Police are searching in New Jersey and Pennsylvania garbage dumps for the body of a baby boy delivered at Jersey City’s Christ Hospital which was apparently thrown out with the trash, authorities said today.

Hospital officials say the baby was stillborn when delivered by a Jersey City woman, Kalynn Moore, 26, on Dec. 21 and was brought to the hospital morgue. The family disputes the claim, saying that the baby was alive when delivered and declared dead 20 minutes later.

When a funeral home representative went to the morgue to pick up the body on Jan. 2, the baby could not be found.

That’s when police became involved and the investigation determined that the baby’s body was likely discarded in trash and the trash was already gone. Jersey City Police and law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania are searching for the body in garbage dumps. Dogs from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office are assisting.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, and we hope to bring this unfortunate situation to a resolution as soon as possible,” said a hospital spokeswoman in a statement.

From “Baby’s body tossed with the trash at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, authorities say” by Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal, published January 05, 2009 at Hudson Now.

She suddenly remembers that the lid is too tight for her to open and the bag in the trashcan is too heavy for her to take down the stairs. The thought of the slip that landed her in the ICU is still fresh in her mind. “My mind is still sharp,” she said to her family all week, as if trying to convince herself. Dorris tries her best to create as little waste as possible. Not because she is some New-Age Eco Environmental Nut. But simply because she doesn’t have the strength to carry it. She looks out her window and hears the voices, the footsteps and the life of her family. Even though they left yesterday.

New York City’s annual Christmas tree curbside collection and recycling program begins Jan. 5. The city Sanitation Department says the program will be in effect through Jan. 16.

Trees must be free of tinsel and lights and should NOT be placed in plastic bags. The trees will be chipped and turned into compost. The Parks Department will spread the mulch around the city’s parks, ball fields and community gardens.

From WABC-TV New York

One million revelers packed into Times Square plus a ton of confetti and countless noisemakers equals a whole lot of garbage — about 40 tons, according to the city Department of Sanitation.

Cleanup crews hit the streets shortly after midnight Thursday following the 2009 ball drop. Sanitation spokesman Keith Mellis said 163 people worked until 8 a.m. to sweep up the party trash, and a new shift started at 11 a.m. to tidy the area.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was out early Thursday praising the department’s work and expressing optimism about 2009 despite the economic gloom of 2008.

“There were an awful lot of good things that took place in 2008,” he said. “Fewer people went to bed hungry, fewer people slept without a roof over their head, democracy continues to work in this country.”

From “Times Square bash left about 40 tons of trash” published by The Associated Press, January 1, 2009.

Remember that promise you made New Year’s Eve?

Chances are you won’t a few months from now. New Year’s resolutions - to lose weight, to spend less, to stop smoking - seldom make it through the entire new year, experts say.

Six months after Jan. 1, only 46 percent of those who make New Year’s resolutions have fulfilled them, says John C. Norcross, a professor of psychology at the University of Scranton who has conducted at least three studies on resolutions in recent years.

“What happens is their resolve becomes a dissolve,” says Teddy Tarr, a psychologist with Baptist Health Systems.

If you believe making long-term promises is just too much, you’re in the majority. Only about 40 percent of adults still bother making resolutions, Norcross found.

The long haul proves the most difficult. In Norcross’ studies, 71 percent of participants kept their resolutions for two weeks, 64 percent for a month and 50 percent for three months.

From “Will you keep New Year’s resolutions? Most people don’t” by Shari Rudavsky for Knight Ridder Newspapers.

In January 2008, the NYC Department of Sanitation collected over 160,000 discarded Christmas trees.

From The City of New York

“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.”

- John Lennon

1,253 hours of Netflix, 1,589 hours of Law & Order, 968 hours of Internet surfing, 122 hours of reading.

The stockings may be hung and the tree decorated, but not everyone is ready to sit back and enjoy the eggnog. Some of us still need to hit the malls and buy presents. But shopping procrastinators are in luck this year—retailers are offering mega-discounts and sales to those who still have money to spend.

For the best deals, check out these retailers:

• J. Crew is offering 20 percent off through December 24, but it applies to in-store purchases only. That means the stores will be crowded, but you can snag some great deals on J. Crew’s colorful winter collection.
• If you like Lacoste’s pastel colors, then you can take advantage of the mark downs on select Polo shirts for men and women. While the classic colors like yellow and blue carry their original $79.50 price tag, Wisteria purple, Storm Cloud blue, and others are on sale for $58.99.
• The Gap is offering up to 40 percent off, while its sister stores Old Navy and Banana Republic are holding their own sales of up to a whopping 60 percent off.
• At Target, shoppers can get visit stores to get up to 30 percent discounts—just make sure you check Target’s weekly ad in advance.
• Wal-Mart has put together its list of last-minute gift suggestions with some incredible discounts, including a Garmin GPS device with an mp3 player for $246, marked down from $498.

From “5 Tips for Grabbing Last Minute Holiday Shopping Deals” by Kimberly Palmer, posted December 23, 2008 at U.S. News & World Report.

The top ways to give more and waste less this Holiday Season:

• Give homemade gifts, such as cookies, handicrafts, framed photos.
• Give entertainment, such as a museum membership, tickets to the movies, the theatre, concerts or to sporting events.
• Give the gift of learning, such as language or music lessons, classes in cooking, photography, or other favorite hobbies.
• Give your time or talent, such as baby-sitting, pet-sitting, computer help or home repairs.
• Give fitness, such as gym memberships, personal training sessions, or classes in dance, yoga or Pilates.
• Give pampering, such as a massage, facial or manicure and pedicure.
• Give Internet service connection to a loved one.
• Give nature, such as flower seeds to plant next spring.
• Give that which you no longer need, such as electronics, furniture, clothes in good condition, etc. to charitable organizations that will distribute them among those in need.
• Wrap your gifts in recycled paper.  Better yet, reuse gift wrap or create your own by using old calendars, comics, etc.

By John J. Doherty, Commissioner of New York City Department of Sanitation