. Any business or organization making a suggested contribution of $250 dollars or more will receive a thank you on OurMonmouth.com.
A special section on the homepage has been created just to show support from the local business community. Our troops and their families really deserve community support for their sacrifices. Please help us show them that we appreciate their service to our county. You support a great cause and we support your business! Any support or help in promoting this cause is appreciated.

For more information go to the business and community directory of Monmouth County.

Best wishes and thank you!

Complete Press release:

ARMS reaches out to fellow New Jerseyans to help “our own” deployed troops.
This year NJ will experience the biggest troop activation of our National Guard and Reserves since WWII. We cannot continue doing what we have done so well for the past 5 years without everyone’s help. 3,200 troops will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, they and their families will need comfort both abroad and at home and ARMS can supply this with help from all fellow New Jerseyans. Please help our campaign and donate a tax deductible donation to A.R.M.S.
Red Bank, NJ, April 14th, 2008: American Recreational Military Services (ARMS) an all volunteer 501c3 is asking for your help. This year NJ will experience the biggest troops surge since WWII. We cannot continue doing what we have done so well for the past 5 years without everyone’s help. 3,200 troops will be deployed, they and their families will need comfort both abroad and at home and ARMS can supply this with help from all fellow New Jerseyans.
Our biggest expense is packaging material and shipping cost. The average comfort package that we send to the troops cost about $10.00 in postage to ship. We do not get a shipping cost discount from the U.S. Post Office The content of the packages are all donated by the wonderful school children, parents, church groups, civic groups, veteran organizations and business owners, of NJ. Over the past 5 years we have shipped over 20,000 packages to the troops.
The impact your can make on these families lives with your support cannot be underestimated. Your donations either financial, goods, or time is critical to our success. To show our appreciation of your support OurMonmouth.com has committed to recognize any business, organization, or individual that contributes over $250 with a featured spot on the homepage. OurMonmouth.com is a local business and community directory of Monmouth County.
American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S), a 501 (c)(3) Public Charity was founded in 2003 by a group of grass roots volunteers who wanted to give something back to the military and their families. In a matter of months, this small organization had grown from just a handful to more than 325 volunteers throughout the tri-state area. A.R.M.S. continues to provide services to local armories throughout the region. A.R.M.S. supports the area unit Family Readiness Groups, as well as providing direct assistance to family members in need. In addition, A.R.M.S. has been working with the local military bases to address quality of life issues for soldiers and their families.
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If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Ronnie Micciulla, please call (732) 890-4914 or e-mail ronnie@supportarms.org.

In a recent press release Google Inc., the world’s leading search engine, said “it was concerned about the free flow of information on the Internet if Microsoft Corp. were to succeed in acquiring Yahoo Inc…….“. If this is not hypocrisy than what is?

If there ever was a company that in theory could control the free flow of information it is Google. Yes that darling little company we all love and praise has the potential to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In a fantastic article written in Feb 2006 Chris Taylor has the courage to start “Imagining the Google of the Future”. In the article Mr. Taylor asks

“What kind of company will Google become in the coming decades? Will it succumb to hubris and flame out like so many of its predecessors? Or will it grow into an omnipresent, omnipotent force–not just on Wall Street or the Web, but in society?”

There are obvious social and moral obligations to those that control the flow of information. There is also huge money and big business on the line. If you are a small local travel agent what are the odds you can compete for a highly competitive search term like “book a trip”. The odds are stacked against success for many reasons including funding, man-power, and technology. Top paid results always go to the highest bidder and natural search engine results are dominated by only the biggest corporations in the travel industry. Every time there is a shift in Google’s search engine algorithm top placements in competitive search terms will undoubtedly change hands. With such money and business on the line could Google give in to such temptation? I can dream up more than a few conspiracies.

Because of Google’s relevance and potential it has a great responsibility to the Age of Information. According to the comScore Core Search Report September 2007 Google sites process 57% of all search related traffic with Yahoo as the closest competition at 23.7%.There are no signs that Google’s continued dominance will slow in the coming years. There are many analysts that predict Google will gain up to a 70% market share.

It should be a concern to all that Google has made a point to clearly state its position against this merger. With so much at stake it will be interesting to watch the future unfold. We all need to consider these facts and how it could potentially impact us all personally in the future. It could influence the information your daughter or son finds for a research report or it may give your business competitor an advantage. On thing is certain, for the time being Google clearly is on top of the information food chain.

Having personally seen the horror of both towers burn and fall, I pass this along to you. I do not know who the originator of the chain email I received is but it struck a painful memory and American pride. I know I will “never forget”.

USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center. It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite LA to cast the ship’s bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, “those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,” recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. “It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.”

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the “hair on my neck stood up.” “It had a big meaning to it for all of us,” he said. “They knocked us down. They can’t keep us down. We’re going to be back.”

The ship’s motto? “Never Forget”