Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Storm Update

On Friday, we posted that we were holding shipments until Monday, for the reason that Hurricane Irene was projected to come through our area.  Friday shipments + weather events = at least one lost shipment, in our experience.

What we forgot to anticipate was that we would have no power on Monday!  Without power, we were not able to process anything, including shipments.

The power was restored Tuesday afternoon, and we have begun the process of getting caught up.  Thank you for your patience!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Irene Has Us Holding










It remains to be seen how bad hurricane Irene will be in our area.  Weather forecasters are predicting potential doom and gloom for this weekend as the storm approaches.

What we’re predicting is slightly longer delivery times.

Today, Friday, we have placed all outgoing shipments on hold. We have learned, through too many years of experience, that the combination of a Friday shipping date and a big weather event over the weekend is a recipe for at least one lost shipment. So today’s shipments will depart here on Monday, instead.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Whole Lotta Shakin'

The earthquake centered in Virginia on August 23 rattled folks from Altanta to Boston. Here at the Badge Company of New Jersey, it rattled us just about as much as we care to be rattled by such things.

Having never previously experienced an earthquake, it took us a few seconds to realize what was going on. We had a few "what the ?" moments before grasping the situation.

Having never previously experience an earthquake, we were unprepared for how it turned the walls and floors into Jell-O. We would have guessed that the whole room might shake in a manner similar to when a heavy truck goes by, but no, the whole room wobbled in a disconnected and disorienting way.

The fact that our offices are on the second floor may have slightly intensified the effect; we can only imagine what it may have been like in taller buildings.

Reportedly, it was a relatively shallow earthquake, contributing to its effect being felt over so large an area.

It was also reported to be the largest east coast earthquake in 67 years, making it truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people in this part of the country. Once the shaking stopped, a friend quickly posted the message, "Time to cross ‘earthquake’ off the bucket list."

Monday, August 15, 2011

There is No End...

... to the supply of stories about dumb criminals. From today’s news:

A 35-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after he fell asleep during a burglary at a shuttered restaurant and his snoring led police to his hiding spot, police said.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

What's a Devin?


In this case, a Devin is something found at the 2011 "National Night Out" event conducted by the Hunterdon County Sheriff’s Office not far from the Badge Company of New Jersey’s offices.

It is an exceptionally uncommon American-built sports car from 1958, and this example, owned by a gentleman from a nearby town, is immaculate. A Corvette engine provides plenty of power for this fiberglass-bodied gem.

It is called a Devin for the same reason that a Honda is called a Honda. It’s the name of man who founded the company. Bill Devin built a series of Devin sports cars in California in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Hunterdon County Sheriff’s Office included a "cruise night" car show as part of it’s "National Night Out" event, which is why the Devin was there. But there were also such things as a dunk tank ("Dunk a Detective!" was the draw), a high striker, food stands, commercial vendors, fund-raisers, prize drawings, and more.

Happily, we saw plenty of families attending – just as was intended.

"National Night Out" is a distinctive crime and drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), and involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities throughout North American and on military bases worldwide.

National Night Out is designed to increase crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs, and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships. There is no set agenda; cities, towns and neighborhoods observe National Night Out with a variety of events and activities. While some places had block parties, others had parades, contests, or flashlight walks.

In our neighborhood, it included a chance to see this rare car.