Buying and Selling Real Estate in North Jersey

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

5 Amazing Moments From the London Olympics

Slideshows and Photos Across the Internet Are Commemorating the Event

Nielsen Ratings reported that nearly 220 million Americans tuned in to the Olympics — making it the most watched event in US TV history.

The photo that gold medal winner Jordan Burroughs tweeted on Saturday is being talked about as the image that is worth more than a thousand words — a picture of him and Sadegh Goudarzi, the Iranian wrestler Burroughs beat to take the gold, hugging each other.

Then there’s Michael Phelps, who has won a mind-boggling and record-setting 22 medals — 18 of which are gold. In fact, if he were a country, he would land in the top 60 countries with the most medals, while on the list of most gold medals he would be at #36!

Photo from “With One Last Gold, Phelps Caps Career That Inspired a Generation” The New York Times

London prides itself on its pomp and circumstance — and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics were no exception, as can be seen by the extraordinary fireworks display during the finale.

Photo from “Top Photos” on London2012.com

It’s been called “Morgan’s Miracle” — after the US womens soccer player Abby Wambach took the game against Canada into overtime, Alex Morgan scored the winning goal with just 30 seconds to spare. Three days later, the team defeated Japan and took the gold.

Photo from “Fresh Faces: U.S. Soccer Star Alex Morgan” on NBCOlympics.com

And of course, this year’s Olympics was also about watching the watchers — the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge most particularly.

Photo from “Where Are The Royals Today?” On NBCOlympics.com

For more fantastic images and stories, check out these sites:

London 2012 Pictures of the Day on The New York Times
Stunning Images From London Olympics Finale on Huffington Post
Olympic Slideshows on NBCOlympics.com
Photos and Galleries on London2012.com
London 2012 on Olympic.org

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Thought You'd be Interested

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

5 Books Everyone Is Reading This Summer

If You Haven’t Heard of “Gone Girl” Yet, You Will

1. “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn

Possibly the hottest book of the summer, “Gone Girl” tells the tale of a missing wife in a disintegrating marriage. The Wall Street Journal called the book “compulsively readable” and Reese Witherspoon has already snapped up the rights to produce and star in the film version.

2. “Most Talkative: Stories from the front lines of pop culture” by Andy Cohen

Even for those who aren’t “Real Housewives” fans, this book from the franchise’s creator (and Bravo’s executive vice-president of development and talent) Andy Cohen is sure to offer a few chuckles. A meandering through the path Cohen has been on since his early days watching “Charlie’s Angels” and “All My Children,” “Most Talkative” is chock full of celebrity anecdotes, pop culture mishaps and even an underlying thread of what it takes to make it in showbiz.

3. “11/22/63: A Novel” by Stephen King

If you’re looking forward to the movie “Looper,” this book should be right up your alley. “One of the best time-travel stories since H. G. Wells” (The New York Times), Stephen King’s “11/22/63: A Novel” should also keep you busy for a while — it’s nearly 900 pages long.

4. “Dead End in Norvelt” by Jack Gantos

Set in the 1960s, “Dead End in Norvelt,” a young adult novel, won this year’s Newbery Medal for children’s literature. The American Library Assn., which awards the prize, called the book “an achingly funny romp through a dingy New Deal town.”

5. “The Uninvited Guests” by Sadie Jones

What happens when an upper class British family gathered for a birthday celebration must open its doors to the straggling third-class survivors of a nearby train wreck? When the story is set in 1912 and is told by the masterful Sadie Jones, the answer is “hang on to your hat” because who knows what’s going to happen next? “The Uninvited Guests” is the story of “an elegant dinner party that turns into a phantasmagorical mashup evoking Noel Coward, Agatha Christie, The Twilight Zone, Downton Abbey and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.” (NPR)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

No Gold Medals For Social Skills

The Olympic spirit may be easier to uphold on the track than online. This week the second athlete was thrown out of the Olympics and sent home after posting disparaging remarks about other competitors to their Twitter account.

Last Wednesday, Greek triple jumper Paraskevi Papachristou was kicked off the team for tweeting negatively about African immigrants in Greece. Shortly after the announcement, the athlete posted an apology to her Facebook page, saying, “I would like to express my heartfelt apologies for the unfortunate and tasteless joke I published on my personal Twitter account. I am very sorry and ashamed for the negative responses I triggered, since I never wanted to offend anyone, or to encroach human rights.” (via The New York Times)

Barely a week later, Michel Morganella, a Swiss soccer player was tossed off his team after tweeting insults about South Koreans the Swiss soccer team lost to South Korea 2-1 on Sunday. Morganella apologized shortly afterwards, as did the head of the Swiss Olympic delegation, who said the remarks “contradict the Olympic charter.”

The immediacy and accessibility of social media can be an instant emotional outlet for joy “We won!”, sadness “I can’t believe MJ is gone”, love “I love Mrs. A” and more — but it’s very immediacy and instant publication can transform one hot-headed, human reaction into an international insult. We have all had those moments of cursing and spewing and venting our frustration when things don’t go our way — until recently, those moments happened in our heads or under our breath. Social media is a powerful knife that can cut both ways — everyone, but especially public figures, might be well advised to count to 10, or maybe 100, before clicking “post.”

Thursday, July 26, 2012

5 Infographics To Help You Eat Healthy