GreatNJ.com: Rants-N-Raves

Memorial Day - Remember Those That Have Given So Much

2008-05-03T14:14:00.002-04:00

For those living in NJ, I'm sure most of you will agree, that it seems there is never enough time in one day. We're always on the move, running about all the time. Whether it's from one job to another, to baseball or soccer practices, to the grocery store for a "few" things, or whatever else it may be, you can say that most of our cups are "over"filled.

That's why it's very understandable that every now and then we tend to forget somethings along the way.

Coming from a military family, I'd like to remind you that we are celebrating Memorial Day this month. This is a day each of us should remember and reflect upon, and not because of the big sales at the mall.

We need to remember all those that have given so much for this country and those that have given the ultimate sacrifice.

We also need to remember all those young men and women that are still in the Middle East, away from their loves ones.

Keeping with this subject matter, I'd also like to mention that you should keep your eyes open for a new HBO series that should be showing around this time next year. HBO is currently filming a 10-part mini-series called "The Pacific". The series was created by the same team that created "Band of Brothers" and executive producers of this project include Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. It's the stories of three Marines battling in the Pacific during World War II.

What's also very special about this series, is that a member of the GreatNJ.com family, Jon Seda, portrays one of those 3 Marines. Jon takes on the role of Medal of Honor receipient, John 'Manila' Basilone.

John 'Manila' Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal. After his unit of 15 men was cut down to 3, Basilone was able to hold off over 3,000 Japanese troops. Amazing.

Life moves fast, but REFLECT & RESPECT all those that have given so much this Memorial Day.

- Rich

GreatNJ.com Family - Helping NJ's Youth

2008-04-12T10:39:00.006-04:00

Hello all.

This may be a shameless plug for my family members, but it's definitely one that should be shared and noted.

On Friday, April 11, 2008, I could not have been more proud of my brother, Ed Rowbotham, who was awarded and recognized by the Vision Latina Organziation for his hard work and dedication to the community and children of Passaic.

For nearly 1o years, Ed has been the Health and Social Services Coordinator at Passaic High School. His primary role is to link students with any agencies that will help reduce or eliminate any economic, psychological, or social barriers to their graduation. Those from an inner city, like Passaic, truly know how difficult that can be.

Prior to that, Ed helped develop the city’s first mentoring program through the United Passaic Organization. Through his hard work and dedication, the Sink or Swim Program was recognized by county and state officials as a model program that could be replicated throughout the state.

Upon graduating from Passaic High School, Ed went on to earn a Bachelors of Arts and Master of Public Administration Degree from Rutgers University. In addition, he also holds a Substance Awareness Certificate from Kean University and is in the process of completing his Administrative Certification at Montclair State University.

Ed is a dedicated husband, father, son, brother and friend. Always working to better our NJ community and our kids, it was great to see him get the recognition he deserves.

Unfortunately, sometimes there are those that work for smaller organizations that are not in the public's eye, that dedicate countless hours of time and efforts and don't get recognization they deserve as well.

Therefore, I'd like to take some time to personally recognize another family member of mine, my sister, Lori Rowbotham.

Lori help develop a community program called Jr. Steps. For the past 6 plus years, Lori has helped mentor hundreds of NJ's youth. From discussions on real life issues (teen pregnancy, drugs, cultural issues, etc) to exploring new areas and avenues, the goal of Jr. Steps has been to show our youth that there is more than just the inner city style of life and basically that they are people that matter.

So a big kudos to my brother and sister but more importantly to my mom and dad, for instilling us all with good values. Reminding us that is always better to Give than Receive.

Keep up the good fight and keep our community strong.

Thanks for making your brother and the Rowbotham name so proud.

- Rich Rowbotham

Movie to See - Be Kind Rewind

2008-02-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

I just wanted to let you in on a little film coming out this month called "Be Kind Rewind".

Most of the movie was shot in the fall of 2006 in Passaic, NJ. Plus, I'm very happy to say, most of the extras are from Passaic and part of the GreatNJ.com family, so I urge you to please check it out.

Here's the plot as per Wikpedia (http://en.wikipedia.org):

Jerry (Jack Black) is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant that he believes is melting his brain. But when his plan goes awry, the magnetic field that he creates accidentally erases all of the videotapes in a local video store where his best friend Mike (Mos Def) works. Fearing that the mishap will cost Mike his job, the two friends team up to keep the store's only loyal customer, a little old lady with a tenuous grasp on reality (Mia Farrow) from realizing what has happened by recreating and re-filming every movie that she decides to rent. The tapes are described as having come from Sweden as an excuse for higher rental fees and longer wait times. Jerry and Mike become the biggest stars in their neighborhood by starring in some of the biggest movies ever made, but soon get into trouble when it turns out their 20-minute duplicate films violate copyright law.

Go and check it out. You just might see someone you know!

Enjoy

GreatNJ.com's "Great American Express Giveaway" kickoff

2008-02-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

While the bigger search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc, have multi-million dollar advertising budgets, we're on a very much different one here at GreatNJ.

We decided, rather than pay for print ads or online ads, why not take those funds and reward some of our supporters instead.

So, with that said, why not click on our contest icon on and enter your chance to win the GreatNJ.com "Great American Express Giveaway".

We are awarding a $250.00 American Express Gift Card for first prize. A $100.00 American Express Gift Card for second and a $50.00 American Express Gift Card for third. Why not enter and give it a shot.

Also, if you'd like, be sure to sign up for the GreatNJ.com mailing list. Believe me, we are very anti-spam and won't send you junk emails. We usually only send mailers out when updates have been made to the GreatNJ.com website or for big announcements.

Also, why not sign up for our ClickOutCancer.com mailing list as well. We have set that website up with our friends at More Than Friends (http://www.mtfcares.com/). All we ask is you visit the site daily and click on the "Click Out Cancer" button. All monies generated are donated to charity at the end of the year.

Last year, we raised $730 for the American Cancer Society and $730 for More Than Friends organization. Our goal is to $2500. Please stop by.

Take care and best of luck to all!

PoliticiansNJ.com Officially Launched

2008-01-26T12:29:00.000-05:00

Rowbotham & Associates officially launched the newest website in its GreatNJ.com Network, PoliticiansNJ.com.

PoliticiansNJ.com is a simple directory of all State & Federal political representatives for New Jersey. It contains their names, political party affiliations, the area(s) they represent and a link to their respective websites which contain their contact information. An events page, polls page, and link to register to vote is also provided on the website.

"I think it's necessary to have a nice simple listing of all of NJ's political representatives in one place. The idea came to me when I was helping my nephew with his school report. We were up all night trying to find the information he needed. We were jumping website to website and many of those websites contained outdated information.", said Rich Rowbotham, President of Rowbotham & Associates and founder of PoliticiansNJ.com, "I knew if I was having problems finding this kind of information, I'm sure there are a lot of others having the same difficulty. So, I decided to put PoliticiansNJ.com together in hopes of making it faster and easier for others to find what their searching for. Plus, there is contact information on all of their respective websites, just in case you want or need to contact your representative directly."

This is a HUGE election year my fellow New Jerseyans. I would definitely recommend you visit PoliticiansNJ.com and see who your representatives are and let them know how you feel.

Take care and remember to vote!

- Tony

GIANT Hearts prepare for the "Snow Bowl"

2008-01-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

The buzz is in the air, as we all prepare to watch "BIG BLUE" (from NJ, I may add) take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb 3rd, in Super Bowl XLII. The trash talking has already begun. The food & wings preparations are being taken care of. Those that love to watch the new Super Bowl commercials or are in any office pools, wait in anticipation. This is going to be a great one!

However, I'd like to let you all know about an upcoming event, even more important than the Super Bowl.

On Feb 9 & 10th, there will be a flag football tournament held in Giant Stadium, in East Rutherford, NJ. Registration is open for the "New York Football Giants Snow Bowl Flag Football Tournament" to benefit Special Olympics New Jersey.

The six-on-six, light blocking format, guarantees three games played on the legendary field of Giants Stadium.

Competitive Division games will be held on Feb 9th, while the Recreational Dvision games are set for Feb 10th.

Here's a chance of a life-time to live out a childhood dream and play in Giants Stadium. A $100 deposit is required to participate in the event.

For more information and to learn how to register, please contact Diane Paraskevas at dp@sonj.org or visit the website at http://www.sonj.org

Best of luck to you and GO BIG BLUE!

Happy New Year To All

2008-01-01T13:30:00.001-05:00

Myself and the staff at GreatNJ.com would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2008!

We had a great year last year and will continue adding more features to the site in 2008, please visit us often and as always, if you have some ideas you'd like to share, we'd love to hear them.

All the best
- The GreatNJ.com Staff

Real Heroes from New Jersey

2007-12-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

Many young boys dream of being the next Barry Bonds, LeBron James or Tom Brady; while many young girls dream of being the next J-Lo, Tyra Banks or Jessica Simpson. While those dreams are fine, I want the younger children of NJ to know that we have TRUE HEROES right here in NJ too.

On Saturday, Dec. 8th, it was an honor for me to meet Doctors Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins, otherwise known as "The Three Doctors" of the Three Doctors Foundation. The doctors' organization was holding their annual Spirit of Giving Holiday Basketball Event this year at Passaic High School in Passaic, NJ. There was no admission charge and all those in attendence were asked to kindly bring unopened toys to help less-fortunate families around the holidays. The event also helped to feed over 60 local families, while providing them with gifts for the holidays. It was a truly amazing sight to see. Their organization is top class, through and through.

For those unfamiliar with their story, while these doctors were teenage boys living on the tough streets of Newark, NJ, they made a pact with each other:

- They would stick together

- Go to college

- Become doctors

Everyone knows how tough the pressures and struggles of life in the inner city can be. As Dr. Jenkins addressed all those in attendence, "We were as low as you could possibly get. The gutter. If we could make it, then anyone can make it." Through it all, the three men stood firm in their mission and together became one of the most remarkable success stories of inspiration, dedication and determination. This is a great story in itself.

However, it doesn't end there. After the success of their first book, The Pact, a telling of their story, the doctors took it to another level. Gaining much popularity after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show and other major network shows, the three doctors formed their foundation and have become some of the most sought after public speakers today.

With an amazing ability to reach children and inspire them. Showing today's youth that no matter how bad things appear, you can do anything you want to do, as long as you put your mind to it. Whether its being from a broken home, drugs, gang violence, no matter what, you can overcome anything, if you want it bad enough.

To quote a passage from their website. "Never underestimate the power of self-reliance and inner strength-attach a timeline and devise a strategy for achieving your goals-and finally-Surround yourself with like-minded people who are in line with your aspirations."

Not only have these men, beaten amazing odds, they have stayed together and give back so much to their community and other surrounding NJ communities. Whether to provide a positive influence to some of NJ's very tough neighborhoods or simply be an inspiration for our next generation.

You might say, can they really inspire people? It was fantastic to see a young man, a senior from Westwood, who is the class valedictorian, awarded for all the community work he has done because of how inspired he was after reading the doctors' book. Then it was a pair of cousins, just starting high school, getting awarded for going out to their community and creating a food drive to help the less fortunate members of their community.

These men are the REAL HEROES and the inspiration in our NJ community. The real role models our next generation should be looking up to. They show us all that anything is possible.

I kindly ask you to check out their foundation's website at: http://www.threedoctorsfoundation.org/

I also highly recommend that you pick up a copy of, "The Pact" and "The Bond", their latest book, at any major book retailer.

Take care all and God Bless.

GreatNJ.com - Launches New Look

2007-11-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

As you may have already noticed, GreatNJ.com has a brand new look.

GreatNJ.com, New Jersey's #1 Search Directory, is proud to have partnered with some of the internet industry leaders, including CareerBuilder.com, Yahoo and Google.

GreatNJ.com now features their partners services as well as other services provided by GreatNJ.com Network properties. Featured links to ForYa.com, a great place to save money while shopping online, and ClickOutCancer.com, a site dedicated to helping raise awareness and funds for cancer research, are also provided.

YooYak.com also provides a listing of upcoming NJ Events.

GreatNJ.com is also currently working on a deal to bring a "yellow pages"-type directory to the website in the very near future. We'll keep you posted on that.

Enjoy the new look at GreatNJ.com and as always, if you have any questions or suggestions, we're always looking for ways to better the site for you and all of our users.

All the best-

Tony

Wake Up New Jersey

2007-11-16T23:46:00.000-05:00

Are you tired of rising property taxes in NJ? Hate it that our insurance rates are the highest in the country? Can't stand the fact that food prices and gas prices are soaring through the roof?

What about our lawmakers and politicians? Do you hate the fact that a lot of politicians we trusted are robbing our cities and state blind?

I hope everyone reading this is extremely enraged as much as I am, because it's a disgrace what's happening to our great state. No matter how you look at it, these local and state politicians effect our lives, our well being, and our future as well as shaping our children's future.

What saddens me the most is that many NJ residents are letting it happen.

You might be asking yourself, "What are you talking about Tony? Letting it happen? Who is letting these awful things happen to us?"

The answer comes down to the following question. Did you vote on Nov. 6, 2007?

If you said NO, then YOU ARE THE ONE LETTING IT HAPPEN. By no means whatsoever is this a democrat or republican thing. This is simply a NJ thing. I honestly don't care who you voted for or what stance you took on any of the ballot questions, as long as you voted.

To be quite frank, if you didn't vote, your opinion really doesn't matter. It's very easy to be an arm-chair politician and say how easy it is to do this and that, but unless you take part in the voting process and try to make a difference, you're letting others serve you with who they want, like it or not. That's pathetic.

Here's a very disturbing fact I'd like to share. On Nov 6, 2007, less than 30% of the 4.8 million registered voters in NJ voted. That means approximately 1.4 million NJ residents voted while 3.4 million did not.

What is happening to our great state. Our great country?

You're letting people dictate who your leaders are going to be. Sure, it's very easy to complain and moan because "they're all liars and crooks". Sadly there are some in office with selfish motives. However, by not voting, YOU ARE LETTING THEM WIN AND GAIN THE POWER.

I've heard this one a few times, "I just didn't have time." Well excuse me that you are just so important that you don't have 10-15 minutes to vote. I wonder if you'll have the time when the person the "others" voted in decides to raise your property tax 10%.

Believe me, just about anyone living in NJ has a busy schedule. Are you really that lazy?

For those that voted, I thank you. For those that did not, I hope some of you are angry right now, you should be. You might even be saying "F' You, Tony".

Go right ahead, be angry, be very angry. However, the truth is the truth. There is no denying it. Everything I've stated is the truth.

It's very easy to find an excuse for anything you do. All I'm trying to say is, don't cry when things don't work out the way you'd like them to. Not when you're letting it happen.

In the end, who's the real loser when so many NJ residents don't vote.

You, me, your family, your kids and everyone else in the state.

2008 is just around the corner, time to wake up NJ!

Great turnout at More Than Friends' 7th Annual Dinner Dance

2007-11-12T14:17:00.000-05:00

If you didn't make it to the More Than Friend's 7th Annual Dinner Dance on Saturday night in Garfield, NJ, you certainly missed a fantastic time.

Each year, the organization holds it's "Celebration For Life Dinner Dance", raising money and awareness for cancer patients and survivors, mostly in the Northern New Jersey area.

This year there were over 400 supporters in attendance.

GreatNJ.com is extremely proud to be associated with such a great organization like More Than Friends. Together GreatNJ.com founder Rich Rowbotham and the More Than Friends organization created the website ClickOutCancer.com. Each year, all monies generated by the site gets divided equally between More Than Friends and another cancer charity of their choice at year's end. This 1st year's charity is the American Cancer Society.

Since 1995, More Than Friends' goal has been to strengthen family life and structure through lectures, seminars, workshops and travel that promote; Health Awareness, Quality Education, Community Initiative, & Economic Empowerment.

More Than Friends is highly involved with the Susan G. Komen organization, the Relay for Life organization, NJ Cancer Coalition organization, Cancer Transport Volunteers and so much more.

For more information about this wonderful organization, please visit them at www.MTFcares.com