People say that “age is just a number,” but is that really true? After reading a few manga regarding broken relationships due to age differences, I'm starting to think otherwise.
Of course age signifies more than just a number; it signifies one's maturity and one's experience. However, a 20 year old could be just as experienced as a 30 or 40 or even 60 year old. You might think otherwise, but you're forgetting about exceptions here. Not every 20 year old is immature and new to the outside world.
Still, this is not the main argument of society today. Most claims that having a different aged relationship is disrespectful, especially if its between a teacher and a student. But my question is, why? How is this disrespectful? Of course, if the student is only going after the teacher for grades, then yes. But that's the teacher's fault for accepting his or her student's advances. However, if the student is purely going after the teacher out of love, then isn't this something we should all accept? Who are we to decide who a person can love. Who are we to decide how a relationship should look to others.
The only problem I can think of in a different aged relationship is the children conceived as it's typically harder for women who passed their prime age to have kids. But even then, that can be resolved with adoption or by not having any children at all.
*NOTE:
This is just a personal opinion of mine that developed after reading a few manga and online news stories about teacher-student dating. I never really understood why our society today don't favor large age differences in relationships. I think if you truly like someone, you should go for it, regardless of age.
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Friday, June 20, 2014
The Archery Kid: A Profile
I know it has been a while since I posted anything but, without further ado, here’s a profile feature article I written for a cousin of mine. Enjoy!
---
At 13, most kids played Xbox or watched television for entertainment. But not Mark Song.When he wanted to have fun, he picked up his bow and arrow and roamed the forest with his father.
Leaving in the morning at 3 a.m., Mark, like his father, wasn’t big on breakfast, and took an apple to go, eating it from the top down.
“The apple cores are just a myth. Never eat them from the outside in; this wastes roughly 30 percent of the fruit. Eat the seeds too,” Mark remarked as he tossed the remaining piece of apple into his mouth.
After brushing and flossing his teeth not once, or twice, but three times to be sure, Mark donned his camouflaged clothing and headwear. Unshaven and messy, he packed items and tools for the hunting trip, once bending down for his quiver as his dark, unruly hair flew everywhere.Some might even say he was carelessly handsome.In less than 10 minutes, Mark signaled he was ready to go, and hastily stuffed his too-loose short-sleeve camo tee into his pocket pants. His father was just as quick.
Although the thirteen-year-old boy from Pennsylvania was way too young to have an official hunting license, he had already chalked up 6 perfect shots into three 7 and two 8 point whitetail deer and one black bear.
“Right in the heart!” Mark gleefully celebrated every time he made a direct hit.
But he wasn’t a complainer if he missed, or if he only gave the animal a minor wound. He shrugged, smiled his boyish smile, and sat back and waited for the next one.
Mark was simply taking after his father, who once single-handedly shot down three deer in one sitting. Thinking his son would enjoy hunting as much as he does, Mark’s father brought his son when he was 7 to a shooting range. With hours of practice and a side of beginner’s luck, Mark improved his skills and grew to love hunting. When Mark was finally ready, he entered the fields.
Although his father was supportive, Mark’s mother pleaded for him to be careful in the woods. But despite the motherly advice, Mark fell from his tree stand many times, half due to excitement and half due to trying not to fall asleep.
“You have to wake up pretty early to catch them. It’s only that one moment you hear it, the leaves crunching and their subtle movements. And you know you have to get it right. That it’s now or never. You have to hit them like they never knew what was coming! Boom, right in the heart!”
But there wasone rainy morning Mark would never forget—the day he shot his first black bear.
“I didn’t even realize it. I was so excited, and didn’t know what to do. I have never seen a black bear before, especially up close. I thought it was going to leap up at me, because bears can climb trees really well and this one was just 6 feet away… Of course I was scared! My father never shot one either. But luckily, my body instinctively reacted,” Mark heartily laughs. “I guess after all those hours of practicing… I just knew I had to do it. Miss or not. And I did. Oh, boy! You could hear the whoosh as I let go of my arrow; my heart was beating so fast. But I knew. Even before I let it fly. I had the position; the bear was mine.”
And Mark, indeed, was right. Within a few hours, the bear was dead, and it was his. Stunned at first, Mark called his father, who was waiting at another tree stand, and told him the news.
“Right in the heart!” Mark cheeredas he and his father lugged the bear out of the forest and onto the truck.
“Right in the heart!” He grinned, as his father congratulated him, patting him on the head, and later when they were eating lunch, joking about beginner’s luck.
“Right in the heart!” Heannounced, as he arrived home and as his mother applauded him,taking a picture.
“Right in the heart!” He murmured again, as he fell onto his unmade bed and drifted off to sleep.
---
At 13, most kids played Xbox or watched television for entertainment. But not Mark Song.When he wanted to have fun, he picked up his bow and arrow and roamed the forest with his father.
Leaving in the morning at 3 a.m., Mark, like his father, wasn’t big on breakfast, and took an apple to go, eating it from the top down.
“The apple cores are just a myth. Never eat them from the outside in; this wastes roughly 30 percent of the fruit. Eat the seeds too,” Mark remarked as he tossed the remaining piece of apple into his mouth.
After brushing and flossing his teeth not once, or twice, but three times to be sure, Mark donned his camouflaged clothing and headwear. Unshaven and messy, he packed items and tools for the hunting trip, once bending down for his quiver as his dark, unruly hair flew everywhere.Some might even say he was carelessly handsome.In less than 10 minutes, Mark signaled he was ready to go, and hastily stuffed his too-loose short-sleeve camo tee into his pocket pants. His father was just as quick.
Although the thirteen-year-old boy from Pennsylvania was way too young to have an official hunting license, he had already chalked up 6 perfect shots into three 7 and two 8 point whitetail deer and one black bear.
“Right in the heart!” Mark gleefully celebrated every time he made a direct hit.
But he wasn’t a complainer if he missed, or if he only gave the animal a minor wound. He shrugged, smiled his boyish smile, and sat back and waited for the next one.
Mark was simply taking after his father, who once single-handedly shot down three deer in one sitting. Thinking his son would enjoy hunting as much as he does, Mark’s father brought his son when he was 7 to a shooting range. With hours of practice and a side of beginner’s luck, Mark improved his skills and grew to love hunting. When Mark was finally ready, he entered the fields.
Although his father was supportive, Mark’s mother pleaded for him to be careful in the woods. But despite the motherly advice, Mark fell from his tree stand many times, half due to excitement and half due to trying not to fall asleep.
“You have to wake up pretty early to catch them. It’s only that one moment you hear it, the leaves crunching and their subtle movements. And you know you have to get it right. That it’s now or never. You have to hit them like they never knew what was coming! Boom, right in the heart!”
But there wasone rainy morning Mark would never forget—the day he shot his first black bear.
“I didn’t even realize it. I was so excited, and didn’t know what to do. I have never seen a black bear before, especially up close. I thought it was going to leap up at me, because bears can climb trees really well and this one was just 6 feet away… Of course I was scared! My father never shot one either. But luckily, my body instinctively reacted,” Mark heartily laughs. “I guess after all those hours of practicing… I just knew I had to do it. Miss or not. And I did. Oh, boy! You could hear the whoosh as I let go of my arrow; my heart was beating so fast. But I knew. Even before I let it fly. I had the position; the bear was mine.”
And Mark, indeed, was right. Within a few hours, the bear was dead, and it was his. Stunned at first, Mark called his father, who was waiting at another tree stand, and told him the news.
“Right in the heart!” Mark cheeredas he and his father lugged the bear out of the forest and onto the truck.
“Right in the heart!” He grinned, as his father congratulated him, patting him on the head, and later when they were eating lunch, joking about beginner’s luck.
“Right in the heart!” Heannounced, as he arrived home and as his mother applauded him,taking a picture.
“Right in the heart!” He murmured again, as he fell onto his unmade bed and drifted off to sleep.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Benefits of Breakfast
Your mother was right: breakfast really can make or break your day. Unfortunately, all-nighters are becoming the norm now for stressed out students balancing AP classes, extracurricular activities, and more; ten extra minutes snuggled up in bed sounds far more enticing than a bowl of cereal. However, studies have proven that a good, healthy breakfast is critical to a growing teen’s health and academic development. In an endeavor to aid struggling students, many states are sponsoring school breakfast programs that supply nutritious morning meals to busy students.
The School Breakfast Program is a federally sponsored program that began in 1966 as a pilot project to assist “nutritionally needy” students that were not getting the sustenance that needed to perform to the best of their abilities in class. Today schools across the country have implemented this program, offering healthy and traditional menus low in sodium and fat and high in vitamins. Because the program helps pay for the breakfasts, these meals are served at a reduced price and are basically the equivalent of having a morning lunch in the cafeteria or classroom before the school day begins.
In Colorado, where only 38% of students who eat lunch also eat breakfast, the state instituted a Breakfast Challenge. This was to encourage schools to increase participation rates as the school with the greatest increases could win cash prizes of up to $5000. In the Pueblo school district, free breakfasts are now available for every student of every age level and test scores and attendance have improved dramatically across the board. This methodology is spreading quickly around the area.
What about New Jersey? The Garden State is ranked 49th in the nation for Breakfast Program participation. The state fails to reach sixty of every hundred students requiring financial aid, so $19 million in federal funding has been lost. Governor Christie has proposed cutting $5.5 million from the state Breakfast Program to save on the budget, a move that may defer interest in schools not yet participating or limit options of currently active schools.
Because a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger all day long, a student is often more alert, vigorous, and focused. In a survey by the American Dietetic Association, half of all boys and two-thirds of all girls skip breakfast on a regular basis. While some local elementary schools, like those in Piscataway and Edison, offer breakfast programs, many of our high schools do not. They do, however, roll out the racks of snacks the minute bleary-eyed students walk through the doors. A bite to eat is important, but not if it’s loaded with sugar and empty calories. It’s pretty obvious we all want a way to make ourselves more attentive and better our test grades in class and a simple way to achieve this is to add a healthy mix of dairy, grains, and fruits into our morning schedules. Whether we can commit to this effort through available school programs or through sheer willpower is up to us. On the other hand, no one disagrees that we should at least try. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
The School Breakfast Program is a federally sponsored program that began in 1966 as a pilot project to assist “nutritionally needy” students that were not getting the sustenance that needed to perform to the best of their abilities in class. Today schools across the country have implemented this program, offering healthy and traditional menus low in sodium and fat and high in vitamins. Because the program helps pay for the breakfasts, these meals are served at a reduced price and are basically the equivalent of having a morning lunch in the cafeteria or classroom before the school day begins.
In Colorado, where only 38% of students who eat lunch also eat breakfast, the state instituted a Breakfast Challenge. This was to encourage schools to increase participation rates as the school with the greatest increases could win cash prizes of up to $5000. In the Pueblo school district, free breakfasts are now available for every student of every age level and test scores and attendance have improved dramatically across the board. This methodology is spreading quickly around the area.
What about New Jersey? The Garden State is ranked 49th in the nation for Breakfast Program participation. The state fails to reach sixty of every hundred students requiring financial aid, so $19 million in federal funding has been lost. Governor Christie has proposed cutting $5.5 million from the state Breakfast Program to save on the budget, a move that may defer interest in schools not yet participating or limit options of currently active schools.
Because a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger all day long, a student is often more alert, vigorous, and focused. In a survey by the American Dietetic Association, half of all boys and two-thirds of all girls skip breakfast on a regular basis. While some local elementary schools, like those in Piscataway and Edison, offer breakfast programs, many of our high schools do not. They do, however, roll out the racks of snacks the minute bleary-eyed students walk through the doors. A bite to eat is important, but not if it’s loaded with sugar and empty calories. It’s pretty obvious we all want a way to make ourselves more attentive and better our test grades in class and a simple way to achieve this is to add a healthy mix of dairy, grains, and fruits into our morning schedules. Whether we can commit to this effort through available school programs or through sheer willpower is up to us. On the other hand, no one disagrees that we should at least try. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Surprising Benefits of Gaming
In the 21st century, technology is the dominating model of information flow and entertainment, as more and more people begin assimilating it into their lives. One of the greatest concerns with technology use is its influence on children, especially through video and computer games. Contrary to the general belief that computer games serve no positive purpose, they help children develop skills that may ultimately outweigh the negatives of gaming.
Although many are concerned with the possibility of increased aggression in the daily life of gamers as a result of violence within the virtual world, studies have shown that such consequences are insignificant, if present at all. Dmitri Williams, professor at University of Illinois, performed behavioral studies, comparing individuals before and after a continuous period of gaming. He found little correlation between violence in real life and gaming. Even the little effects observed during the experiment are more prevalent in older individuals, such as those above 30 years old, rather than in children, whom adults worry about the most as victims of negative influence.
Experts further affirm that the time invested into gaming does not necessary become a waste. Games are an excellent place to develop teamwork skills. With teams come responsibilities, which many children learn to take on as they recognize the immediate consequences of their choices and actions in games. In a broader sense, children are also given the opportunity to learn resource management and strategic problem-solving skills, all of which are valuable in life. Especially because of the size of gaming communities online, children also have the opportunity to interact with different people, widening their perspectives in the world.
Concerns of academic effort being affected by gaming are equally erroneous. The time spent on academic work is only affected at a minuscule scale by gaming, as gaming largely displaces time spent on other activities than academic work. In contrast, the more concerning problem is the time devoted to academic work in general; for example, on average, boys spend only eight minutes reading per day.
Moreover, games have become an activity that enhances real life social relationships rather than deter them. Research has shown that children who play games spend on average more time with friends than do those who don’t play computer games. Video games can also be used as an opportunity for interactions between parents and children. Such activities have been shown to benefit girls especially, decreasing the probability of depression.
Ultimately, the greatest concern for gaming is addiction, defined as extreme physical or mental dependency on a certain activity. It is recognized that one may develop stronger attachments to games as more time is devoted to this activity. However, American health organizations have officially announced that addictions to games are not sicknesses, and that limited playing can reserve such addictions relatively easily.
Like most things in the world, gaming has both a positive and a negative side. So parents, don’t be so quick to dismiss gaming as unhealthy (but don’t let your kids go overboard with them, either)!
Although many are concerned with the possibility of increased aggression in the daily life of gamers as a result of violence within the virtual world, studies have shown that such consequences are insignificant, if present at all. Dmitri Williams, professor at University of Illinois, performed behavioral studies, comparing individuals before and after a continuous period of gaming. He found little correlation between violence in real life and gaming. Even the little effects observed during the experiment are more prevalent in older individuals, such as those above 30 years old, rather than in children, whom adults worry about the most as victims of negative influence.
Experts further affirm that the time invested into gaming does not necessary become a waste. Games are an excellent place to develop teamwork skills. With teams come responsibilities, which many children learn to take on as they recognize the immediate consequences of their choices and actions in games. In a broader sense, children are also given the opportunity to learn resource management and strategic problem-solving skills, all of which are valuable in life. Especially because of the size of gaming communities online, children also have the opportunity to interact with different people, widening their perspectives in the world.
Concerns of academic effort being affected by gaming are equally erroneous. The time spent on academic work is only affected at a minuscule scale by gaming, as gaming largely displaces time spent on other activities than academic work. In contrast, the more concerning problem is the time devoted to academic work in general; for example, on average, boys spend only eight minutes reading per day.
Moreover, games have become an activity that enhances real life social relationships rather than deter them. Research has shown that children who play games spend on average more time with friends than do those who don’t play computer games. Video games can also be used as an opportunity for interactions between parents and children. Such activities have been shown to benefit girls especially, decreasing the probability of depression.
Ultimately, the greatest concern for gaming is addiction, defined as extreme physical or mental dependency on a certain activity. It is recognized that one may develop stronger attachments to games as more time is devoted to this activity. However, American health organizations have officially announced that addictions to games are not sicknesses, and that limited playing can reserve such addictions relatively easily.
Like most things in the world, gaming has both a positive and a negative side. So parents, don’t be so quick to dismiss gaming as unhealthy (but don’t let your kids go overboard with them, either)!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
What Does It Take To Be A Great Teacher?
We all have asked it: What does it take to be a really great teacher?
Well, this is a question that numerous teachers have asked themselves throughout the years as they evaluate their own aptitudes. The truth is that people who choose to become teachers are only truly great if they set their minds to it, and work hard each and every teaching day to improve. Their purpose is not perfection, but progression.
Since the start of this year, as part of a yearlong search to understand what it takes to be a great teacher, I began dropping by high school classrooms across New Jersey to observe great teaching in areas across the socioeconomic array, ranging from a poverty-stricken city in Camden to a privileged high school in Millburn. Despite major disparities in practices, qualities, and values, I was struck by the comprehension that all great teachers share five universal approaches. And ultimately, these approaches are anchored in the same state of being.
What all great teachers have in common is faith, not in religious terms but in terms of unyielding faith for someone or something, even in the absence of material substantiation. They have faith in their students. They have faith in the course of learning. And, they have faith in themselves. It is what elicits the five approaches I distinguished in great teachers:
1. Great teachers are skilled listeners.
Listening is not just sitting around hearing about a student’s troubles (although many teachers still do this). Rather than coming in with a pre-prepared learning schedule, great teachers initially listen attentively to the educational and individual needs of their students. This listening could be an assessment analysis or could entail an insightful understanding of and reverence for the lives and home customs of their students, whether they are susceptible kids in a deprived district or honored kids in an affluent area.
“Ms. Burgett wants to know me,” Sydney, a 17 year old student in Sarah Burgett’s 12th grade class at Lyndhurst High School in Lyndhurst, says. “At my old school, the teachers never talked to their students outside of class.”
2. Great teachers have a genuine outlook for their students.
Some great teachers I met are focused on standard-based teaching while others are not. But regardless of their thoughts and focuses, all great teachers have their own, genuine outlook of what they want for their students. Since they listen to their students, the outlook they have is their feedback to what their students require, not to a requirement of their own. This outlook does not have to be theoretical. For several teachers, mainly in skill-based topics, their outlook is mastery of a particular body of matter, which they consider priceless for their students. However, others vision unique traits: instilling a lifelong inquisitiveness or turning their students into lifelong readers.
3. Great teachers believe in their students’ potential.
When I say “potential,” I do not mean the belief that all students will go to college. In area like Alpine, because of the available widespread resources, college is foreseeable for most students before they’re even born, while in areas like the Special Education classroom of Newark, college is very unlikely for most students. What I mean by “potential” is that in all great teachers, I perceive a belief that the student in front of them is skilled to reach beyond what anyone might imagine possible. Great teachers understand that life could take surprising and impulsive turns. It’s due to that belief that they do not ever give up even on students who never seem to improve.
4. Great teachers are calm but determined pushers.
Remember in “Mean Girls” when math teacher Ms. Sharon Norbury says she’s “a pusher?” Great teachers never stop pushing their students regardless of how low or high their level and their protests or lack of concern. And great teachers stay remarkably calm. Even when irritated, they breathe and brush the moment off. They don’t seem to take anything personally because they trust their vision and their students’ potential.
5. Great teachers approach non-attachment to interim results.
When I say “non-attachment,” I do not mean a lack of interest. Great teachers are certainly interested in interim results, studying student work carefully and tracking their students’ improvement. However—and this is where they diverge drastically from average teachers—they do not invest emotionally in those outcomes or take them as support of accomplishment or failure. Great teachers take a much larger vision of learning. They perceive their lessons, and what their students discover from their lessons, as something they hope their students will bring with them for the rest of their lives.
“You sometimes feel that you’re fighting yourself,” Paul Lamberti, a teacher at Eastside High School in Paterson, says of the challenges of educating students in Special Education. “But I do see my kids turn it around because at the end of the day, although they might not recall what I taught them, they’ll remember that I cared about them on a primary level.”
This leads me to faith. Because at heart, all of these approaches are anchored in a faith in the effort itself, in the everyday practice of showing up and engaging in the challenge of learning with the students.
So, what does it take to be a really great teacher? Well, it takes diligence, respect, and enthusiasm. It takes passion and a love of learning for education and for the course material. It takes the desire to never give up and to make a difference in the lives of young people. But mostly, it takes the development of this faith, not just in students, but also in the process of learning and in ourselves.
Well, this is a question that numerous teachers have asked themselves throughout the years as they evaluate their own aptitudes. The truth is that people who choose to become teachers are only truly great if they set their minds to it, and work hard each and every teaching day to improve. Their purpose is not perfection, but progression.
Since the start of this year, as part of a yearlong search to understand what it takes to be a great teacher, I began dropping by high school classrooms across New Jersey to observe great teaching in areas across the socioeconomic array, ranging from a poverty-stricken city in Camden to a privileged high school in Millburn. Despite major disparities in practices, qualities, and values, I was struck by the comprehension that all great teachers share five universal approaches. And ultimately, these approaches are anchored in the same state of being.
What all great teachers have in common is faith, not in religious terms but in terms of unyielding faith for someone or something, even in the absence of material substantiation. They have faith in their students. They have faith in the course of learning. And, they have faith in themselves. It is what elicits the five approaches I distinguished in great teachers:
1. Great teachers are skilled listeners.
Listening is not just sitting around hearing about a student’s troubles (although many teachers still do this). Rather than coming in with a pre-prepared learning schedule, great teachers initially listen attentively to the educational and individual needs of their students. This listening could be an assessment analysis or could entail an insightful understanding of and reverence for the lives and home customs of their students, whether they are susceptible kids in a deprived district or honored kids in an affluent area.
“Ms. Burgett wants to know me,” Sydney, a 17 year old student in Sarah Burgett’s 12th grade class at Lyndhurst High School in Lyndhurst, says. “At my old school, the teachers never talked to their students outside of class.”
2. Great teachers have a genuine outlook for their students.
Some great teachers I met are focused on standard-based teaching while others are not. But regardless of their thoughts and focuses, all great teachers have their own, genuine outlook of what they want for their students. Since they listen to their students, the outlook they have is their feedback to what their students require, not to a requirement of their own. This outlook does not have to be theoretical. For several teachers, mainly in skill-based topics, their outlook is mastery of a particular body of matter, which they consider priceless for their students. However, others vision unique traits: instilling a lifelong inquisitiveness or turning their students into lifelong readers.
3. Great teachers believe in their students’ potential.
When I say “potential,” I do not mean the belief that all students will go to college. In area like Alpine, because of the available widespread resources, college is foreseeable for most students before they’re even born, while in areas like the Special Education classroom of Newark, college is very unlikely for most students. What I mean by “potential” is that in all great teachers, I perceive a belief that the student in front of them is skilled to reach beyond what anyone might imagine possible. Great teachers understand that life could take surprising and impulsive turns. It’s due to that belief that they do not ever give up even on students who never seem to improve.
4. Great teachers are calm but determined pushers.
Remember in “Mean Girls” when math teacher Ms. Sharon Norbury says she’s “a pusher?” Great teachers never stop pushing their students regardless of how low or high their level and their protests or lack of concern. And great teachers stay remarkably calm. Even when irritated, they breathe and brush the moment off. They don’t seem to take anything personally because they trust their vision and their students’ potential.
5. Great teachers approach non-attachment to interim results.
When I say “non-attachment,” I do not mean a lack of interest. Great teachers are certainly interested in interim results, studying student work carefully and tracking their students’ improvement. However—and this is where they diverge drastically from average teachers—they do not invest emotionally in those outcomes or take them as support of accomplishment or failure. Great teachers take a much larger vision of learning. They perceive their lessons, and what their students discover from their lessons, as something they hope their students will bring with them for the rest of their lives.
“You sometimes feel that you’re fighting yourself,” Paul Lamberti, a teacher at Eastside High School in Paterson, says of the challenges of educating students in Special Education. “But I do see my kids turn it around because at the end of the day, although they might not recall what I taught them, they’ll remember that I cared about them on a primary level.”
This leads me to faith. Because at heart, all of these approaches are anchored in a faith in the effort itself, in the everyday practice of showing up and engaging in the challenge of learning with the students.
So, what does it take to be a really great teacher? Well, it takes diligence, respect, and enthusiasm. It takes passion and a love of learning for education and for the course material. It takes the desire to never give up and to make a difference in the lives of young people. But mostly, it takes the development of this faith, not just in students, but also in the process of learning and in ourselves.
10 Residents File Lawsuits After House Fire
HARRISON, NJ – On January 6, 2014, ten residents who are living with relatives or in hotels due to a house fire last year on November sued the landlords and the city housing authority in Harrison, claiming that failure to fix a defective stove led to the six-alarm blaze on Warren Street.
The fire, which started around 7:00 p.m. on November 15, 2013, is stated to have originated in the kitchen area on the second floor of 209 Warren Street. According to Fire Director Richard Staler, Harrison Fire Department and firefighters from five other metropolises were able to control the fire, but not before it had stretched to and heavily damaged the adjacent homes.
Departments from Kearny, Secaucus, East Newark, Jersey City, and Bayonne all helped to combat the blaze. Staler claimed Harrison department’s efforts were hindered by a telephone service outage in the region that thwarted dispatchers from calling units in other municipalities for support in battling the fire.
“Fortunately, we got several good, fast-thinking dispatchers who took out their own cell phones and contacted the other town departments,” Staler says.
According to Staler, the Harrison departments worked to make sure that its 911 service was still functioning with Jersey City managing 911 calls for the town until the telephones were repaired and back online.
Staler asserted a sum of four families, ten people altogether, was dislodged by the blaze. Two residents of 207 Warren Street and two residents of 211 Warren Street said that they will stay with relatives, but the remaining two resident of 207 Warren Street and the remaining four residents of 211 Warren Street had nowhere to stay after being forced to leave their home.
Around 8:00 p.m. on November 15, the fire drastically expanded and traveled quickly from 209 Warren Street to its neighboring houses. Staler said that backdraft would have been greatly dangerous as it was attributable to a buildup of unescaped gasses within a room.
“I have been a firefighter for a lot of years and I have been stuck in a backdraft a few times. I am just really thankful that the damages weren’t very serious,” Staler says.
Jersey City Fire Director Orlan Rohan claimed that the backdraft would have been averted if the roof was vented, a course of placing holes in the roof which would let the trapped gasses flow out.
Six firefighters were injured in a petrifying explosion and six-alarm fire. They were quickly and carefully placed in ambulances.
“When that glass window split opened, the pieces got caught all over his face and body. He lost a lot of blood,” Rohan says of one firefighter.
The four families and the 209 Warren Street landowners safely escaped with little belongings, but nearly everything else in the houses were destroyed.
Three vehicles parked outside were also damaged.
Michael Vauban of Harbor View Restoration said his team was on the scene to panel the windows of the homes and even out the ruined structure.
“The houses had to be secured because they had a lot of roof damage,” Vauban says.
Less than two months after the six-alarm blaze on Warren Street, the ten residents of 207 and 211 Warren Street filed a lawsuit on January 6 in New Jersey Municipal Court against the landlords Badar Delhi and his wife, Amla Delhi, and the city housing authority for the blast. The court hearing was held on January 17, 2013.
The plaintiffs were collectively requesting for more than $5 million for undisclosed damages of lost valuables, humiliation, mental anguish, and property damage.
According to the litigation, starting in March 2012, Badar Delhi was told countless times of the “frequently faulty” stove, which would someday erupt if not fixed. A housing authority examiner inspected the house in March 2012 and offered an “indecisive” evaluation to the quality of the house’s equipment, instead of a pass or fail ranking.
A spokesman for the city housing authority, Morris Potter, refused to comment on the pending lawsuit. Potter said of the litigation, “None of this is accurate.” He then refused to comment further.
“I don’t see why I am sued,” Badar Delhi says. “They’re just homes. The important thing is that no one is hurt.”
The fire, which started around 7:00 p.m. on November 15, 2013, is stated to have originated in the kitchen area on the second floor of 209 Warren Street. According to Fire Director Richard Staler, Harrison Fire Department and firefighters from five other metropolises were able to control the fire, but not before it had stretched to and heavily damaged the adjacent homes.
Departments from Kearny, Secaucus, East Newark, Jersey City, and Bayonne all helped to combat the blaze. Staler claimed Harrison department’s efforts were hindered by a telephone service outage in the region that thwarted dispatchers from calling units in other municipalities for support in battling the fire.
“Fortunately, we got several good, fast-thinking dispatchers who took out their own cell phones and contacted the other town departments,” Staler says.
According to Staler, the Harrison departments worked to make sure that its 911 service was still functioning with Jersey City managing 911 calls for the town until the telephones were repaired and back online.
Staler asserted a sum of four families, ten people altogether, was dislodged by the blaze. Two residents of 207 Warren Street and two residents of 211 Warren Street said that they will stay with relatives, but the remaining two resident of 207 Warren Street and the remaining four residents of 211 Warren Street had nowhere to stay after being forced to leave their home.
Around 8:00 p.m. on November 15, the fire drastically expanded and traveled quickly from 209 Warren Street to its neighboring houses. Staler said that backdraft would have been greatly dangerous as it was attributable to a buildup of unescaped gasses within a room.
“I have been a firefighter for a lot of years and I have been stuck in a backdraft a few times. I am just really thankful that the damages weren’t very serious,” Staler says.
Jersey City Fire Director Orlan Rohan claimed that the backdraft would have been averted if the roof was vented, a course of placing holes in the roof which would let the trapped gasses flow out.
Six firefighters were injured in a petrifying explosion and six-alarm fire. They were quickly and carefully placed in ambulances.
“When that glass window split opened, the pieces got caught all over his face and body. He lost a lot of blood,” Rohan says of one firefighter.
The four families and the 209 Warren Street landowners safely escaped with little belongings, but nearly everything else in the houses were destroyed.
Three vehicles parked outside were also damaged.
Michael Vauban of Harbor View Restoration said his team was on the scene to panel the windows of the homes and even out the ruined structure.
“The houses had to be secured because they had a lot of roof damage,” Vauban says.
Less than two months after the six-alarm blaze on Warren Street, the ten residents of 207 and 211 Warren Street filed a lawsuit on January 6 in New Jersey Municipal Court against the landlords Badar Delhi and his wife, Amla Delhi, and the city housing authority for the blast. The court hearing was held on January 17, 2013.
The plaintiffs were collectively requesting for more than $5 million for undisclosed damages of lost valuables, humiliation, mental anguish, and property damage.
According to the litigation, starting in March 2012, Badar Delhi was told countless times of the “frequently faulty” stove, which would someday erupt if not fixed. A housing authority examiner inspected the house in March 2012 and offered an “indecisive” evaluation to the quality of the house’s equipment, instead of a pass or fail ranking.
A spokesman for the city housing authority, Morris Potter, refused to comment on the pending lawsuit. Potter said of the litigation, “None of this is accurate.” He then refused to comment further.
“I don’t see why I am sued,” Badar Delhi says. “They’re just homes. The important thing is that no one is hurt.”
Class Welcomes New Teaching Style
NORTH BERGEN, NJ – This school year, Dr. Syed Abbasi, a High Tech professor, is choosing a new method when it comes to educating his students in his Business Applications Class. He is working to introduce a new teaching style referred to as “flipping the classroom,” which he hopes other teachers will eventually follow as well.
The notion of a flipped classroom is a two-part procedure. First, the students look over a case study of a topic, which are simulations of business situations, such as ethical behaviors, corporate environment, and integration of modern computer technology and computer applications. Then, they participate in class discussions and collaborate on activities that would apply to what they have learned. Finally, each student makes a presentation to the class, which is followed by a question-answer session. This gives the instructor a better opportunity to connect with the students and to conduct a brainstorming session, instead of instructing and teaching the students through homework and textbooks.
This new technique is not only allowing students to be textbook-free but also allowing them to get more involved during class time, leading both the instructor and the students onto the same track. Nearly all instructors would concur that connecting with their students is at the crown of their priority list, but is also something that is not simple to attain through lectures.
“I don’t believe in textbooks alone. I like to have students discuss with me and each other to gain a better perspective on the topic,” Dr. Abbasi says.
Flipping the classroom will allow the students to have more debates and share ideas not only with the instructor but among themselves as well. It will underline how significant communication is—in school and in the business world.
Another central concept of Dr. Abbasi’s teaching style is to incorporate real-world models of the topic at hand. In his opinion, reading, understanding, writing, critical thinking, brainstorming, and decision-making skills play a paramount role in any business environment. The Internet and the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will also be utilized in a flipped classroom, extensively.
“This method of teaching would be an excellent way for teachers to truly employ classroom time,” Lia Paiva Acosta, a junior year business student, says.
“I really hope we stay with this teaching method,” Tiffhanie Ramos, a junior year business student, adds.
The notion of a flipped classroom is a two-part procedure. First, the students look over a case study of a topic, which are simulations of business situations, such as ethical behaviors, corporate environment, and integration of modern computer technology and computer applications. Then, they participate in class discussions and collaborate on activities that would apply to what they have learned. Finally, each student makes a presentation to the class, which is followed by a question-answer session. This gives the instructor a better opportunity to connect with the students and to conduct a brainstorming session, instead of instructing and teaching the students through homework and textbooks.
This new technique is not only allowing students to be textbook-free but also allowing them to get more involved during class time, leading both the instructor and the students onto the same track. Nearly all instructors would concur that connecting with their students is at the crown of their priority list, but is also something that is not simple to attain through lectures.
“I don’t believe in textbooks alone. I like to have students discuss with me and each other to gain a better perspective on the topic,” Dr. Abbasi says.
Flipping the classroom will allow the students to have more debates and share ideas not only with the instructor but among themselves as well. It will underline how significant communication is—in school and in the business world.
Another central concept of Dr. Abbasi’s teaching style is to incorporate real-world models of the topic at hand. In his opinion, reading, understanding, writing, critical thinking, brainstorming, and decision-making skills play a paramount role in any business environment. The Internet and the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will also be utilized in a flipped classroom, extensively.
“This method of teaching would be an excellent way for teachers to truly employ classroom time,” Lia Paiva Acosta, a junior year business student, says.
“I really hope we stay with this teaching method,” Tiffhanie Ramos, a junior year business student, adds.
S2S: Building Tomorrow’s Technical Leaders Today (An Insight Story of Dr. Cincotta and His Students)
NORTH BERGEN, NJ—This school year, Dr. Cincotta, a High Tech science teacher, and his students are planning to travel twice to East Hanover, NJ to work side by side with professional scientists using instruments like chromatographs and spectrophotometers for real-world experiments in a full-scale, commercial-grade laboratory, which Students 2 Science (S2S) runs.
S2S is a nonprofit organization that encourages, inspires, and teaches students to pursue career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). By working with experienced scientists for four to five hours, students gain a hands-on learning experience, which enhances their confidence and interest for science and technology as well as their grades. S2S scientists share their enthusiasm for the subject matter, making the time in the lab stimulating, educational, and enjoyable.
This is Dr. Cincotta’s fourth year participating in the S2S program.
“I love it,” Dr. Cincotta says.“It really works in actively teaching the students.”
For one experiment, students tested drugs produced by different manufacturing plants to make sure they fit FDA standards. Afterwards, studentsreported what they learned from the experiment to enforce understanding of the subject matter.
“This four-to-five-hour period of lab activities equals doing over one semester of college chemistry lab work,” Dr. Cincotta says.
Since only five percent of U.S. undergraduates today earn college degrees in science and engineering, compared to 42 percent in China, S2S brings STEM careers to life by connecting students with successful technologists and entrepreneurs and by exposing them to the potential financial and social benefits of a career in a STEM-related field.
“I think this is a phenomenal opportunity,” Dr. Cincotta says. “In fact, the hardest part of the day is to get the studentsback on the bus.”
Melina Dallastella, Dr. Cincotta’s intern and assistant, went four times last year.
“I really like it,” Dallastella says. “We get to use tools we don’t have in school.We get to meet really interestingscientists who all went to school to study chemistry.”
On April 2nd, Dr. Cincotta and his students will once again travel to East Hanover, this time, experimenting with organic chemistry.
These experiments open students’ minds and enforce critical thinking.
“Although I’m not really into it [organic chemistry], it’s still really fun just being there.Since I’m more into nuclear chemistry, these experiments make me question if I really want to go into it [nuclear chemistry],” Dallastella says.
Antoinette Robustelli, one of Dr. Cincotta’s AP Chemistry students, experiencedan even greaterimpact by discovering what she truly wanted to specialize in. Since science is very broad, S2S allows students to experiment with different aspects of the subject and to experience college-level scienceto determine which field is the right choice for them.
“When I first got there, I didn’t think I’d change my entire career path based on one field trip,” Antoinette Robustelli says.
By the end of the day, Antoinette’sopinion changed after an experiment involving various testing donewith Advil.
“We used a device to check the melting point [of the Advil]. If it did notmelt at a certain temperature, it should have been labeled as Tylenol,” Robustelli says. “This really affected my view on how easily mistakes can be made even in a lab environment. Just labeling a certain medication wrong can be detrimental.”
Robustelli made her ultimate career decision after Dr. Cincotta asked his students to write about their favorite experience at S2S. Robustelli always wanted to go into science but wasn’t sure which field she should major in in college.
“Now I know,” Robustelli says. “After this experiment, and after writing about it, I realized I wanted to get into research and be a pharmacist.”Robustelli will be attending the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in the fall.
Robustelli agrees that exposure to science careers should begin early.
“Personally, I think sophomore year is the best time to practice, and the best time to experiment with science. You’re more mature then, and you truly appreciate the work done,” Robustelli says.
The cost, $50 per student per visit, is supported by the Hudson County Schools of Technology Foundation.
“The Foundation has been exceptionally generous in supporting these trips to S2S so that no student would be denied the opportunity for a real-life science laboratory experience,” Dr. Cincotta says.
S2S is a nonprofit organization that encourages, inspires, and teaches students to pursue career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). By working with experienced scientists for four to five hours, students gain a hands-on learning experience, which enhances their confidence and interest for science and technology as well as their grades. S2S scientists share their enthusiasm for the subject matter, making the time in the lab stimulating, educational, and enjoyable.
This is Dr. Cincotta’s fourth year participating in the S2S program.
“I love it,” Dr. Cincotta says.“It really works in actively teaching the students.”
For one experiment, students tested drugs produced by different manufacturing plants to make sure they fit FDA standards. Afterwards, studentsreported what they learned from the experiment to enforce understanding of the subject matter.
“This four-to-five-hour period of lab activities equals doing over one semester of college chemistry lab work,” Dr. Cincotta says.
Since only five percent of U.S. undergraduates today earn college degrees in science and engineering, compared to 42 percent in China, S2S brings STEM careers to life by connecting students with successful technologists and entrepreneurs and by exposing them to the potential financial and social benefits of a career in a STEM-related field.
“I think this is a phenomenal opportunity,” Dr. Cincotta says. “In fact, the hardest part of the day is to get the studentsback on the bus.”
Melina Dallastella, Dr. Cincotta’s intern and assistant, went four times last year.
“I really like it,” Dallastella says. “We get to use tools we don’t have in school.We get to meet really interestingscientists who all went to school to study chemistry.”
On April 2nd, Dr. Cincotta and his students will once again travel to East Hanover, this time, experimenting with organic chemistry.
These experiments open students’ minds and enforce critical thinking.
“Although I’m not really into it [organic chemistry], it’s still really fun just being there.Since I’m more into nuclear chemistry, these experiments make me question if I really want to go into it [nuclear chemistry],” Dallastella says.
Antoinette Robustelli, one of Dr. Cincotta’s AP Chemistry students, experiencedan even greaterimpact by discovering what she truly wanted to specialize in. Since science is very broad, S2S allows students to experiment with different aspects of the subject and to experience college-level scienceto determine which field is the right choice for them.
“When I first got there, I didn’t think I’d change my entire career path based on one field trip,” Antoinette Robustelli says.
By the end of the day, Antoinette’sopinion changed after an experiment involving various testing donewith Advil.
“We used a device to check the melting point [of the Advil]. If it did notmelt at a certain temperature, it should have been labeled as Tylenol,” Robustelli says. “This really affected my view on how easily mistakes can be made even in a lab environment. Just labeling a certain medication wrong can be detrimental.”
Robustelli made her ultimate career decision after Dr. Cincotta asked his students to write about their favorite experience at S2S. Robustelli always wanted to go into science but wasn’t sure which field she should major in in college.
“Now I know,” Robustelli says. “After this experiment, and after writing about it, I realized I wanted to get into research and be a pharmacist.”Robustelli will be attending the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in the fall.
Robustelli agrees that exposure to science careers should begin early.
“Personally, I think sophomore year is the best time to practice, and the best time to experiment with science. You’re more mature then, and you truly appreciate the work done,” Robustelli says.
The cost, $50 per student per visit, is supported by the Hudson County Schools of Technology Foundation.
“The Foundation has been exceptionally generous in supporting these trips to S2S so that no student would be denied the opportunity for a real-life science laboratory experience,” Dr. Cincotta says.
Restaurant Review: Golden Eagle
Independent thinkers find this hard to acknowledge,
but when you see crowds of people standing outside an eatery or waiting in
lines inside of a restaurant, more often than not the food they’re hanging
around for is worth eating.
Whether it’s worth the wait is a separate question. In
most cases, though, the crowds know something. Golden Eagle Restaurant, a
Chinese cuisine, is a wonderland, and its lunch special ($5.50 to $5.85 for a
platter large enough for a family of 4) is such an amazing bargain that I am
afraid that simply mentioning it may spook the owners into charging more than six
dollars for each dish.
One big suggestion before entering this restaurant
is to go on an empty stomach because the serving sizes are so huge that you’d
be full before you can get to the main course, let alone dessert.
A mandatory start to your meal is the classic wonton
soup ($1.65). However, the generous serving of this soup is anything but
ordinary. It’s infused with garlic bean oil and sweet and sour paste, which
gives the soup a rich, funky flavor. Dunk some of the bread and crackers, which
comes with the order, for a tasty twist. This means you can fuel up on comfort
yet appetizing food with a minimal ding to your wallet.
Other starters that taste just as well include the
shrimp egg roll ($1.50), sesame cold noodle ($4.50), and roast pork yaka mein
($4.95).
The best vegetarian options, the vegetarian roll
($1.30) and vegetable soup ($2.50), are a vibrant beet mixture that pairs well
with the provided Chinese cookies and sesame sauce.
With that said, let’s move on to the mains.
Throbbing with garlic and sweet soy, lake tong-ting
shrimp ($11.25) make lip-smacking finger food. As good as these fatty, meaty
shrimps are, their richness makes it nearly impossible to finish a plate alone.
Make your tablemates and cardiologist happy. Share.
All the dishes start conceptual here, but a few
ought to stay that way. Four Season ($10.95), a seemingly clever repackaging of
the classic fried aubergine, slips melted eggplants into fried tofu
envelopes. The result is way too much of a good thing. Even the zesty tahini
sauce can’t hold back
the waves of grease that leech from these pockets.
Another work in progress is the Hawaii Five ($11.25).
Using monkfish liver, a textural doppelganger, the dish is a gorgeous illusion
that fades at first bite. From a kitchen brimming with unrestrained flavor,
this dish was noticeably mute. A terrifically fresh, astringent side slaw of radish
and carrot only underscores the dullness of the main course.
And then there was the beef chop suey ($6.85):
nicely cooked to be sure, but so strange set on pedestals of oily pickled
spaghetti squash. But the dish still tasted great, and it’s definitely worth
trying.
The restaurant’s signature dish, the “Seafood
Delight” ($11.25), kicks standard seafood to the curb with a hint of red pepper
shoots. The heaping rice bowl is topped with delicate slices of lobster meat,
jumbo shrimp, crab meat, scallops, and salmon, and is finished with a black
bean and hot lobster “crack sauce.”
However, don’t bother with the two dessert offerings—rice
jelly and water chestnut cake ($3 each). Although the names sound good, both
were subpar, and of course, not included in the menu but available upon
request.
Then again, Golden Eagle can be as sweet as a small
cafe or as loud as the Bear Flag Revolt, depending upon when you’re there.
Personally I prefer eating during 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. when peak hours have
passed.
Service was prompt and efficient, and—according to
the folks who run the place—business on the weekends has been solid. That’s
good news for diners looking for another spot they can enjoy some of their
home-cooked favorites, all while keeping their entertainment dollars local.
But for the most part, I love the way Li Zhang, the
chef, brings out the whispering harmonies that result when one small wave of
flavor laps against another.
He finds those harmonies in the way lightly charred
blocks of barbecue tofu come together with buttery roast pork and layers of
fresh eggplants ($11.25). And again in the bowl of shrimp rolls layered over chow
mein ($6.85), which becomes a steaming meal as you add boiled teriyaki sauce on
top. And again in the gently sweet and seductive stew of subgum wonton ($10.95)
in Chinese vegetables and sesame chicken.
Driving Danger
Whenever I’m on the road, I almost always see someone in another car texting and driving. By now, we should all know that this is a horribly stupid thing to do. The inbuilt risk that goes along with taking your eyes off the road frequently as you type away is apparent. We have far too many news stories regarding accidents where people lose their lives because they happen to be on the phone. It's extremely upsetting how we know texting while driving is stupid, and yet, still continue to do it.
Regardless of the rules, it seems that we humans believe we’re invincible. We think that accidents cannot happen to us because we have mastered the ability to multitask, the ability to text and drive at the same time. We think that we have memorized the keypad and won’t have to look down, and that a quick response would be ok.
But it’s not ok. Because in that split second when the send button is hit, anything can happen.
This brings me to a story concerning the New Jersey appellate court stating that if someone texts a person they know is driving at the time, and causes that driver to crash, then the court may hold the sender liable for distraction and for the accident.
Kyle Best, 18 years old, was driving his truck down a rural highway, when his girlfriend, Shannon Colonna, 17 years old, sent him a text. Due to his distraction, Best drifted across the double center line and hit, head-on, David Kubert and his wife who were on a motorcycle.
Although the Kuberts survived, they lost both of their legs, and not only filed a lawsuit against Best but also Colonna for sending the texts. The Kuberts believed that Best was being distracted by Shannon, and so Shannon should also be held liable. As a result, the couple won the suit against Best but lost against Colonna. The judges let Colonna go since she was oblivious to the fact that Best was driving. This was proved through court documents, which showed that the two had sent each other 62 texts that day, suggesting that it was a continuing conversation.
This brings me to the question: should a person be held responsible for sending a driver a text message?
Many have argued that the person sending the text is electronically in the car with the driver, like a distracting passenger. However, it is difficult, if the driver didn’t say, to know when a person is driving when you text him/her.
And even if you did know, isn’t it the driver who is ultimately responsible? The person sending the text should not be held liable since it is the driver who makes the decision to glance at his/her phone, pick it up, and reply.
Moreover, even a passenger can sidetrack a driver by talking. So is it right to arrest the passenger for talking too? The answer is: of course not. As a matter of fact, you, as a driver, have an obligation, a huge responsibility, to keep your eyes on the road.
To be honest, it is very tempting to answer the phone when we hear a message ring, especially with the way we're wired these days. But texting while driving is a serious problem: it could risk your life and anyone else’s. It appears that by making the person that is texting the driver liable, in a way, lessens the accountabilities of the driver.
Nowadays, New Jersey and many other states are still generating standards concerning texting and driving. Whether these standards will take flight in the future remains uncertain. But even then, by the end of the day, we cannot help but question: is it not the accountability of the drivers to disregard incoming text messages while driving? After all, they are the ones behind the wheel, and thus, ultimately responsible to keep their eyes on the road.
Regardless of the rules, it seems that we humans believe we’re invincible. We think that accidents cannot happen to us because we have mastered the ability to multitask, the ability to text and drive at the same time. We think that we have memorized the keypad and won’t have to look down, and that a quick response would be ok.
But it’s not ok. Because in that split second when the send button is hit, anything can happen.
This brings me to a story concerning the New Jersey appellate court stating that if someone texts a person they know is driving at the time, and causes that driver to crash, then the court may hold the sender liable for distraction and for the accident.
Kyle Best, 18 years old, was driving his truck down a rural highway, when his girlfriend, Shannon Colonna, 17 years old, sent him a text. Due to his distraction, Best drifted across the double center line and hit, head-on, David Kubert and his wife who were on a motorcycle.
Although the Kuberts survived, they lost both of their legs, and not only filed a lawsuit against Best but also Colonna for sending the texts. The Kuberts believed that Best was being distracted by Shannon, and so Shannon should also be held liable. As a result, the couple won the suit against Best but lost against Colonna. The judges let Colonna go since she was oblivious to the fact that Best was driving. This was proved through court documents, which showed that the two had sent each other 62 texts that day, suggesting that it was a continuing conversation.
This brings me to the question: should a person be held responsible for sending a driver a text message?
Many have argued that the person sending the text is electronically in the car with the driver, like a distracting passenger. However, it is difficult, if the driver didn’t say, to know when a person is driving when you text him/her.
And even if you did know, isn’t it the driver who is ultimately responsible? The person sending the text should not be held liable since it is the driver who makes the decision to glance at his/her phone, pick it up, and reply.
Moreover, even a passenger can sidetrack a driver by talking. So is it right to arrest the passenger for talking too? The answer is: of course not. As a matter of fact, you, as a driver, have an obligation, a huge responsibility, to keep your eyes on the road.
To be honest, it is very tempting to answer the phone when we hear a message ring, especially with the way we're wired these days. But texting while driving is a serious problem: it could risk your life and anyone else’s. It appears that by making the person that is texting the driver liable, in a way, lessens the accountabilities of the driver.
Nowadays, New Jersey and many other states are still generating standards concerning texting and driving. Whether these standards will take flight in the future remains uncertain. But even then, by the end of the day, we cannot help but question: is it not the accountability of the drivers to disregard incoming text messages while driving? After all, they are the ones behind the wheel, and thus, ultimately responsible to keep their eyes on the road.
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