Tuesday, December 1, 2009

MTV's "Jersey Shore" Starts Dec. 3rd

MTV is launching a new show called "Jersey Shore" - showing life in Seaside for a group of young people this past summer.. The trailer they've had on for it talks about "fist pumping" "hating" and the overall behavior of "guidos." Surely this is a new low for MTV...at the expense of the image of our area.

Now, Riverguy is not into "political correctness" -- but use of the term "guidos" is in poor taste, at the very least. Some Italian-American groups have already been complaining about it, with sufficient cause. Couldn't MTV have just called them "dudes" "peeps" or some other more generic term?

Part of the irony, of course, is that the main "characters" in this show are not from the Jersey Shore at all....they're bennies (or shoobees...how's that for our own name-calling?) from NY or North Jersey. Of course, people from other parts of the country won't realize this...the shore's image is going to suffer yet again.

Perhaps the silver lining is that, in this screwed-up society, there is no such thing as bad publicity...the show might actually increase next summer's influx of bennies...er...tourists....and the dollars they bring with them.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Tea-Baggers Coming to Toms River

Ready or not, national issues will take center stage very soon in Toms River. The "Tea Party Express" will stage a rally at Rally on September 11th (6pm), at Town Hall (courtyard), 33 Washington Street. Here is a statement from the rally flyer: "From August 28th to September 12th, the Tea Party Express bus tour will cross the country hosting tea party rallies across America. We’re speaking out against the out-of-control tax-and-spend policies of Congress."

Riverguy isn't smart enough to know if these people are on to something, but maybe we can all agree that it is healthy to see people speaking out to voice their opinions. Let's hope that things remain civil and all viewpoints can be heard.

One thing for sure: it isn't going to be dull. These folks are determined to be noticed, and I wouldn't be surprised to see national media covering the event - especially since the Toms River stop falls on September 11th. The added significance of the 9-11 anniversary will be sure to stir extra passions. It's going to be interesting to see how the rally transpires...

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Aurora Coast Productions Thrives in Bad Economy

As a follow up to my last blog entry "Bad Economy Hits Home" I thought I would write about some positive news on the economic front. We have all heard before that in time of adversity, invention is born. Well, I thought that I would talk about a local company that is actually thriving in this economic times by reinventing itself into a leaner and more value added group.

I spoke with Adam Krell of Aurora Coast Productions. They specialize in 35mm and HD video productions. Catering to TV Commercial, Corporate Video and feature film markets, all of which I assumed would be dead or severally cutting back during these times. The fact is that many have cut back, however with careful overhead control and value added service, Aurora Coast has made it a science in ferreting out the clients, their needs and working within budgets. Their business is booming reports Adam. "Profits per project are not as high as they used to be, but we chose not to compromise our creativity and still provide that "Hollywood" look that are clients really like.

I have watched these guys grow through the years and must admit that I too am a bit impressed. "One of the biggest problems facing many companies is overhead. There are many places that money robbing expenses hide" adds Adam. We went through all of the items line by line, from power and telecommunications to software and cameras. The only thing we refused to do was fire people." He added. "The result was a leaner more streamlined company that was able to be more effective in creating the content that our clients wanted. In other words, we took the economic situation out there as lemons and made lemonade from it." Adam concluded.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Bad Economy Hits Home

Well, here in Toms River we usually are somewhat insulated from some worst things going on in society, but the bad economic "big picture" has shown up on our doorstep. Many small businesspeople in the area are really hurting...these are our friends and neighbors, and Riverguy is going to try to buy as much as he can locally from our area merchants...rather than online or from a large company.

I would also say to local businesses....give us a helping hand, if possible, by providing discounts or lower prices where you can. For example, it is amazing how many restaurants around here still have the same prices on entrees (or higher) that they did a couple of years ago during the "boom" time. It is still hard for two people to go to a good sit-down dinner and come away with a bill and tip of under $50. Please provide a few more less expensive entrees for those of us who want to come to your place for dinner, but have a limited budget in these tough times.

Also, it seems to me that as things worsen, the crime rate is going up. We're likely to see more robberies, scams, and muggings. The "good" people are going to have to learn to watch out for each other. Check up on older neighbors...they are especially vulnerable. Let's help each other get through this trying time!!