Author: Tony Novak
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First week at new winter office
Today I took a long walk down 2nd Street in Millville, New Jersey. I expect to be working in town all winter before returning to my bayshore office at Money Island in the spring. I took the two mile walk after a nonprofit accounting engagement that is not going well triggered an upset in my…
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The most important economic trend for small businesses
I now count 42 years of my life as a small business operator. The first one was a sweet corn farming operated conducted separately from my family and neighbors at age 17. Since then, I’ve had quite a range of small business experiences from an internet based technology company to soft shell crabs. That range…
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“Lack of oversight”
“Lack of oversight by Florida International University, the Florida Department of Transportation, contractors and engineers is to blame for the deadly collapse of a pedestrian bridge on the school campus in 2018 , federal investigators said Tuesday.” – UPI 10/22/2019 The tragic story of the 2018 Florida bridge collapse in the news again today results…
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Our “undocumented” neighbors
A few of our local people are “undocumented” but not in the common usage of the word. They have apparently chosen and managed to live with little government interaction. The most memorable example of this was a peaceful old man who lived just a few doors away on a branch of Nantuxent Creek. He had…
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#WorldMentalHealthDay and environmental justice in New Jersey
Today is noted in news broadcasts as World Mental Health Day. In this past week I’ve had more discussions about mental health than is typical. The book “The Drowning of Money Island” released October 1 talks about the nervous breakdown of the former business owner who is still one of my closest neighbors. I did…
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Lessons from “The Drowning of Money Island”
I read Andrew Lewis’ book “The Drowning of Money Island” today. I am reminded that we can learn in at least three different ways from a documentary book like this. I did; and I’ll likely have many The learning aspects are amplified, of course, since I’m reading partly about my own story. First, I benefited…
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Whistleblower risks are real
Whistleblower risks are real! I know first hand the real dangers of being a government whistle blower. It happened right here in Cumberland County New Jersey in 2006. As I laid badly injured on my lawn at the side of the road we heard the attacker yelling “What did you think would happen for fucking…
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Eminent domain at the bayshore
“Little else raises fear in property owners like eminent domain powers of government”. I remember back years ago when we didn’t worry that our children might be murdered in a mass killing by crazy guy with a military style machine gun in their school. Back then we didn’t worry that people from another country were…
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A celebration of bravery
Today is a mile mark, maybe even a celebration, of personal bravery. Earlier this year after suffering a dismal series of government attacks, I decided to take my family’s advice and get out of New Jersey permanently. I won’t enumerate the litany and range of problems again now; it’s depressing enough just to have them…
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Evolution of the local oyster industry
More than a century ago there were over 300 oyster boats operating on the Delaware Bay employing approximately 1,500 people. The oyster industry led our maritime trades that were one of the four primary industries in our country forming the backbone of employment, tax revenue and overall economic stability. The oyster industry was eventually depleted…