Kings Bay, Georgia – Master Chief Petty Officer Tom Curtin from Jersey City, New Jersey, enlisted in the Navy in 1996 and has spent nearly a third of his career on nuclear powered submarines.
After completing his initial training, Curtin reported to USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) and completed nine strategic deterrent patrols from 1998 to 2004. He moved through the ranks quickly—promoting from seaman to first class petty officer—while onboard Tennessee.

Curtinâ€s next at sea assignment was onboard USS Georgia (SSGN 729) where he completed five more missions from 2007 to 2013. He is currently assigned as Chief of the Boat (COB)—the senior
enlisted sailor—onboard the ballistic missile submarine USS Alaska out of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, and has completed one patrol with the sub.

Curtin serves as an adviser to the commanding officer and assists with matters regarding the good order and discipline of the crew as the COB on Alaska.

Being the COB on a nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine is a tremendous amount of responsibility. Curtin attributes much of the success of his career and his ability to lead his sailors to one defining moment that occurred while he was a junior Sailor.

“I messed up, but got a second chance,” said Curtin. “So remembering that I have a past helps me relate with my junior Sailors.”

Curtin said that one of the lowest points in his nearly 21 year Navy career was missing shipâ€s movement on September 9, 2001, two days before the coordinated terrorist attacks that killed 2,996
Americans and injured over 6,000 more. Always keeping in mind that he made this mistake, Curtin now uses that mistake as a motivating factor in how he provides guidance to his Sailors.
“In my short time aboard Alaska, Iâ€ve had one Sailor who has missed shipâ€s movement,” said Curtin.

Curtin said since his career had previously been affected negatively by making the same mistake, he took a particular interest in guiding the junior Sailor who had made the same mistake.
“Before I took him to captainâ€s mast I said, ‘you need to own up to your mistakes and be accountable for those mistakes, and take accountability for what you did.”

Curtin said he and that junior Sailor have met regularly since the incident, and Curtin believes that the relationship they have fostered through the unusual bond is helping to guide that Sailor to be more successful.
“Not everyone in the Navy has a father figure. And for some that do, they still need that fatherly advice,” said Curtin.

Curtin himself is a father. After marrying his wife Jennifer in 2015, at home he has his daughter, Harley, his two step-sons Chase and Cole, and recently, a two-year- old daughter, Reece.

“She is what motivates me,” said Curtin. “For the first two years of her life I wasnâ€t out at sea much, so I enjoyed being able to watch her grow up so far.”

Curtin said having a large family with a diverse age group has kept him young and has helped him relate to younger Sailors who are starting families.

“My family keeps me motivated to do good things, and to make sure that all of them get the best opportunities. They help me provide the best I can for my Sailors as well.”

US Navy Submarines 
Classes  of Submarines 
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US Navy Submarine Service 

The post Jersey City Native Serves Over 20 Years as Navy Submariner first appeared on River View Observer.

The winning numbers for the Saturday, May 7 drawing were:

05, 25, 26, 44, 66. The red Powerball number was 09.

The current Powerball jackpot will become $40 million as of Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The post Winning Powerball Ticket for Saturday, May 7th , 2016 Sold in New Jersey -Mercer County first appeared on River View Observer.

With many Americans making New Year's resolutions to feel better and avoid burnout in 2015, a new national survey revealed that "New Jersey is ranked the 8th and "New York is ranked the #21 "Most 'Emotionally Recharged' U.S. states for 2015, according to the Lantern Emotional Balance Index." To create this ranking, Lantern [www.golantern.com] -- a groundbreaking online and mobile tool for evaluating your mind health -- surveyed 3,000 Americans to determine how frequently respondents are taking action to renew, refresh, and recharge their emotional well-being. Based on a survey period from Dec. 26 to Jan. 9, more "emotionally recharged" U.S. states have residents who regularly learn something new, share a moment of closeness with a loved one, have a meaningful conversation with a friend, do a good deed for someone else, or engage in other activities that help them truly rest, recharge, and unwind: *** The Lantern Emotional Balance Index *** The Top 25 Most 'Emotionally Recharged' U.S. States for 2015 #1: New Hampshire (75% of residents are emotionally recharged) #2: Indiana (73%) #3: Louisiana (71%) #4: Kansas (69%) #5: Arkansas (68%) #6: Nevada (67%) #7: Georgia (66%) #8: New Jersey (65%) #9: Rhode Island (65%) #10: Oklahoma (65%) #11: Maine (64%) #12: Maryland (64%) #13: South Carolina (63%) #14: Florida (62%) #15: Connecticut (61%) #16: Michigan (61%) #17: Virginia (60%) #18: Oregon (60%) #19: Colorado (59%) #20: Mississippi (59%) #21: New York (58%) #22: Illinois (58%) #23: Kentucky (58%) #24: Iowa (58%) #25: Tennessee (57%) NOTE: Shown in parentheses are the average number of state residents who have engaged in emotionally recharging activities within the past two weeks. The Top 25 Least 'Emotionally Recharged' States for 2015 #1: Utah (40% of residents are emotionally recharged) #2: Texas (41%) #3: Alaska (42%) #4: Arizona (43%) #5: South Dakota (43%) #6: Wyoming (44%) #7: Massachusetts (44%) #8: Washington (45%) #9: Nebraska (46%) #10: Vermont (46%) #11: Alabama (46%) #12: Delaware (47%) #13: New Mexico (49%) #14: Hawaii (49%) #15: Montana (50%) #16: West Virginia (50%) #17: Missouri (51%) #18: North Dakota (51%) #19: Pennsylvania (52%) #20: North Carolina (52%) #21: Minnesota (53%) #22: Idaho (53%) #23: Wisconsin (54%) #24: Ohio (54%) #25: California (55%) For residents of any state who are not feeling as emotionally recharged as they would like, Lantern [www.golantern.com] offers a free online assessment that evaluates your overall emotional well-being, tells you where you need to improve, and then matches you up with a trained professional to guide you through personalized daily exercises on your smartphone. For more details on these fascinating survey results as well as the life-changing Lantern app, I'm happy to arrange an interview with Lantern CEO Alejandro Foung -- an expert in using advanced technology to support mental health. Alejandro is available for in-person (San Francisco and New York), phone, email, and Skype interviews from Jan. 20 to Jan. 30. Also, if you're interested in a guest article or blog post from Alejandro on the survey results and how technological tools can help reduce stress and anxiety, please let me know as well.

The post The Top 25 Most ‘Emotionally Recharged’ U.S. States for 2015- New Jersey Ranked 8th, New York Ranked 21st first appeared on River View Observer.

These new entrepreneurs—empowered with education and access to the support and resources they need to start or grow a successful business—joined an alumni network of 968 graduates across Northern New Jersey. The graduation ceremony was held at Saint Peterâ€s University Mac Mahon Student Center and celebrated the achievements of eight concurrent CBA classes—taught in both Spanish and English–from the fall semester.

Savulich has taught and developed content for the CBA since its inception. “Now that they are equipped with the skills and resources to start their business journeys, our new graduates represent hope for the future of Northern New Jerseyâ€s struggling urban corridors.”

The evening began with a networking reception that included the graduating class of entrepreneurs and their guests, CBA alumni, local small business development organizations and funders over live music and light refreshments. During the ceremony, graduates received a Community Business Academy completion certificate and free membership into the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey. Featured speakers included Virginia Bender of Saint Peterâ€s University, Rising Tide Capitalâ€s Chairman of the Board of Trustees Doug Forrester, cofounders Alex Forrester and Alfa Demmellash as well as representatives from the eight sessions of the CBA.

The CBA, offered in locations throughout Hudson and Essex Counties, teaches entrepreneurs business fundamentals including budgeting, marketing, bookkeeping and financing.  Each CBA student receives a full-tuition waiver—covered by Rising Tide Capitalâ€s funding partners—and continued business support through RTCâ€s Business Acceleration Services Program.

“Your journey with Rising Tide Capital doesnâ€t end here, this is just the beginning. We exist to support you to accomplish all of your goals for your businesses, your families and your communities. We believe in you! You are the engines of our economy,” said Alfa Demmellash co-founder and CEO of Rising Tide Capital.

Rising Tide Capital (RTC) is a Jersey City-based nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by Harvard graduates Alex Forrester and Alfa Demmellash. RTC helps entrepreneurs start and grow successful businesses by providing a 12-week Community Business Academy—supplemented by year-round workshops, coaching and networking events. These programs are currently offered in Spanish and in English in four cities across Northern New Jersey: Jersey City, Newark, Union City, and Orange Township. As of June 2014, 968 entrepreneurs have graduated from the CBA and together, they operate 459 businesses in New Jersey. RTCâ€s model of entrepreneurship development has received national recognition from President Obama to CNN Heroes.

The post Rising Tide Capital Graduates 146 Entrepreneurs from its Community Business Academy first appeared on River View Observer.

2014â€s Richest and Poorest States

To identify the states with the highest and lowest net worth, WalletHub ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on income, GDP per capita and federal taxes paid per capita.

Wealth in New Jersey (1=Best; 25=Avg.) 

• 3^rd – Income
• 9^th – GDP per Capita
• 5^th – Federal Taxes Paid per Capita

For the full report and to see where all states rank, please visit:
http://wallethub.com/edu/richest-and-poorest-states/7392/

Main Findings – Population-Adjusted Rankings
 

The post WalletHub’s In-depth Analysis of 2014’s Richest and Poorest States -New Jersey Ranks 3rd in Income first appeared on River View Observer.

By Sally Deering

Would your children eat a Spinach Brownie?  How about a Mac & Cheese Cupcake with Vegetable Puree or a Cauliflower Pizza?  They might if they made it themselves.

Those crazy concoctions were created by Rene Gonzalez, founder of Bambino Chef, a cooking school for kids in Jersey City. Inside Bambino Chefâ€s storefront thereâ€s a kitchen with brightly colored utensils where kids don aprons, create food they make themselves and in the process learn to be empowered in the kitchen. At Bambino Chef, Rene creates recipes for cookies, cupcakes, pizza – the skyâ€s the limit and the dishes she creates help give kids a good attitude toward their taste-buds†nemesis, the vegetable.

“I want kids to build relationships with vegetables,” Rene says. “In our classes they touch them, peel them, mash them. We make cookies with sweet potatoes. Yesterday we made mini carrot cakes. We teach them you donâ€t have to put frosting on cake. You can drizzle it with a little honey or a little condensed milk and that will be your sugar substitute. If you cut out the sugar, after a while you wonâ€t want it that much.”

Through workshops taught in 50-minute sessions that are age appropriate, from 2 –years to teens, children are introduced to healthy foods and prepare dishes that incorporate fresh, healthy ingredients. Kids can enroll in a 10-class semester, drop-in classes and special workshops.                                                                                                                                                                

“For one class, we mashed white beans and broccoli into patties and breaded them,” Rene says. “They looked like trees on an island. The breadcrumbs were the color of sand; the palm trees were the broccoli. We made spaghetti with basil and cherry tomatoes to look like birds eggs. We made Cake Pops with green peas and garlic and the kids loved them.”

Bambino Chefâ€s charming storefront has a full kitchen and a long table for kids to mix and mash. The charming place is also available for birthdays and special events like pajama parties and baby showers. Adults can take cooking classes, too.

“I was in finance, I was a tough cookie,” Rene says just minutes after hosting a tea party for moms and their babies. “It wasnâ€t me, I was miserable. This is what I want to do. Children are amazing and now Iâ€m back to who I was meant to be and who I want to be. And I want this to be a happy environment. The kitchen is a happy place.”

Bambino Chef is in after-school programs at several local schools like the French-American Academy of Jersey City. Rene says: “We go to them, we bring our equipment.” And before she gets the kids at Bambino Chef to try out her recipes, she tries them on her three children first.

“I didnâ€t create pizza, but I make my own pizza with ricotta cheese, cheddar, spinach and slices of pear,” Rene says.

 Bambino Chef has a fun atmosphere and itâ€s easy to see kids would feel right at home mixing, mashing and baking. Rene and her husband Gerson want to give children who visit Bambino Chef a fun and memorable experience. And you never know. With shows like Master Chef, Jr. a popular TV show where kids as young as 10 years-old make soufflés, itâ€s quite possible Rene could be teaching the future Gordon Ramsey or Cake Boss.  

“I tell the children cooking is so much more than pouring ingredients together,” Rene says. “Thereâ€s math, numbers, youâ€re concentrating, using your memory skills. Itâ€s science, too. So you have math, science, confidence. Children are so happy when they see the final result, when they make their meal from scratch. With cooking they see, ‘I accomplished thisâ€.”

 Rene Gonzalezâ€s Green Pea Cheese Balls

A special recipe from Rene Gonzalez for kids 3 and up to do with Mom or Dad

1 cup green peas

1 cup mashed potatoes

1/4-to-1/2 cup cheddar cheese

(optional) ½ cup well cooked (over-cooked) rice, nice and sticky

Mix those ingredients

Add one egg, a little garlic and mix together

Add pinch of salt

Take your childâ€s favorite crackers; crumble them into breadcrumbs; and roll the balls in the breadcrumbs

Bake at 400-degrees for 10-15 minutes

Take out of oven, let cool and enjoy!

 

FYI

Bambino Chef

213 Newark Ave Jersey City Tel: (201) 333-9090 info@bambinochef.com

 

 

The post Bambino Chef: Where Kids Learn to Shake ‘N Bake first appeared on River View Observer.

  Playwright and Professor Joseph Gallo Initiates New Theater Arts Program at Hudson County Community College

 

By Sally Deering

 In September 2012, Hudson got a little more artsy when professional playwright Joe Gallo brought Hudson County Community College to a new stage – or rather, brought the stage to HCCC.

 Gallo, whose plays have been performed in Hoboken, New York and other cities throughout the country, is a theater arts professor at HCCC who helped institute a new theater arts degree program. The new curriculum – which began in the 2012-2013 school year – is designed to provide students with a broad-based liberal arts education with core curriculum classes in theater that include Acting, Playwriting and Drama. Students who successfully complete the two-year program earn an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts – Theater, that prepares them to transfer to four-year colleges and universities where they can earn Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and related programs.

 A theater professional – heâ€s a producer and Associate Artist at Mile Square Theater in Hoboken – Gallo earned an MFA in playwriting from Ohio University and his plays have been produced Off-Broadway, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at other theaters throughout the country. Gallo has taught Playwriting, Acting and other theater-related courses at the School of Visual Arts, Drew University and Kean University.

 Recently, Gallo spoke with Riverview Observer about how he initiated the new Theater Arts program and what prospective students can look forward to if they decide to enroll.

 RVO: Joe, can you share with our readers how the new theater arts program began?

JG: In 2007 HCCC hired to teach creative writing and because I have an MFA in playwriting, I was asked to revamp its Introduction to Acting class. I did that for the college and when I asked why the college doesnâ€t offer more theater classes, I was told, ‘because we donâ€t have a theater.â€

 

RVO:  Does a school need a theater to have a theater arts program?

JG: No and I told them,†that shouldnâ€t stop you,†I said, ‘Do you know who Bobby Hurley is?†There would be a faint recognition. I said, ‘Bobby Hurley teaches at St. Anthony High School (in Jersey City. Heâ€s their basketball coach and heâ€s the “winningest” basketball coach. Heâ€s in the Hall of Fame. St. Anthony doesnâ€t have a basketball court. They practice in a basement of their church where they have to strike the table and chairs from Bingo to play.â€

 RVO:  Why start a theater arts degree program at HCCC? Why was that important to you?

JG: One of the things I discovered was that HCCC was one of three community colleges in New Jersey that didnâ€t offer theater as a major. And yet, weâ€re a subway ride from the greatest theater district in the world. The theater is not an exclusive club. The theater welcomes all. Thatâ€s what I stress in terms of the students going forward. I tell them ‘Youâ€ve been to Times Square. (The Broadway Theater District is right down the street.) You know how to get there. You have an advantage.â€

 

RVO: Is that when you got the idea to initiate a degree program in theater arts?

JG: I wondered what it would take to create a major here. Harvey Rubenstein who is the Chair of HCCCs Humanities Department, a great guy and mentor, gave me a few templates for other programs and I started doing the work. To put the program together took a good five years.  

 

RVO: And what are your plans for the fall when the program begins its second year?

JG: Now that we have the program, weâ€ll find the place to build that theater. That will be the next goal – to get a stage built. We also have an Acting II class that will begin in the fall.

 

RVO: Graduating from HCCC with an Associateâ€s degree in Liberal Arts, students will be able to move on to other colleges to earn a Bachelorâ€s degree?

JG: Weâ€re setting up articulation agreements with other schools including Kean University, William Paterson, Ramapo and New Jersey City University. They will take our students if they transfer, theyâ€ll accept the credits. If a student decides moving forward they donâ€t want to be in the theater, they have a Liberal Arts Degree to build on. They have that option. Weâ€re giving the students a broad-based education which is essential.

 

RVO: As you know, a career in the theater can be very challenging and many theater professionals seem to find it hard to make a living. How do you address that with your students?

JG:  Advice I was given when I was younger turned out to be true for me: If you follow your passion, the money will come. Youâ€ll find a way to make a living. I stress to the students a life in the theater is a commitment to a way of life. Youâ€re going to have moments when you score, when you crash, when you make a lot of money, when youâ€re searching for your next job. Thatâ€s just your life in the theater.

 

RVO:  Although itâ€s early in the program, would you say itâ€s a successful venture?

JG: So far itâ€s been great. The word is out and everyone knows the program is up and running and the students are very excited about it. Several students who are graduating this year said to me, “I wish you had this last year. I would have majored in it.”

  For more information on the new Associate in Art Liberal Arts – Theater degree program, go to: www.hccc.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

The post HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACTS UP! first appeared on River View Observer.

Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, members of the Hudson County Chosen Board of Freeholders, New Jersey State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, Hudson County Community College Board of Trustees Chair William J. Netchert, Esq. and other Trustees, Hudson County Community College President Glen Gabert and members of the Collegeâ€s administration, faculty and staff will be in attendance for the Topping Out Ceremonies for the new Hudson County Community College Library & Academic Building, currently under construction at 71 Sip Avenue in Jersey City, NJ.

The event will begin with remarks in the lobby of the Collegeâ€s Administration Building (70 Sip Avenue) on the Journal Square Campus in Jersey City and will proceed across the street to the site of the Library & Academic Building.

Tuesday morning, April 2, 2013 at 10 a.m.

The post Hudson County Community College the ‘Topping Out’ of New Library & Academic Building first appeared on River View Observer.