Mountain Climbing Leadership
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

 Mountain Climbing Leadership

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leadership is a lot like climbing a mountain. The ascent can be grueling, and the path is uncertain, but the reward comes from successfully navigating every challenge and reaching the metaphorical peak. Applying this analogy, it’s worth considering your motivation for making the climb in the first place. Also, where are you climbing to, and where are you on the mountain right now? Who is your executive coach/mentor who will serve as your mountain guide/Sherpa? And who has joined the climbing team that will help you reach the top? These are all relevant questions for any leader/mountaineer.

 

In business as in mountain climbing, advance preparation is critical. Being prepared means having a detailed plan, adequate supplies, and the proper physical and mental training to overcome any potential adversities. Consider the start of a new leadership role as your chance to set up your base camp.  Assemble your inner circle of advisors and build momentum for the big climb ahead. Remember, that initial period will set the tone for your entire ascent up the Mountain of Leadership, so stay positive.

 

Sometimes, the smartest route isn’t a straight path forward. When a sudden storm overtakes the mountainside, survival may depend on a climber’s ability to beat a fast retreat back to Base Camp. Business leaders should have similar agility and a willingness to make tough decisions on the go. In addition to adverse weather conditions, mountaineers face a lethal threat from the lack of oxygen at extreme heights. For this reason, they often make their ascents in staggered stages. For instance, they will climb from Base Camp to Camp 1 first. Then they will go back down to Base Camp, before ascending to Camp 2, etc. In this way, their lungs and blood become acclimatized over time in order to reach the peak.

 

Mountain climbing teams need to maximize every person’s skills and fill in the gaps for any shortcomings. Leaders are responsible for pulling the whole group together. Some climbers may have exceptional strength to carry heavy loads, while others have strong endurance to drive trails over deep snowdrifts and steep cliffs. Some may have upbeat personalities that lift up team morale when things go badly, while still others are accomplished cooks who can even make stale rations taste delicious for the climbing team.

 

Experienced mountain climbers are cautious to never make a trek alone, because teamwork is essential from a safety standpoint. In case of injuries or mishaps, other members of the team can assist by mending a wound, carrying an extra load, or sharing their provisions. Also, in the case of sudden storms or blizzards, teammates are there to support each other and quickly shelter in place. What’s that old adage? If you don’t succeed at first, try, try again. That saying applies equally well to business leadership and mountain climbing. After all, when someone asked British mountaineer George Leigh Mallory why he wanted to scale Mount Everest in the 1920s, he is said to have replied, “Because it’s there.”  

 

 

 

Mountain climbing is an odyssey which gives me ample time to think deeply about life, my inner peace, friends, family what my next steps in life.

 

When you are part of a team with a clear, audacious goal like climbing Mt. Everest or any of the 7 summits,  it focuses the mind. It influences every little decision you make each day. Little things that might subtract from the goal fall by the wayside. There’s a big difference in the clarity and urgency of those goals. These little everyday decisions, to stay disciplined and focused on an overarching goal with a non-negotiable deadline, make a huge difference over time. Usually, there’s a way to accommodate another goal if you think about it.

 

Guides on the mountains I have climbed all have a crystal clear mandate—get as many members of your team up to the summit and back home safely. Some of this depends on the strength of the team members to begin with, and their level of commitment. But every day is mapped out to allow for gradual acclimatization to altitude, and to maximize team health and strength. Some wiggle room is built in to adjust for the right weather window of opportunity. Details matter. For example, a few guide services on Everest a few years ago switched to new oxygen regulators and masks. These regulators were defective. When these oxygen masks failed for quite a few climbers and guides, above 8,000 meters (26,000 feet), that’s a deadly serious situation. It forces everyone to immediately descend. Summit bids were lost for dozens of climbers because someone screwed up a pretty basic thing. Ouch.  There were a thousand other details to pay attention to on a mountain quest. Many expedition leader’s are quite businesslike in keeping strict schedules. If they said we would leave Base Camp at 3 am, they meant 3 am, not 3:05 am or 3:15 am. No lollygagging, no begging to sleep in. This was for a good reason: they wanted to make sure our team would pass through the Khumbu Icefall or other mountains ascents—the most dangerous part of the mountain —during the cold hours of the early morning, when melting and avalanche risk were at a minimum. If you were struggling in the morning, there was a simple solution. Get to bed earlier the previous night. Having a clear, overarching goal acts like a forcing function that influences a thousand little decisions, in a positive way. As the leader,  the main goal is to set a deliberate, but quick pace that everyone could keep up with, and that allowed for safe travel while clipped to the rope. Efficiency in this sense goes hand-in-hand with safety—the more time spent on the course, the higher the chances are that an avalanche or rockfall or something else bad might happen. There would be plenty of other times and places for taking photos and savoring the moment.

 

Selfish behavior, when allowed, tolerated or even rewarded, is corrosive to team morale. It can quickly devolve into every-man-for-himself selfishness. On the mountain, consider carrying weight. Every ounce counts. Each Sherpa, and each climber, was expected to carry certain pieces of gear, and a certain number of oxygen bottles on the high part of the mountain. Want to foist an extra eight-pound bottle onto your Sherpa to lighten your pack? Want to pay extra for the privilege? Not happening. My respect and allegiance for the expedition leader grew immensely when I saw how he responded to an individual who consistently put selfish interests ahead of the team. Leaders have to be clear, consistent, polite and firm in situations. If you can’t carry your gear, maybe you need to stop climbing. No, you can’t have an extra oxygen bottle cranked up to the max. No, the monks said we can’t take photos inside the monastery we visited on the trek. That means you, too. Making exceptions here and there would take a toll on other members of the team who have to pick up the slack. On the flip side, we gained strength as a team, and became more cohesive, by helping each other out. When someone helped me with a small thing, like checking whether a backpack strap is properly fastened, I’m more motivated to help out that person the next time they need a hand. This can become a positive feedback loop, where everyone is looking out for everyone else. Once that team ethic is established, you can be confident the team would mobilize in case we ran into a serious all-hands-on-deck situation.

 

As long as the weather patterns appeared to remain favorable for the extended forecast, many leaders prefer that we hang back at Base Camp, maintaining team strength with decent food and water and supplies. We would make our move later. This was going to test everyone’s patience. It’s far longer than anything any of us had done before. This is also a tough test mentally. On Everest, from Base Camp (17,500 feet), you go up to Camps 1 and 2 for a few days to acclimate, then descend back to Base Camp to breathe thicker air and maintain strength. A week or so later, you go up on another push, this time for another five days all the way up to Camp 3 (23,500 feet). Then, again, you descend back to rest at Base Camp, because it’s so hard for the body to spend much time above 18,000 feet.  Climbers sit and sometimes wonder: What if the weather window closes, the monsoon arrives early, and none of us get to summit? Leaders are steadfast in this strategy from beginning to end. If there were a few unhappy campers, then he would just have to explain his reasoning one more time.

 

On our summit rotation push, we had a problem. At a break spot, one climber set down his helmet on the ice, without securely clipping it to his backpack. Whoosh! Down the mountain it went. No way could anyone go down to retrieve it, we’d never find it. No way could this climber go up the mountain without a helmet—it wouldn’t be safe. None of us carried spares. We were on a steep. That was followed by an uncomfortable silence. None of us had experienced a setback like this. After a few minutes, one of the guides improvised a work-around. The guide in back would loan his helmet to the climber so he could continue upward. One guide would hang back at the break area, checking with descending Sherpa for an extra. Luckily, it worked out. There was no finger-pointing, no recriminations, no yelling. Maybe there was some muttering about carelessness. But mistakes will happen on any long journey. The key is always in how you adapt and move forward.

 

We all make snap judgments about people. It’s human nature, part of how we navigate the world. When our team gathered at the hotel in Kathmandu, we all sized each other up—old, young, male, female, fit, or maybe less fit and less likely to summit. But when you are on a climbing crucible with a small group, eating three meals a day together, the superficial stuff fades away. You get to know people at a deeper level. That person who might seem like a jerk may have sides to his personality you don’t see at first. One of my Everest guides, after 20 years of leading expeditions, said he’s learned to disregard his own first impressions of people. Appearances aren’t just deceiving. They are almost always wrong. Take this example. One member of our team had a habit of making rude, abrasive, smart-aleck remarks. Casual insults would spill forth on the trail, at dinner, around camp. “One of these days, you’re going to have to learn how to dress yourself,” this guy blurted to a teammate who was struggling in the wee hours, getting ready for the day’s climb. The other teammate threatened to “kick his ass” and the offender apologized. These sorts of remarks bugged people. They create a sort of cumulative toxicity. At Base Camp, in my pen-and-paper journal, I wrote, “Let the insults, put-downs and snide remarks roll off my back.” I’m glad I held my tongue. Over time, this tough, Type A achiever revealed himself to be a good teammate. Some abrasiveness, it turned out, stemmed from some tensions at home that had nothing to do with any of us. It also became clear this person had a kind and empathetic and generous streak.

 

This is a phrase used by the Natural Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)—an excellent nonprofit leadership development organization. This concept is all about remaining calm and resilient in the unpredictable outdoor environments. It’s not about “suffering at all costs.” It is about maintaining self-control, and focusing on the things you can control. Namely, your own thoughts. You can’t control the weather, for instance. There’s no point in complaining about it. You can, if it’s raining, put on rain gear. If it’s too windy to move, you can stay in your tent a while. My tolerance for adversity has been tested during climbs.  I had fitful sleep. I’d wake up, feel like I was suffocating, and gasp for breath. Panicky thoughts creeped in. “How will I climb tomorrow without sleeping?” I’d ask myself at 2 am. This sort of negative self-talk is common, guides say. But I also knew these negative thoughts weren’t going to do me or anyone on the team any good. So, I would force myself to focus on more positive thoughts. I’d say to myself, “I’m always better when I wake up in the morning, get some food and water, and start climbing again.” That helped put me in the right frame of mind the next day. Everyone had their moments when they had to think hard about the fine line between sucking it up with “tolerance for adversity” and when they were pushing it too far.  Our leaders have always cheered for us when we summited.  Failure is inevitable if you’re reaching for big goals. If you hit all your goals, you’re not reaching far enough. So, I look at failure as part of the process. That’s the kind of “tolerance for adversity” that it takes to achieve the big goals.

 

This was one source of disappointment. Our team, myself included, had a lot of gadgets. Smartphones, cameras, Garmin watches, video and more. We had a spotty Wi-Fi connection at Base Camp, and spotty cell phone service there at 17,500 feet. For sure, it was nice to call family. It was nice to log on to Twitter, and share the occasional photo update. But. But. But. This constant connectivity had its downside. Some of my favorite moments on the climb were on the high mountain when we had no connectivity at all. Distractions are one thing, misinformation was another. For example, there was plenty of half-baked weather forecast information to chew over online, which provided fodder to second-guess our guide. We all knew the guides were taking into account historical weather models, updated satellite data and forecasts from multiple competing meteorologists, combined with first-person feedback they got via radio from people stationed at different spots on the mountain. Yet there we were debating a superficial website with junk data. In human activities that require long and hard concentration, the smartphone can be more of an enemy than a friend. If you allow it.

 

I paid close attention to Sherpa culture on the mountain. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. And yet these people work hard, and value their families. They seem happier on balance than most people I know in the wealthiest country in the world. One of my fellow climbers, a successful businessman and worldly individual from Mexico City, had a habit of saying “Thank you, my friend,” at the end of sentences. Whenever the assistant cook at Base Camp would bring us tea or bread or anything else, this climber would always say “Thank you, my friend,” with genuine warmth. He was treating others as he would like to be treated. The spirit of gratitude and generosity can be infectious. At our Puja ceremony before we began our climb from Base Camp, gratitude was everywhere. The Sherpa were there, making their offerings to the Chomolungma, the Mother Goddess of Earth, as Everest is considered in Tibetan Buddhist culture.

 

At our Puja, we listened to a Buddhist monk chant. We flung grains of rice in the air near the rock altar. The scent of burning juniper and sage filled the air. We drank a little rice wine (not too much). We laid down our sharp items, crampons and ice axes, at the altar, asking the Mother Goddess to allow us safe passage up the mountain. We smeared tsampa (barley flour) over our faces, as the Sherpa blessed us all, and themselves, for not just a safe climb, but for long life. There were hugs galore.

 

 

 

I call the guide “the trust-builder.” Not only do you build trust in the guide, but you also build trust in yourself. When you climb on a rope, often the guide would go first, and then there would be four or five team members. Now, the guide’s gone up and he’s around the corner. You can’t see the guide. I now am climbing, and I have someone behind me. That means I have to go up 120 feet and get on a ledge. Now I’m responsible for the person coming behind me.

 

So, not only do I have to build trust in myself, and my feet, I also have to earn the trust of the person behind me who’s going to say to me, “Buddy, I am now climbing. My life is in your hands.” The great English sociologist Anthony Giddens came up with a beautiful little statement: “Trust is precisely the link between faith and confidence.”

 

You want people to have faith in their feet, faith in their capacity to climb, and faith in their guide. But faith, in a way, is like hope. You know, “I hope I can climb. I hope my guide’s a good one.” What you really want is confidence. Trust is that link between just faith and real confidence. That’s where guides really shine.

 

It’s a thing that I’ve seen. I’ve seen a guide at 13,000 or 14,000 feet turn to a first-time climber, who is on a ledge about the width of this table, maybe three or four feet. He’ll calmly say,  I want you to put your back to the ledge. And I want you to step off the ledge. I want you to step backwards.” I was attached by a rope, and now going to do 120-foot rappel for the first time in my life. And he just calmly says, “Just take a step back, and step off into the thin air.” This is what trust means.

 

Guides are risk-aware, that’s for sure. They’re aware of thunderstorms, bad weather and rock fall. They’re aware all the time. Their senses are just always switched on. But they’re not risk-averse. When you think about this — why would I try and get to the top of this ridiculous mountain, if I were averse to risk? You wouldn’t do it.

 

Guides have this wonderful balance. [They are] constantly risk-aware, but they’re not risk-averse. They will take clients in places that are risky. That’s why you need trust. If you don’t face risk, you’re not going to need trust. So, trust is important out in the mountains. But they’re very careful with this line between being aware and not being averse to risk, and they are also finely-tuned on, “Dude, this is just not your day.” They’re not afraid to say to somebody, “You can come back tomorrow. The mountain will still be here next year. This is not a good day for you, and we’re just not going to go any further.” So, they know this balance.

 

But you must be risk-aware, that for instance, when you climb the mountain, summit fever kicks in. The only thing I want to do is get to the top. People rush to the top, and then get trapped by a storm. What they should have been was risk-aware, not suffering from summit fever. If they would have been risk-aware, they would have known that at a certain point, it was wise to turn around. This dividing line between risk-aware and risk-averse is something that guides are really schooled in. They can teach wonderful lessons to people who go with them.

 

Looking at the big picture, whether it’s climbing a mountain, or business-wise, you do have to have that perspective. You do need to take in everything that is around you, and not be the bull in the china shop.

 

 

 

The big picture is contrasted to, “We follow trends.” Many of us watch CNN. We read the paper. We’re reacting all day long to small events. Sometimes we miss the big picture. You’ve got to get on the balcony. You’ve got to get off the dance floor, where you can’t see anything developing. All you can see is the person next to you. You can’t see the pattern on the floor. If you get up on the balcony and look down, now you have the big picture. I think guides are expert at developing the big picture.

 

 

 

The summit is important, and everybody wants to get to the summit. But the guides seeing the big picture say, “You have to learn also to enjoy the journey.” The journey is where the lessons are; there aren’t many lessons to be learned on the summit. The lessons are on the way up and on the way down. Many of us, in life and in business, get lost in the details. [We get] lost in the events, and in the crush of information. Maybe we don’t take enough time to get up on the balcony.

 

Leadership is sometimes seen as an inherited trait. Is that true of these guides?

 

It’s still a learned art.

 

 

 

So, in conclusion, climbers and guides need to have these leadership strengths — having the big picture, understanding risk, helping other people get to the top, being flexible in your leadership style. When you put them all together, you have a guide.

 

 

 

What would it be like to work for someone who acts like a guide, rather than just a manager or the fount of all knowledge, or the person that will come in and tell you how? How about a guide as a manager? Someone who you can go to, who will give you the strength and the empowerment to do what you need to do, and is there for safety — I’ll back you up. I won’t let you fall off the precipice. But you must solve this problem yourself.

 

 

 

Do leaders like this exist off the mountains?  

 

 

 

 Working in an environment where people are guiding you toward your own personal summit, in work and in life, is the ultimate. That is developing over time. But it’s going to take a little work.

 

 

Design Flaws Attributed to Deaths and Injuries at Trampoline Parks
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

 

 

Design Flaws Attributed to Deaths

and Injuries at Trampoline Parks

 

 

 

 

 

We visited Skyzone today in Hamilton township, in Mercer county to check it out and learn about the place. Our intent was to write an article to help promote the park. But upon entering we were stunned with what we saw, we cannot positively promote it. The vast majority of the patrons today were kids under the age of 12. Many of the children present were toddlers who just learned how to walk. I witnessed a 1.5-year-old little girl in glasses jumping on the mat as her Mom took photos of her. We had to question the common sense of the mother of this infant. Their child was on the same mat with 3 older kids. We also watched a mother weighing over 200 pounds jumping on a mat, then her child who weighed 40 pounds get catapulted into a foam pit. We also witnessed other kids trying to run up a ramp wrenching their necks each time they tried to get to the top of the ramp. None of the patrons are taught how to use the equipment, they are just let loose to go wild in the park.

 

At first glance, trampoline parks seem like a fantastic idea. They're a fun, relatively inexpensive place to take your kids so they can jump off all their excess energy. But those innocent trampoline parks can be a lot more dangerous than most parents realize

 

In the last 8 years, the number of trampoline parks have increased exponentially. In 2011, there were only 40 in the USA, now there are over a 1,000 around the world, 800 of them being in the US. In the US, they all operate with zero federal oversite. There is a rise in injuries at these parks across the United States.

 

State law makers in Utah have passed a law that focuses on the safety at trampoline parks in 2019. There are seven other states already with laws on the books (PA, TN, LA, UT, CO, KS, AZ, MI) that focus on the safety at these parks. They have implemented annual inspections as well as many other criteria to keep patrons safe.  The laws focus on:  1.  notification and education of risks 2. Equipment standards 3. Staff training 4. Restricted participant behaviors 5. Separation based on age or size 6. Operational issues 7. Staff supervision and monitoring of activities 8. Tracking of major injuries (protected information 8. Local governments issue and renew business licenses for parks  9.Third-party certificate of compliance with health and safety guidelines (issued by a qualified entity) 10. Proof of ability to respond to liability claim. Other areas of focus in the legislation cover:  (a)  the majority of activities e based in training or rehearsal and not recreation; 112 (b)  the facility derives at least 80% of revenues through supervised instruction or 113 classes; and 114 (c)  the student-coach or student-instructor ratio is based on age, skill level, and number 115 of students; or 116 (3)  equipment used exclusively for exercise, an inflatable ride, or an inflatable bounce 117 house

 

A few days before the law went into effect in Utah in 2019, a high school football player was paralyzed at a park in Utah. In the last 7 years, there have been 6 deaths in the USA at trampoline parks. This number could be a lot higher due to the fact the parks are not required to keep accurate logs of injuries.

 

An adult on the trampoline can cause what is caused a double bounce, due to their weight as it hits the surface of the trampoline. A small child that then hits that same square is forced to the mat and is injured. The force of the trampoline coming back up from the higher weighted patron, and then a small child jumps on the mat, that force pushed the smaller child to the mat, in one case causing a child in NJ to break their femur. It took over a full minute for anyone working at the park to realize that the child was injured.

 

In the last few years, injuries sustained from trampoline parks have skyrocketed.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the numbers are:

 

2013: 2,500 injuries

2014: 6,200 injuries

2015: 9,100

2016: 11,300

2017:  17,800

2018: Not available yet

 

The parks are lacking supervision, trained personnel, thinly padded walls next to trampolines. If a patron were to hit their head on that thinly padded wall, they would get a brain bleed instantly. There are foam beds that are way to shallow. When Skyzone opened in Hamilton, an employee at Skyzone shared with me that they had the wrong kind of foam in the beds.  They only had the beige colored foam initially upon opening of the park. This foam did not allow for the proper safety and support to patrons. The establishment opened for business and it was then learned that this foam was completely inadequate (but the park was open for many months to patrons prior to the foam getting changed according to an employee). There is now multi-colored foam in the foam pits.  But the question still stands if the pits are deep enough to elevate injury.

 

It may not come as a surprise that ball pits are a bacteria haven. The sheer number of kids jumping into the play place would suggest this to be the case. Just how much is  found in ball pits, however, might come as a shock.

 

Dr. Erin Carr-Jordan, a professor at Arizona State, took her tools to a local McDonald's  Play Place ball pit and found the following: "We found stuff that causes meningitis, food-borne illness, skin, hair, eye infections. . . fecal contamination, coliforms, quite a few things that can make children ill, and several of which are multi-drug resistant and potentially fatal." Luckily Carr-Jordan will not have to face these illnesses anytime soon, as she was swiftly banned from local area McDonald's locations after her findings were made public.

 

The ball pits in many fast food restaurants have been removed mainly because they are extremely unsanitary. The foam pits at the trampoline parks are no different. Parents often do not enforce strict rules while their children are playing there as they may be preoccupied or not be able to clearly see what their children are doing while in the ball or foam pit.  This causing things such as food, band aids and even soiled diapers to be disposed within the ball/foam pit. It isn't practical for the cleaning staff at fast food restaurants such as McDonald's to clean the ball pit various times throughout the day so those items sit in the ball pit causing bacteria to spread throughout all of the balls. The same hold true at Skyzone. Most likely staff do not enjoy the maintenance of the ball/foam pits and it probably costs a pretty penny for the ball pit to be cleaned thoroughly on a daily basis.

 

 

 

We spoke to three different employees and asked how often they clean the foam, they responded with, “no idea we are instructed to change foam pieces as they get tattered.”  There is no daily cleaning of the foam according to employees. There are too many pieces to do that.  They do clean them occasionally, it would appear from videos on you tube, but it is not clear how this is done routinely. What happens when a toddler’s diaper leaks urine, a young child defecates by accident or vomits due to the significant motion and no one notices that. That will be grown in the foam pit for weeks until an employee possibly finds it during a foam swap.

 

 

 

 

People are going to these parks not understanding the true safety issues. The Sooner family suffered a tragic loss with the untimely passing of Ric Swezey.  Ric was an elite USA gymnast. A member of the 1991 National Championship team, Swezey also competed nationally with the Sooner cheer squad after completing his gymnastics eligibility.

 

Ric went on to put his gymnastics talents to use at Disney World. First, as a performer, in both the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and as one of the original Tumble Monkeys in the Festival of the Lion King show, and later as a recruiter who brought many of his fellow Sooners to live and work in Orlando.

 

Swezey also did stunt work for TV, stage & films, such as Waterboy, and worked with the innovative AntiGravity Entertainment Group. Originally from Colorado, Swezey eventually settled in New York City with his husband and their twins, where he became a top real estate agent with the Corcoran Group.

 

He remained an active and enthusiastic Sooner supporter, both as a donor to his alma mater, contributing to the Iron Cross Club, and a physical presence at Oklahoma gymnastics events around the world, including attending the most recent NCAA National Championships with his family.

 

He died due to injuries sustained at a trampoline park. In 2017, he visited a trampoline park with his partner and two children in VA. He was jumping on the trampoline when he came down wrong on his foot, stumbled and hit his head against a thinly padded wall. His C2 vertebrae cracked, which constricted his airway and blood flow. He was instantly paralyzed and 90% brain dead.  He was at the park for 3 minutes. His family watched the lights go out in his eyes at the trampoline park.

 

The injuries that can happen at these parks can be life altering. Broken neck, broken backs, dislocated and broken shoulders or extremities are just some of the injuries that have occurred at these parks. These are catastrophic injuries. Trampolines at parks are interconnected and can have different slopes. Many people jumping at the same time increases the chance of collisions. Similar to a skateboard park or bicycle park, these parks incorporate games, obstacles and various geometric configurations. It's just like any sport you participate in, except we think, it's substantially more dangerous.

 

The Skyzone park on Friday and Saturday evenings from 9pm to 11pm has Glow events. These events turn off all the lights in the park. The only light is UV and black light. Patrons wear special t-shirts so they can be seen. However, the patrons fail to realize that their ability to adequately see and judge depth perception is significantly limited. Injuries can happen just because you have changed the light effect.

 

The danger lies in the design of these trampoline parks.  Several trampolines are connected with chain links underneath with thin padding. As people jump waves of energy are generated in all directions which can cause double bounced that can end up in high impact collisions.  The patrons at these parks are moving at speeds and with energy, that when they are hit by or with someone twice their weight, then end up with crush injuries.  Injuries so severe they lead to death.

 

In response to the many deaths and severe injuries, the International Association of Trampoline parks has stated that there are parks that are not adhering to the industry standards. They are not operating with safety at the forefront of their agenda. There are 800 trampoline parks in the USA, only 25% of them are members of the IATP. We have reached out to Skyzone management in Hamilton and asked for their input on training of their staff, how they warn patrons (there is no warning, just pay and sign the waiver) how they clean the foam, etc. They were not available to speak to during our visit.

 

When patrons enter these parks, no doubt you are signing your life away and there are signs everywhere alerting you of the risks. However, they are not alerting you of the risks and the inherent design flaws that exist that can cause irreputable damage to yourself or loved one.  Parents need to understand these parks are not just a place to play, but a place that their kids can get really hurt, permanently. Skyzone has a policy that anyone that can walk can go onto the trampolines. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends that trampolines not be used by children under six. The American Academy of Pediatrics, however, advises against trampolines for all children.

 

Commercial jump parks may contribute to higher-energy mechanisms of trauma than previously suggested based on data extrapolated from domestic trampoline use. Our data suggest that with the expansion of commercial jump parks, the incidence, severity, and economic effect of trampoline injuries may be underestimated. Jump park participants, legal guardians, and public policy-makers should have accessibility to accurate safety profiles. This implication is of particular importance as healthcare costs continue to rise, and public safety is emphasized as a prevention mechanism. This report also highlights the need for further evaluation into the economics and societal effect of jump park associated injuries.

 

As the town of Hamilton, Mercer County, appears to be focused on an entertainment district, we would like to challenge the administration on the following..... Do your research...please!

 

1.     Why was the park able to open with substandard foam in their foam pits?

2.     Is Skyzone documenting any and all injuries?

3.     What does their employee training manual look like? Are they taught emergency first aid? It would appear not based on the conversations we had with employees there.

4.     In essence, consider the implementation of the laws already in place in 8 states in the USA as it pertains to trampoline parks.  This would focus on keeping the safety of the resident’s front and center. This same rigor should be evident in any type of entertainment plaza planned in the town. It keeps residents safe.

 

Indoor Trampoline Park injury accidents can cause life-threatening physical injuries and trauma that can include financial damage to victims of negligent drivers. Injured victims must deal with large and unforeseeable medical expenses, loss of wages, pain, suffering and loss of quality of life. Family members also can suffer economic loss, mental anguish and loss of companionship in caring for an injured family member.

 

Booger, Wants To Give You His Love….. Will You Be His New Forever Home?

 

 

 

 

Booger, Wants To Give You His Love…..

Will You Be His New Forever Home?

 

 

Booger looking for his new owner, Will it be you?

 

Play Video below to show photos of Booger 

 

https://youtu.be/dRd6FKu42So 

 

 

 

 

There are wonderful people in this world how help foster animals as amazing Non-profit organizations go on quests to find them “forever homes”.  It's A Ruff Life Rescue; is one of these very amazing non- profits.

 

 

 

Their mission is to rescue and save the lives of innocent dogs who find themselves on death row through no fault of their own and/or provide a safe-haven for stray, abandoned, or abused/neglected dogs. Whenever possible we will assist families who, because of various circumstances, are unable to continue caring for their dogs (owner surrenders) so they are not dumped into the shelter system. Their goal is to do exactly what our slogan says..."turn rough beginnings into happy endings". And as Rescuers, we strive to not only save lives, but to improve the lives of each & every animal who they take into their rescue. But their mission goes beyond just rescue. As Animal Advocates, they also work toward educating the general public about the importance of spaying/neutering, responsible pet ownership, positive behavior modification training, proper nutrition, advocating to ban BSL, and for inhumane gas chambers to be abolished.

 

 

 

Each dog we take into their Rescue is temperament tested, provided with optimal medical care, and is fully vetted to correspond with the dog's age. The dog is then placed into a thoroughly screened/approved and appropriate foster home. It is in the foster home that the dog receives love, is cared for, socialized, and we really begin to know and understand the dog. They look at overall behavior/temperament, energy levels, quirks, and mannerisms. This process is crucial. They chose to rely on fosters, because they feel that a true reflection of a dog's temperament can only be truly accessed while living in a home environment where the animals are exposed to and tested with a multitude of elements and situations.

 

 

                                                      BOOGER 

 

Once the animal is in foster care, they begin to work to find each dog the perfect home for him or her. They believe there is a great home out there for every dog! And they are committed to bringing dogs and people together who are the right fit for each other! How do they accomplish this? They do this by knowing the dog and by getting to know the prospective adopter. Many things are taken into consideration, such as lifestyle, energy level of the dog vs activity of adopters, experience, family members, living arrangements, and expectations as well as tolerances, when pairing up a dog with an adopter. They want to place the dog one time and only one time and for that home to be it's forever home, so we work hard and diligently to match up each dog with the best possible home & each adopter with the best possible dog for them!

 

 

 

I was given the opportunity today to do a photo shoot of this amazing lovebug, Booger. He is a gentle giant who has the eyes of an old soul. He is about 8 years old and A Ruff Life Rescue is looking to find him a forever home.  I hope you can help and adopt this beautiful dog, Booger. He will bring lots of love to you and your family.

 

 

 

 

To Adopt Booger......

 

PLEASE CONTACT…. It’s A Ruff Life Rescue at….

 

 

 

aruffliferescue@gmail.com: Is the contact email for It’s a Ruff Life Rescue.

 

Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/itsaruffliferescue

 

Preserve Our National Parks
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 Preserve Our National Parks

 

 

 

 

Yellowstone….Great Smoky Mountains….Grand Canyon….Valley Forge….Everglades…..Mount Rainier....Denali.  Our country’s National Park system is one of the finest in the world and it needs your help.

 

 

 

The National Parks in the USA are facing threats such as air and water pollution, commercial development, and attempts to change vital protections for wildlife.

 

 

 

There has not been sufficient funding  over the years- leading to crumbling facilities and too few rangers and staff to serve visitors and protect cultural and natural resources. This has taken a toll on our park systems.

 

 

There is a remarkable effort in the works to preserve our national parks now and for generations to come. This year , NPCA (National Parks Conservation Association)  is celebrating its centennial. For 100 years, they have been working to protect our national parks. Today, they stand ready to protect these magnificent places for 100 more. Some of the things NPCA has done are:

 

 

-PROTECTED Gettysburg National Military Park from the harmful impacts of a casino and racetrack proposed near hallowed ground.

 

-FOUGHT HARD to protect California’s Joshua Tree National Park from Eagle Mountain Landfill, a dump that was one of the largest ever proposed in the lower 48 states. NPCA was able to support and prevent the part’s beautiful canyons and hillside habitats from being overrun with up to 20,000 tons of garbage a day.

 

-ENCOURAGED designation of new park units that more fully reflect America’s shared historical and cultural heritage, Chavez National Monument and Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument

 

-WORKED HARD TO PROTECT wildlife throughout the country, including brown bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve and the American bison and grizzly beats in Yellowstone National Park.

 

-HELPED stop a massive development project proposed just outside the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park.

 

 

 

As a result of these and many other campaigns, the NPCA, has earned an excellent reputation amount government officials, the media and the American public.  They need to remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure that no visitor of our National Parks encounter these poor conditions which dramatically impact park experiences.

 

 

 

You can learn more about this amazing organization at https://www.npca.org.  If you visit our parks and loved the experience you had, please consider supporting them by joining their organization. 

 

 

 

Congressman Chris Smith Your Hard Work Is in Jeopardy
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE RESIDENTS OF HAMILTON MERCER COUNTY NEED YOUR HELP!! 

 

Dear Congressman Chris Smith,

        Richard Anderson, CEO Amtrak

        James Weinstein, CEO NJ Transit

        Jeffrey Knueppel , Septa General Manager

          

 

Congressman Chris SMith: All the hard work you did to work with the Army Corp of Engineers to implement the feasibilty study of the Assunpink and its tributaries in Hamilton Township is in jeopardy. You fought so hard to make this happen and now "economic development" in Hamilton, Mercer County is threatening the residents, the NE corridor. 

 

The effects of Hurricane Irene in New Jersey in 2011 included about $1 billion in damage to 200,000 homes and buildings. This made it the costliest disaster in the state's history, though this was dwarfed by Hurricane Sandy the following year. Irene struck the state on August 28, and was initially reported to be the first hurricane to hit New Jersey since 1903; however, post-analysis downgraded Irene to a tropical storm at its landfall in the Little Egg Inlet.^[

 

 

 

Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency on August 25, with President Obama reaffirming the declaration by August 27. New Jersey Transit rail, bus and light rail operations were suspended for Saturday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28. That same day, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey suspended incoming flights at the five metropolitan airports under its jurisdiction and the on Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) rapid transit system. The Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) opted to dispatch roughly 6,000 workers in case of power outages, with 840 lineman and 540 tree contractors.

 

 

 

At the Trenton Train Station along Assunpink Creek, flooding impacted Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, SEPTA's Trenton Line, and New Jersey Transit's (NJT) Northeast Corridor Rail Line. Engineers reported that the service disruption could lasted almost a week. Service was restored to and through Trenton on August 31, barring a few exceptions. According to Executive Director Jim Weinstein Irene cost NJT just under $10 million in lost revenue and damaged infrastructure. The agency was criticized for the system being closed the entire day after the storm. In total, ten deaths within the state are attributable to the storm. A medical rescue squad worker was swept away in flood waters and was pulled from the water early Sunday in Princeton, but did not survive.

 

 

 

 

In total, it has been reported that the total loss costs were approximately $48 million on the NEC. Although, initially a Category 1 hurricane and later categorized as a tropical storm, Irene brought flood-level records in New York City and in much of the Northeast, raising casualty loss estimates to $20 billion.

 

Two days of lost economic activity, over a period of a week, was another loss of $20 billion.  Longer term, rebuilding and postponed business activity made up much of the near-term impact on the economy.

 

Estimates of the direct damage caused by Hurricane Irene were in the range of $20 billion. Add to those the loss of about two days economic activity, spread over a week, across 25 percent of the economy, and an estimated of the losses imposed by Irene was about $40 to 45 billion.

 

One cannot discount the direct costs to individuals by temporary and in some cases permanent displacements; however, when government authorities facilitate rebuilding quickly and effectively, the process of economic renewal can leave communities better off than before.

 

Initial computer models of Irene's potential impact put the estimated damage at $4.7 billion, according to research by Pielke and catastrophe-insurance provider ICAT. That figure, which came from analyzing 27 comparable storms dating back to 1913, includes destruction of homes, cars, public infrastructure and other property caused by high winds and flooding. The number doesn't factor in the added impact of lost sales from shuttered restaurants, quiet casinos, canceled flights and boarded-up stores —  all of which could add billions of dollars to the fallout.

 

The public transportation outages caused by Hurricane Irene should serve as a wake-up call for governments that investing more in public transportation — and housing, retail and office development around it — is necessary for the state. The destroy 1200 trees that surround the NEC to build a solar array, which it has been stated under sworn testimony will increase flooding to the Sweetbriar area. 

 

The lack of NJ Transit service between Trenton and New Brunswick for three days after Irene swept through the Garden State packed nearby roads and left commuters frustrated. With increased investment in transit, there can be redundancy in more of the system.

 

 

 

 

This is especially important now as ridership on NJ Transit is growing — more than 247 million riders last year, almost a 10 percent increase since 2004 — and housing near transit is surviving the economic recession much better than units far away from public transportation. According to Christopher Lineberger of the Brookings Institution, there is an insufficient supply of housing in walkable neighborhoods — walkable, urban housing represents 20 percent of the housing stock, despite demand from 50 percent of the population.

 

Hurricane Irene and derailments this summer gave us a sense of how important our public transportation network is. It is clear that the state must provide the necessary financial support to ensure redundancy and reliability in it. Restoring funding for Transit Villages, as well as increasing funding for public transportation and transit-oriented development generally, would fundamentally enhance the business, health and energy future of New Jersey. The Mayor of Hamilton keeps touting she wants a transit village in the old Congoleum lot. However, if she continues to allow the Synnergy solar array to be built next to it, and they remove the 12 acres of trees, which will increase flooding in the area; the village will be quite lonely without the ability for the trains to function due to flooding.

 

Acts of nature can have serious consequences for public transit systems, including flooding, buckled rails, damaged facilities, and other threats to safety, state of good repair, and regional mobility. Transit agencies need to undertake risk assessments, pursue adaptation strategies, and address implementation challenges; some leading transit agencies have already begun.  Broadly speaking, agencies’ adaptation options will involve some combination of maintaining and repairing their systems in response to acts of nature, strengthening and protecting assets to withstand extremes, enhancing redundancy to avoid loss of service, and abandoning or relocating infrastructure.  Weather variability and extremes have always existed, but they can severely stress infrastructure already in need of investment.  Consequently, these impacts could have serious ramifications for public transit systems.

 

 

 

 

Beyond the extensiveness of the physical damage, Sandy’s impacts led to a virtual statewide shutdown of transportation. All public transportation was suspended, until limited schedules resumed as assessments were taken. The rail operations center of New Jersey Transit was flooded by up to 8.0 feet (2.4 meters) of water, damaging as many as 74 locomotive engines and 294 rail cars. Amtrak resumed partial service from Newark on November 1, 2012. All tunnels (except the Holland Tunnel) from New Jersey to New York were open for travel by November 1, 2012 and PATH services were partially resumed on 86 routes by that date as well.

 

If you’ve ever traveled along the Northeast Corridor (NEC), you’ve seen the diversity of the region come to life. The student taking their first trip, the business traveler taking their umpteenth ride and the family going to Nana’s house, the 24/7 operation of the NEC is one our riders expect. As a majority owner of the NEC, Amtrak owns and maintains 80% of the mainline which is used by 710,000 rail commuters and 40,000 Amtrak riders daily.

 

The Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission released the Northeast Corridor and the American Economy Report which is chock full of data that cites the positive affects rail has on our economy. Some data from the report is below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.    One out of five U.S. jobs are located in the NEC Region.

 

2.    One out of three Fortune 100 firms are headquartered in the NEC Region

 

3.    Seven million jobs are within five miles of a NEC station.

 

4.    If the NEC were lost for a day, the U.S. economy would face $100 Million in increased congestion costs and lost productivity.

 

5.    263 colleges and universities are within five miles of an Amtrak station.

 

6.    Seven of the top 20 most visited museums in the world are located along the NEC.

 

7.    19 professional sports stadiums and arenas call the NEC home.

 

 

 

All of which have positive effects on NJ’s ability to generate income. To deliberately allow a solar farm to be built adjacent to the NEC, tear down 12 acres of trees that serve a strong purpose to control flooding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The planning board needs to vote no on the Synnergy project in front of them. The township hired Banc3 to assess this new construction along the NEC and Sweetbriar Ave. Their engineer from Banc3 testified that the removal of the 12 acres of trees will increase flooding. Amtrak, NJ Transit, Septa and local businesses, residents, etc. will be greatly negatively affected by this plan. PLEASE HELP STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING!

 

 

 

Below is a link to a prior article we have written that gives even more background on this detrimental project to the Hamilton community by Synnergy.  There is a meeting on March 28th at 7pm at the Hamilton Municipal Building, 2100 Greenwood Ave in Mercer County. PLEASE COME AND HELP US FIGHT THIS DISASTER ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO THE NEC and the Sweetbriar community. 

 

 

 

https://www.tammyduffy.com/ARTFASHION/index.blog/2369197/say-no-to-syynnergy-solar/

 

 

 

YAEDE TRUMPETS 10% DECREASE IN CRIME
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAYOR TRUMPETS 10% DECREASE IN CRIME

 

 

 

 

 

At a press conference today the Mayor of Hamilton touted she will be releasing the crime report. She claimed that there is a 10% decrease in crime. Let’s see what the data really shows. Will the data show that the township leadership is using creative accounting to make this statement?  You be the judge.

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s see what 2018 brought to Hamilton as it pertains to crime…..

 

 

 

Homicide up 300% from 2017.

 

Rape up 67% from 2017

 

Robbery by knife or hand up 34% 

 

Aggravated assault up 45% from 2017

 

Simple assault up 11% from 2017

 

 

 

These results come directly from  NJSP (New Jersey State Police reports).

 

 

There was an article recently written rating the safest places to live in Mercer County. Hamilton did not even make the list. See link below.

 

 https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/safest-places/c/mercer-county-nj/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historical Data below…… 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamilton, Mercer County Results from 2015 to 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Robbery by firearm from 2015 to 2016 is up another 190%.

 

 

 

Since 2014 Robbery by firearm has gone up 440% in Hamilton NJ, Mercer County in total.

 

 

 

Robbery by other dangerous weapon up another 133%

 

 

 

Since 2014 Robbery by dangerous weapon has gone up 533% in Hamilton NJ, Mercer County in total.

 

 

 

Assault by gun up another 75%

 

 

 

Since 2014 Assault by gun has gone up 200% in Hamilton NJ, Mercer County in total.

 

 

 

Aggravated Assault up another 5.3%

 

 

 

Since 2014 Aggravated Assault has gone up 76.5% in Hamilton NJ, Mercer County in total.

 

 

 

Forcible and Unlawful entry up another 8%

 

Since 2014 Forcible and unlawful entry has gone up 76.5% in Hamilton NJ, Mercer County in total.

 

 

 

Larceny up another 6%

 

 

 

Since 2014 larceny has gone up 69.2% in Hamilton NJ, Mercer County in total.

 

 

 

By the end of 2015, Rape was up by 63.6%.

 

By the end of 2016, attempted rape was up by 100%

 

 

 

 

 

On February 27,2017 the new 2017 NSP report was released. The results so far are demonstrating, comparing Jan 2016 to Jan 2017:

 

 

 

Forcible and unlawful entry for Hamilton residents is already demonstrating an already additional 72.7% increase.

 

 

 

Unlawful entry for Hamilton residents is already demonstrating an additional 50% increase.

 

 

 

Simple assault for Hamilton residents is already demonstrating an additional 106.3% increase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOCS WITH CLINICAL EMPATHY
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST

 

 

 

 

  DOCS WITH CLINICAL EMPATHY

 

 

 

Gloria Vanderbilt and Tammy  photo: David Steele

 

 

The American public is stressed. I went to meet with one of my clients this week, who was essential to helping me close a large deal. When people went to his office, we learned he left a note on his desk, I quit. He said nothing to know one, just left the note. The bad treatment that employees receive in corporate America is having a toll. So much for forecasting that deal to my boss. This reminded me of an episode of Sex in the City where Berger broke up with Carey on a post-it note.

 

 

 

The American population is also somewhat obsessed with good looks. The magazines, web, newspapers we read focus on driving this obscession.  Being thin and having unrealistic expectations on how to obtain the looks that celebrities have; seems to be on the forefront of many minds.  

 

 

The OED (for those who do not know, OED stands for Oxford English Dictionary) states that the word botched; means something that is carried our carelessly or badly.

 

 

In June 2014,  the network E; launched a show entitled, Botched.  This show is quite intriguing. The two doctors on this show, Dr Terry Dubrow and Dr Paul Nassif are the real deal. They are not just some plastic surgeons on a reality show, but men who are changing the lives of people. They are published physicians.  There are patients on the show that the producers purposely seek out to add to the intrigue. Some patient cases on the show; demonstrate their quest for perfection; only to find physicians that could in the end only guarantee and give imperfect BOTCHED results. 

 

 

The doctors on Botched, clearly are well qualified, well-educated/board certified plastic surgeons.  The image they portray on screen demonstrates a rare breed in medicine today.  It’s refreshing to find a physician who actually cares about the patients.   They personally take the time with the patients, not pawning it off to some PA. They create miracles for many of the patients on the show. The difficult cases are the most profound stories and have the largest impact for the patients on the show. 

 

 

A physician who makes it their mission to do outstanding work every day. To take the challenges to get to the summits no matter how hard the climb, how treacherous the weather. They get there with their team, to the summit. These two doctors on the E show, transform the lives of many of the patients on the show.  On the show,  give their patients a new life, a new confidence that they may have never found.  

 

 

Dr Dubrow and Dr Nassif make it their mission to do their best every day to bring beauty back into their patients lives. The show is more than just about plastic surgery, it demonstrates two doctors who have a level of clinical apathy that is stellar. They never seemed rushed, taking their time to ensure the patients are trusting of them. A trusting patient will have better clinical outcomes.  Making these patients with radical botched surgeries feel comfortable is critical to the outcome to de-botch” the patient. Even when a patient comes in for something unrealistic, they are guiding in the most professional manner.  

 

 

Bedside manner is all about the physician’s total approach to patient care. It encompasses all the attributes of medical professionalism blended in with the specific personality of the individual and with the ability to comfortably communicate a certain degree of concern about the patient’s welfare.  Bravo to Dr Nassif and Dr. Dubrow, you care, and it shows. Your patients have better outcomes because of it. 

 

 

Patients want to feel comfortable with the people with whom they are entrusting their lives. They want to feel like someone is on their side. They need to feel that the person who is advising them to do scary things like surgery is really concerned about them and has their best interests at heart. The medical transformations that are created by the doctors on Botched are amazing. There are times I cry watching the show as the patients are crying about their results. Results that now have changed their lives for the better; forever. It's touching to the soul at times. 

 

 

 

When people feel unattractive due to a deformity, birthmark or botched plastic surgery, this is intensified by the rudeness of the American public. When people have a deformity, they are aware of it every day. They feel awful when someone brings attention to it.  One can only wonder why people do this; for we do not need attention brought to it; we know it’s there. There are times we are born with it.

 

 

 

Port-wine stains (PWS) occur in about three of every 1,000 people, according to the U.S. National Libarary of Medicine. They're caused by swollen blood vessels, which give a reddish-purplish hue to a certain area of skin. Most often, they occur on the face and deepen in color as a child gets older. They exist for life, sometimes growing thicker with time. Treatments like laser therapy, surgery and tattooing can often eliminate or lessen the appearance of the birthmarks, but there's no guarantee.

 

 

 

I was born with a PWS on my right arm that goes from my shoulder to my elbow joint.  Though my entire life I have had to hide this, explain it and be ridiculed by children and grown adults.  It never ceases to amaze me the radically rude things people say.  My PWS is very unique (as they all are) in is shape and placement. It goes from my shoulder to my elbow joint. It is so much lighter today (see below) but the rudeness of the American public is evident once I uncover my arm. 

 

 

                           2019 photo, where we are today with my PWS

 

 

 

 

In 2005, I visited Dr Eric Bernstein who is THE man for PWS.  I learned about him from my friend who worked at a laser company. He is an amazing physician who has transformed cosmetic dermatology.  My friend told me to go visit him after a day of ridicule by someone on my PWS and I was saddened by it. He showed him photos of my birthmark and I then I met with Dr Bernstein. He enrolled me into one of his studies where they used a 585 nm pulsed dye laser treatment. The study was investigating a prototype device, a high-energy 595 nm pulsed dye laser capable of delivering up to 9.5 J/cm2 using a 10 mm circular spot, with a 1.5 ms pulse duration. 

 

 

After 5 treatments we saw results. It did not remove the PWS, but it made it 40% lighter and almost removed some of the PWS in areas. We did 7 treatments and stopped, for between the 5^th and 7^th treatments there were no changes.

 

 

 

 

I reached out to Dr Bernstein in 2014 by email thinking he would never respond. I had another day of ridicule and was saddened by it and wanted to see what new options were available. I asked for the photos from the original study he did so I could feel better about how far I had come with my PWS. He instantly responded with information. It made me feel better. He was so kind to answer me. That is who he is, he really cares about all of his patients.

 

Some of the comments made by adults to me are: "What is that on your arm, has someone been beating you? Has someone been sucking on your arm?”  I was at a fashion event for Prince Harry’s charity in California a few years ago and one of the Housewives of Orange County was in attendance to the event as one of the designers. She saw my birthmark and politely said,” Why don’t you go backstage and cover that with some makeup, its really unsightly?”  She proceeded to bring it to the attention of the entire table. I do not wear makeup on my face and surely not going to put it on my arm. What I found unsightly was her comment. 

 

 

These ridiculous statements are the reality.  What people say is worse than the deformity at times. Only those with a deformity, PWS or botched plastic surgery can truly understand the hurt they create. I try to position myself in photos to hide it. The photo of Gloria Vanderbilt and I my right arm is wrapped around her so not to see it. She never questioned by PWS, she has class!   

 

 

My PWS is a part of who I am. I struggle with going to have it removed, for no doubt the lasers available today would warrant an outcome of silence to my critics of PWS. If I could I would keep as much of my birthmark as possible because it’s such a huge part of who I am. I would be a different person completely if I wasn’t gifted with my birthmark and all that comes with it. 

If I wanted to cover it up I could, but I don’t want to use make-up, I like living my life this way, it’s a birthmark not something horrible. I do not wear my birthmark with pride due to the fact of what others say about it. I thank a gem like Dr Bernstein for helping me in the past and being so willing to help me again.  

Doctors like Eric Bernstein, Dr Nassif and Dr Dubrow, spend their days transforming lives. They make people beautiful again both inside and out.

Spring and summer are coming and so will the insults on my PWS. Bring them on, for if they are BOTHCED; I will just go see Eric.

 

 

 

Bravo gentlemen! Keep up the smashing great work!

 

You are true artists in the world of medicine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Say No to Syynnergy Solar!

 

 

 

Say No to Syynnergy Solar!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I live in this area where the proposed solar farm is being planned. I urge the Planning board to deny any waivers, variances, etc for this project. Flooding is already a major problem in the Sweetbriar Ave, Rutgers Ave and Whitehead Rd area.  This application is asking the township’s permission to cut down more stream buffer on the floodplain than what the ordinance allows. The applications also lack the required soil samples for a past contaminated field. The application should have never moved forward to the point it is without this. Those stream buffers and floodplain help reduce stormwater runoff, flooding and improve water quality. It is important for the Planning board to know that approving this project might also jeopardize funding for the larger Army Corp of Engineer’s study that is ongoing in the area.

 

The developer is also asking to cut an entire forest down to build this project. The forest consists of large and small trees, shrubs, and ground cover- all of which absorbs stormwater and reduces flooding.  Yes, the developer will be required to replant some of those trees, but only a fraction of those will be replanted in the Sweetbriar community. So, cutting all those trees is really only going to make flooding worse in Sweetbriar.

I am sure that the members of the planning board must know that the flooding is already so bad in the Miry Run and Lower Assunpink Creek area that the Army Corps of Engineers is already conducting a flood study in the area.  If you go to the Us Army Corps of engineers website about the Assunpink Creed Flood Control Study, they have a picture (see in article) of the flooded-out intersection of Sweetbriar Ave and Whitehead Road.  If you allow this application to cut this forested floodplain and cut more of the stream buffer, it will only make flooding worse.   I have attached the description of the US Army Corps of Engineers Lower Assunpink Creek Project. It states:

 

“The focus of this feasibility study is the lower reach of the Assunpink and its tributaries that are located in the City of Trenton, Hamilton Township, and Lawrence Township, New Jersey.  Within the study area, flooding problems are widespread.  The wide flood plains of the relatively low gradient streams are subject to chronic flooding and , on several occasions, extensive flood damage has occurred.  Most recently, the study area experienced record flood levels and a great deal of property damage as a result of the heavy rains brought on by Hurricane Irene in Aug 2011.  Flooding on the Assunpink Creek that resulted from the Assunpink Creek that resulted from Hurricane Irene shut down the rail lines in the city of Trenton for three days. This disrupted one of the busiest parts of the nation’s passenger train system between Philadelphia and New York.  This feasibility study is examining the flooding problems along the Assunpink Creek and evaluating the Federal interest in implementing flood risk management solutions.”

 

 

 

 

I urge the Planning board to deny this waiver/variance that will destroy some of the very same environmentally sensitive areas that are now naturally helping to reduce flooding. 

 

More than 8 years ago I installed solar panels on the roof of my home. This created an extremely energy efficient atmosphere for my household. I am an advocate for solar, however, I am not an advocate for this proposed solar farm. 

 

Currently today, residents have experienced extreme flooding in the Cornell Height area.  This proposed solar farm by Synnergy has the potential to make a bad situation even worse.   This will damage our homes beyond recognition during a flood. In the past ten years the Cornell Heights area has experiences two 100 year flood episodes.

Flood plains are nature’s engineering achievement.  No human flood-management expert could ever hope to control flood waters better. They are often an outstanding wildlife habitat, and they protect human habitats from expensive and heartrending disasters. The State of NJ has requirements to safeguard communities.  The Twp of Hamilton has created an ordinance (Chapter 583) which has a stricter standard to protect residents.  The developer wants to break the ordinance.  The twp must uphold the ordinance that we have on the books to ensure the public safety of the community and optimal quality of life.  We do not care about the DEP permit, its not relevant. Our ordinance must stand.

 

During this past weeks testimony by the developer, their expert witnesses, Julia Alagio, used the word “some” numerous times. That there will be “some” trees removed. “Some increase in water”.  

 

The Synnergy Soal Project will:

ü  Clear 12 acres of forest, including 820 large trees and numerous smaller ones, plus all the shrubs and ground cover that make up a healthy streamside forest.  The 820 is based on trees with a greater than 10 inch diameter. There will actually be over 1100 trees removed as testified this week by a township employee.

ü  Grade the high and low areas that capture rainwater and lets it soak into the ground. The township ordinance clearly states that there cannot be any change to the grade. Yet, the developer wants to change the grade by 4 to 5 FEET in areas.

ü  67% of this project is located in Hamilton Township’s SBCZ.   

 

 

This project fails to meet the Intent and Purpose of the SBCZ because:

583-1(A) - Projects in the SBCZ are supposed to meet “accepted conservation practices.” An entire forest will be cut down to build this project.

 

583-1(B) – SBCZ are supposed to prevent pollutants from running off the land into the creek. The forest will be clear-cut, the ground re-graded and the stormwater drained to yet more detention basins. Nothing prevents pollution runoff better than the forest that is there today.

 

583-1(C-F) – Without the trees, we lose the benefits of shading that protects the water quality, the wildlife habitat both in the forest and in the stream, the natural erosion protection of the streambanks, the floodplains and other natural features.

 

583-1(G) – The forest and other natural features there today “minimize hazards to life, property and stream features.”

 

 

 

This project fails to meet the requirements for a waiver because:

583-4 – States: There shall be no clearing or cutting of trees and brush, except for removal of dead vegetation and pruning for reasons of public safety or for the replacement of invasive species with indigenous species. There shall be no regrading or construction within the SBCZ.

583-4(A) States: Acceptable land uses in the SBCZ include open space uses that are primarily passive in character, provided near-stream vegetation is preserved, including:

1)     Wildlife sanctuaries, nature preserves, forest preserves, fishing areas, game farms, fish hatcheries and fishing reserves, operated for the protection and propagation of wildlife, but excluding structures,

2)     This project will result in a substantial impact to the SBCZ and surrounding communities:

3)     583-8 - A waiver may be granted “where the consequent impact upon the SBCZ is determined to be minimal.” Clear cutting 12 acres of woodlands is NOT MINIMAL.

4)     583.3A(2)- About 67% of the solar panels are locate in the SBCZ. The Planning Board can only grant “minor” waivers.

5)      

6)     583-8- A waiver may only be granted where “it has been affirmatively demonstrated that the proposed activity will not be materially detrimental or injurious to other property or improvements in the area and will not endanger public safety.”

There are many legal and legitimate reasons given above for the Planning Board to deny this application

 

Other important points:

ü  What will this project do to real estate values? Certainly, the homes in the Sweetbriar and Whitehead areas will go from having valuable wooded open space to a large-scale, treeless solar farm.

 

ü  Did the Hamilton Township Environmental Commission review these plans? What was the Commission’s position on this project?

 

Currently today, the sewer plant utilizes 7MEGS of power. The solar farm is slated to only manage 4 MEGS. Why does the township consider such a project when the infrastructure of our own sewer system is failing? This project brings zero advantage to residents only potential devastation to our homes.

 

To deliberately destroy the flood plain is unacceptable.  This past summer the township extended the gun range in Cornell Heights, destroying trees and wetlands. There is also a produced project for American Metro Way, to add additional dwellings in an already overwhelmed ecosystem. This unbalanced give and take is leaving us with environmental chaos in Cornell Heights.

 

The loss of the upland forest will remove canopy and sub-canopy habitats for resident and migratory fauna.  It will eliminate nesting sites for native residents and summer passerine avian species.  This loss would affect species such as catbirds, American robin, blue jays, tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee, oven birds, and others.  The loss would eliminate 12 acres of roosting habitat and migrating raptors such as red-tailed hawk, Coopers hawk, sharp shinned hawk, and vultures.  Resident reptiles and amphibians would lose foraging and hibernation locations. The insect community complexity would be changed to species tolerant of open, unforested environments.

 

Air quality will also be altered by microclimate modification associated with the change to land cover.

 

Federal studies show an acre of flood plain wetlands can store up to 1.6M gallons of floodwater. Restoring rather than destroying wetlands of flood plains can reduce damaging floods.  The plan to destroy 20 acres of floodplain with the solar farm is not what the residents desire.

 

 

 

 

The proposed solar farm is going into a flood zone. A few years ago when the bridge was redone on Sweetbriar, they raised it 21 inches and changed the slope of the surrounding area. The first hard rain we received flooded my home. We reported this to the County.  The slope was then altered to try to optimize the flooding situation.  There has been a history of poor planning which has negatively affected the public safety of the residents in Cornell heights.

 

There is 3 acres of contamination on the site. The site has an industrial history.  There is a potential to find things that have been dumped that are highly toxic. In past projects in the Cornell Height community, residents have been subjected to toxic dust (American Metro Way), the demise of wildlife during the Congoleum cleanup, etc. This project will pose a significant public safety and health impact on the residents of Hamilton Township while the benefits go to a different community. That’s not right.

 

 

 

 

The ordinance was written to protect the residents of Hamilton. The leadership of the township must live up to their commitment in the ordinance. The residents have to matter. Since the implementation of the American Metro way project, where we were told there would be zero increase to flooding, the damage from floods has increased exponentially. Residents pre American Metro Way never had flood damage, now on a basic rain they are getting 36” of water into their homes. There were numerous forests removed to make way for the American Metro Way project. The solar projects attorney is Mr McGee. Mr Mcgee was the attorney for that American Metro Way project as well. So, residents are very wary of his promises.

 

SAVE THE RESIDENTS OF HAMILTON TOWNSHIP CORNELL HEIGHT AREA! NO SOLAR FARM ON SWEETBRIAR!!

Focuses on Paintings of Maureen Chatfield
Topic: ART NEWS

 

 

 

Hunterdon Art Museum’s Member Highlight Show

 

Focuses on Paintings of Maureen Chatfield

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clinton, NJ (Feb. 15, 2019) – Though she’s painted for several decades, artist Maureen Chatfield still feels a thrill when stepping in front of a blank canvas.

 

“I deeply love the creative process,” Chatfield says. “It’s exhilarating, rewarding, frustrating and endlessly challenging.”

 

Viewers can discover the results of her creative process in the Hunterdon Art Museum’s Member Highlight exhibition Maureen Chatfield: Emotions Through Color, opening on Saturday, March 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. with a reception that everyone is welcome to attend.

 

Chatfield’s work was selected from among 86 entries for the Museum’s juried Members Show in 2017.

 

Most of the abstract paintings included in this exhibition come from Chatfield’s Ether and Landscape series, which are impressions of experiences, and the emotions attached to them. The Landscape series arose from impressions of places she’s visited or seen; the Ether series is internal and emotional, and exists in the gap beyond conscious thought, she said.

 

“These works are pieces of my soul, energy and passion expressed in color, line and form,” Chatfield said.

 

Her paintings are intuitive responses to the many forces that shape her life – emotions that translate into color, visual memories of forms and color relationships found in the landscape and personal stories from her past.

 

Chatfield shies away from relating specifics about her creations, encouraging audience participation. “I try not to describe my work but rather let the viewer engage and experience,” she said. “Abstraction questions and provokes and invites viewer participation.”

 

The work is the result of constant experiment and change – building layers of color, form and image on the canvas revealing the underlying pentimento. Her images are rarely planned but discovered and enhanced through music. Specific rhythmic vibrations are an integral part of her creative process and helps her enter a rhythmic flow.

 

“As colors are reflections of emotions, the images that emerge in each segment have a similar palette reflecting where I am at that moment,” she noted.

 

The exhibition is being curated by Hildreth York, and runs until April 28.

 

Chatfield learned to paint as a teenager, and now does so full time, in addition to teaching classes at the Museum. This April, Chatfield will teach an adult class on “Painting the Modern Landscape,” which blends music and painting, while encouraging students to experiment with action painting and developing layers of color form and image to their work. In March and April, she’ll teach workshops on “The Economy of Stroke” which teaches students how to use fewer strokes and create more interest in their art by using color value to generate emotion.

 

“What I enjoy most about teaching is when I help change the way an artist ‘sees,’ and he or she gets that ah-haaaa moment,” Chatfield said. “It's wonderful sharing the love of art with others who have the same passion. When they grow, I grow!”

 

Chatfield's work can be found in private and corporate collections in New York, Paris and Spain, including Tiffany & Co., and Decca Records. She is represented by Rosenberg & Co's Manhattan Gallery where her work has been seen in solo and group exhibitions. In a review, Art News called her a "natural colorist," who "fearlessly mines the spectrum from the gorgeous reds of Matisse to the rich blacks that conjure Franz Kline's swashbuckling brushwork and Robert Motherwell's Elegies to the Spanish Republic to the muted nuanced shades of Richard Diebenkorn."

 

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC

 

The Museum is at 7 Lower Center St. in Clinton, New Jersey, 08809. Our website is www.hunterdonartmuseum.org and our telephone number is 908-735-8415. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students; children under 12 is free.

 

 

Character is destiny.
Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST