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Month: September 2014

Priciest Home Sold in Bergen County in Alpine

Unsurprisingly, the most expensive home sold thus far this year in Bergen County was in Alpine, NJ.

As one of the wealthiest zip codes in the country, Alpine is a mainstay in the list of the priciest homes sold yearly in Bergen County. Rounding out the rest of the top sales between last year and present day are a few properties in Saddle River and Englewood, as well as more Alpine homes.

The sale this year that rocketed Alpine to the top again was a $7 million dollar home sold in May. Last year’s most expensive sale in Alpine was $13,375,000. Back in 2012, there was a $20,000,000 sale. The obvious dip in sale prices could be an indicator that the current state of the housing market affects even the wealthiest of towns.

There are currently 18 homes for sale in Alpine that are listed for over $5 million, according the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service.

View_south_along_the_Palisades_from_Ruckmans_Point_in_Palisades_Interstate_Park_Alpine_New_Jersey

 

 

Tenafly’s 2nd Annual Community Night

Tenafly will be hosting their 2nd Annual Community Night next Tuesday, September 16th from 5-8PM. The local event, which is Tenafly’s local version of “National Night Out,” proved successful last year and the town is hoping is becomes a regular tradition.

What is it?

The event, coordinated by the Tenafly Recreation and the Police Department, is part of a Community Policing initiative, which raises awareness about public safety and brings residents together. It is held in September as a sort of “welcome back” for families and students as the fall season and school year approaches.

tenafly fire dept

 

 

What is there to do?

Festivities include music provided by professional DJ, local businesses providing demonstrations, giveaways and promotional activities. Community members can also meet local emergency services personnel and get an up close look at equipment used on a daily basis, such as patrol cars, emergency gear, fire trucks, ambulances, etc.

In addition to learning about the equipment, there will also be demonstrations and tutorials on basic first aid, avoiding fires, scams and thefts, as well as other safety information.

Local businesses usually set up tables and interact with the community by giving away items with their logo or business name. Food establishments will be on hand to serve delicious foods and treats.

Join the Fun!

If you live in Tenafly or even a neighboring town, feel free to enjoy the fun evening of delicious food, some rides and various demonstrations from all who take part.

tenafly police dept

 

The event takes place on Riveredge Road in front of the Police and Fire Stations. A rain date is scheduled for September 18th, if necessary.

 

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Takes Off in a Big Way

You’ve probably seen video after video on your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter feeds. Celebrities, athletes, your friends and just about anyone else you can think of are dumping buckets of ice water on their heads and it’s going viral.

Where Did It Get Started?

There’s several different stories floating around the Internet as to where and how this challenge really started, so we can’t say for sure where it began, but somewhere along the line it became the craze it is today. With celebrities of all calibers nominating each other, it’s taken off and raised not only awareness, but millions of dollars as well (at last count, donations had reached over $100 million, averaging about $9 million per day since last week).

The Rules

The rules are simple: Participants are to dump a bucket of ice water on their heads, film it and post on any given social media website with the various hashtags being used to circulate awareness. That person then nominates people (usually 3, but some people nominate more or less) who are then given 24 hours to comply or make a donation in lieu of getting wet (usually $100, but again some people give more or less, as their circumstances allow).

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Naysayers

Like with everything in the world today, of course there are naysayers out there trying to tear down the idea of this spectacle. People who think it’s a waste of water, those who are pessimistic about how much awareness is really being raised by celebrities getting soaked, and those who believe it is in poor taste to take the challenge rather than donating are clearly not seeing all the positive consequences of this viral sensation.

As to the argument that it’s a waste of water, specifically in California, which is experiencing a drought at the moment, many celebs and regular people alike are coming up with different, unique solutions to combat that problem. From using buckets of rainbow colored diet Sierra Mist (that would be screenwriter Max Landis’ brilliant take on it), to skipping their daily shower to conserve water (actress Anna Kendrick took this route), to insisting that they’ve used dirty bath water (so say actors Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart in their challenge video) or using rice as a substitute a la Miley Cyrus, there are plenty of options out there to completing this without being a wasteful person.

For those pessimistic about the awareness being raised or focus actually being on the disease and organization, watch any given number of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos and you’ll notice that those completing the task (especially celebrities) make a point to inform the viewing public not only about ALS in general, but also the charity and how to donate as well.

Those out there who truly believe it’s in poor taste to be doing these challenges because they assume that means all these people aren’t donating, are missing the point entirely. Many even point out in their videos that they’ve already donated or will be donating, but are still doing the challenge. This is a fun way to raise awareness and funds for a worthy cause.

Some Facts about ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

Over 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS, commonly referred to as ‘Lou Gehrig’s Disease’ for the legendary New York Yankees First Basemen who was diagnosed in 1939. It is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the spinal cord and nerve cells eventually leading to the inability of the brain to control muscle movement.

  • It is not contagious
  • Life Expectancy – averages 2-5 years from time of diagnosis, but it is different for everyone and many people are able to live for 5 years or longer after diagnosis (one rare case is physicist Stephen Hawking, who has survived for more than 50 years)
  • There is no specific ethnic, societal, economic, racial or gender boundary, this disease can affect anyone
  • Muscle weakness and stiffness are early symptoms

So while seeing your favorite celebrity get doused with ice water is funny and entertaining, let’s not forget the reason they’re taking the plunge. Visit www.alsa.org for more information and how to get involved.

Manson in night view

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