Friday, September 30, 2011

Tigers in Five

That got your attention didn't it? In easily the sexiest first round MLB playoff series Johnny's going with Verlander, Valverde and Cabrera to knock off the Bronx Bombers in five games. The Tigers defense will most likely cost them a game but in thinking back a few years ago when the Yanks played Detroit, with the supposed "best Yankee team ever" New York fizzled against the Tigers pitching. We see that happening again.

Other series:

Texas over Tampa Bay in four
Phillies over the Cardinals in three because it can't be two
Milwaukee over Arizona in four

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Late night open thread

We get letters all the time asking Johnny, how fast can you go on motorized home furniture?

Well, pretty fast...


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Close the Holland & Lincoln Tunnels and shut the bridges, the New York drivers are coming

David Sedaris, in his brilliant work '6 to 8 Black Men', a look at fading colloquialisms that differentiate us in these increasingly homogeneous times used the fact that the blind are legally allowed to hunt in Texas and Michigan as example. In Michigan, unlike Texas, the blind hunter needs NO sighted guide. "Are the Michigan blind allowed to drive as well?" He asks.

Man that was funny and spot on. Johnny laughed, the audience sure laughed and now today we find New York will no longer require an eye test to renew your drivers license. You just need to assure them you're good to go. That's all. Ha Ha Ha that's so not funny.

We kid our neighbors across the river, we do. But seriously you guys, no. Mmmmmmkay? Reinstate that sight part. We drive next to you a lot, we walk the same streets. Make people look in the DMV Viewmaster and click the wheel a few times. They might even see a cool 3D dinosaur.

Our friends in Hoboken seem to have the drunken brawl perfected

And St. Patrick's Day is months off. Two, count 'em two large sized alcohol fueled brawls have taken place over the last week. One on Saturday had about 125 people rubbernecking or engaging in fisticuffs while another, yesterday involving what Hoboken police said was a 50 person brawl took a while to get under control.

The Michigan state motto is "If you seek a pleasant peninsula look about you." Soon we'll have to change Hoboken's city motto to "If you're looking for a large barfight, you've come to the right place."

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Late night open thread

If today is your birthday you share it with Confucius who was born this day in 551 BC.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Johnny hates like hell to give away free company plugs but here's one...

Audi has conceptualized a series of ads that are part advertisement part movie (Think back to the BMW ad "Star" with Madonna directed by then hubby Guy Ritchie) and part webseries. Some of it was filmed right here in Jersey City, hence the name 'Untitled Jersey City Project'. We'll put up the first video, one showing the new Audi A6 and you can find the rest of the series by following the link at the beginning.

We enjoy the first segment where driver man is speeding through the Powerhouse Arts District at what looks like Provost and 1st Street. You try that speed in that neighborhood and tell us how it all works out for you. Also note the Holland Tunnel, traffic free! We're going to need to know when that scene was shot because that would obviously be the right time for a daily commute.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Late night open thread

When I woke up this morning my girlfriend asked me, "Did you sleep good?" I said "No, I made a few mistakes."
--Steven Wright

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

So Yankees fans, who would you like in the first round?

With Boston on the verge of yet another historic collapse, whom would you like to see the Yankees play in round one? The Rangers? The Motor City Kitties? A wildcard? Do tell...

Monday, September 26, 2011

Late night open thread

Policeman: "A hermit eh? Then why's your table set for four?"

Groucho: "That's nothing. My alarm clock is set for eight."
--A Night at the Opera

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Channeling Blondie this morning -- The vehicle stickers for city vehicles are coming, one way or another

And Mayor Healy, either Steve Fulop or Ray Velazquez's plans are gonna get ya get ya get ya get ya...

After City councilman Steve Fulop's plan to sticker city vehicles was wrongly vetoed by Mayor "I like it that taxpayer funded vehicles have no limits and no markings" Healy, at-large councilman Ray Velazquez has chimed in with yet another plan, this one that drew approval from the Jersey City attorneys. The city attorneys claim there IS a difference between the two very similar plans. Yes, and we here at the Jersey City Desk are just as sure this has nothing to do with saving face (rolling eyes).

Councilman Fulop is certainly right that Velazquez could simply vote to override the Mayor's veto and put this all to rest. We are encouraged that in the face of a November special election Velazquez is willing to do the second right thing with his plan.

Point of order Mr.Velazquez, if you're trying to show that you're not completely in Mayor Healy's pocket, overriding the veto is the way to go on this. Help Councilman Fulop lead from the front on this taxpayer issue, not the rear.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Late night open thread

Hey, Rex, next time you're down two scores in the last minutes and you have 4th down on their 2, kick the damned field goal then try an onside kick. That's a nickel's worth of free advice.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Johnny has returned and amazingly so have the interns

Yes Jersey City Desk fans Johnny has filled up the old anecdote bag with some great stories about his tour of Michigan and he's safely back in Jersey City.

From the salmon fishing streams of western Michigan to Lake Michigan itself to a Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena it was a gas but now it's time to get back to the business at hand.


Monday, September 12, 2011

Late night open thread

If for no other reason than it's back up on YouTube savor this magnificent clip of Joe Strummer performing White Man In Hammersmith Palais at Shepherds Bush. One month later he'd be gone. Joe here at one with his audience really belting this one out.


If anything were to happen to Johnny it's the kind of video he'd like to go out on.

Or if a long overdue vacation finally arrived.

Yes Jersey City Desk fans it's time for Johnny to go hobnob with other wizards in the upper midwest for a while. Something good and right about crisp autumnal nights in the sticks. Sorry Jersey City, we're turning the interns loose on you but we gave them bus fare at least as far as Hoboken. Johnny will be back the weekend of the 24th. Heads up Pennsylvania, and stay the hell out of the left lane.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

A website devoted to hiring hitmen snares Jersey City doofus

So, you want somebody rubbed out. Lotsa ways to do it, all you really need is to be creative. Expert planning is required to keep police and investigators off of your tail until the day you die. Meticulous planning and preparation should get it done.

OR you could just go to hitmanforhire.com. Yes, that's a real URL, or at least it was when Jersey City's Marissa Mark went there to find someone to whack her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend. Marks hired Essam Eid, of the greater Las Vegas area. When Eid went to the proposed victim's home he told her he wouldn't be killing her, she looked too much like like his daughter. The gentleman in Eid said that the proposed victim could buy back the $37,000 contract or Eid would kill the boyfriend. Well it was only a call to police later that Marks was busted and Eid was a fugitive. He was caught in England while Marks was arrested and will be sentenced up to 56 years in the clink at her sentencing October 6th.

Some people are just lazy we suppose. Or don't watch enough Investigation Discovery on the teevee which has become quite a roadmap for getting away with crime. Either way jealousy claims yet another remedial criminal.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Late night open thread

Thus far the football in New Jersey/York has been disappointing.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Hopefully, this 10th anniversary of 9/11 allows us the most closure

We'll never forget. How could you? It's the seminal moment for a nation for the next hundred years. Someone may attack us in some disgraceful cowardly way again but mentally it won't be the same.

For ten years we've held the victorious dead close to our national bosom. We've wanted to let them know in some way we were all still there for them. A documentary on one of the channels took on the awful topic of the WTC jumpers that day. A woman being interviewed said that no matter how horrid the sight, how distressing the situation she said she and others couldn't look away. The interviewer asked her why. She said despite being heartsick looking on they felt they couldn't turn their backs on their plight. As long as the jumpers were suffering the bystanders were there for them, never turning their backs, never running but showing support. That's what we have done as a nation and world community for a decade. Ten years on now it is time to take our look at this day in a forward reaching manner. A day of service as President Obama has unofficially made the day's calling is perfect. Widowers and widows of that day have remarried and started new American families. The stunningly beautiful monuments are built or are close to being finished. We have to now take that difficult step towards turning mourning to positive actions.

News helicopters are droning loudly all day long through the open window covering what happened ten years ago. Yet one step onto the terrace shows the new One World Trade growing every day.Tomorrow those helicopters will be gone but One World Trade will continue to rise.

By the time the Tribute in Light fades into the dawn for the last time tomorrow morning make sure to take hold of that dawn. Let it pull us forward into the next hundred years.

United.

9/11 open thread

If there is anything 9/11 related you'd like to discuss or share we'd love to hear it.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
--Edmund Burke

Late night open thread

You know it, you love it, you can't live with out it, it's the Saturday Night Scoreboard Show

North Carolina 24
Rutgers 22
This is one of those games you look back on after the season and feel really rotten about. Rutgers had chances to win this game. Oh they had chances.

Michigan State 44
Florida Atlantic 0
Florida Atlantic had exactly one first down all day against the Spartan defense which when you think about it is only one more than Johnny had.

Arkansas 52
New Mexico 3
We have some lovely parting gifts.

Ohio State 27
Toledo 22
Johnny admits to a case of Rocket fever this afternoon

Eastern Michigan 14
Alabama State 7
Eastern Michigan is 2-0 for the first time since the Earth was cooling.

New Mexico State 28
Minnesota 21
When your coach is having a seizure on the field while you're trying to tie the game that just has to gut a team. We'll give the Goofers a pass on this one.

Michigan 35
Notre Dame 31
Great ballgame tonight between two teams Johnny hates. It's a shame both teams couldn't lose in agonizing fashion.

New Hampshire 48
Lehigh 41 OT
The Mountain Hawks fought hard and came back to get it to over time but the day belongs to New Haaampshuh

Bucknell 28
Marist 14
At 2-0 Bucknell can start booking flights to a BCS bowl any time now.

Jersey City Desk Game of the Week
Wabash 19
Wooster 7
You cannot stop Wabash, you can only hope to contain them.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Saturday, September 10, 2011

12:30 kickoff for Rutgers on a football gameday!

The Scarlet Knights are down in Chapel Hill NC (Hurricane free for days) for a 12:30 kickoff in Kenan Stadium. Both Rutgers and UNC started off with impressive wins last weekend over lesser competition with Rutgers pounding NC Central 48-0 and UNC dropping James Madison like third period French class 42-10.

This should be a very good test for the good guys. Hopefully the Scarlet Knights can set some kind of running back rotation to set up play-action. UNC had a lot of guys sit out last year for various reasons and some were declared ineligible. The Tar Heels are trying to bounce back from what could only be called the Butch Davis Follies.

Winning on the road is tough. We think Rutgers can jump out early and hang on late.

Fearless Forecast:
Rutgers 28
UNC 26

Here's the list of 9/11 events in Hudson County

Courtesy of the Jersey Journal (Who need to learn to spell Weehawken apparently).

HUDSON COUNTY
Hoboken
9/11 Interfaith Memorial Service, 6 p.m. Sunday, Pier A Park, Frank Sinatra Drive and First Street. hobokennj.org or (201) 420-2207.

Jersey City
9/11 Memorial Ceremony, 8 a.m. Sunday, Grand Street at the Waterfront, Grand Street. cityofjerseycity.com or (201) 547-6921.

Bagpipe and Drum Exhibition, commemoration of 10th anniversary of 9/11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 17, Liberty Science Center, Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Blvd. lsc.org or (201) 200-1000.

"Empty Sky" Memorial Dedication, formal dedication of memorial displaying the names of the 746 New Jersey residents who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks, with Gov. Chris Christie, first lady Mary Pat Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, 11 a.m. Saturday, Liberty State Park, 80 Audrey Zapp Drive. libertystatepark.org or (201) 915-3440.

"From Across the River," exhibit of photographs by Sandra Swieder telling the story of 9/11 from the New Jersey perspective, through Sept. 15, Art House Productions, Hamilton Square, sixth Floor, 1 McWilliams Place. Call (866) 811-4111.

"Afterwards and Forward: A 10-Year 9/11 Reflective Art Exhibition," works by 18 artists on display at the Visual Arts Gallery, 100 Culver Ave. There will be an artists’ reception Sept. 12 from 4:30-7:30 p.m., and a lecture on "The Impact of 9/11 on Recent Art" by Dennis Raverty on Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. (201) 200-2197.

9/11 Day of Service, Hudson County Bar Association and Foundation, in conjunction with the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey State Judiciary and other county bar associations volunteer program, with memorial ceremony at 10 a.m., educational programs at 5 and 6:15 p.m., Monday, William J. Brennan Courthouse, Hudson County, 583 Newark Ave. (201) 798-4708.

Secaucus
9/11 Memorial Ceremony, 1 p.m. Sept. 11 at the monument at Secaucus Public Library, 1379 Paterson Plank Road. secaucus.bccls.org or (201) 330-2083.

Union City
9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, 7 p.m. Sunday, Liberty Plaza, 30th Street between New York and Palisade Avenues. ucnj.com or (201) 348-5755.

Weehawkin
9/11 Memorial Dedication, dedication of new memorial at the Weehawken Waterfront at Pershing Road, 11 a.m. Sept. 7. (201) 902-8787.

‘Tribute of Light’ views
"Tribute of Light," Municipal Art Society of New York’s 9/11 memorial with twin beams of light illuminating the lower Manhattan sky, positioned in two 48-foot squares echoing the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers, will be visible from dusk on Sept. 11 to dawn Sept. 12. Prime New Jersey public viewing locations include Liberty State Park, Owen Grundy Pier and Newport in Jersey City; Port Imperial in Weehawken; Castle Point Promenade and Pier A Park in Hoboken; Boulevard East in Weehawken; Exchange Place in Jersey City; and Eagle Rock Reservation in Montclair. mas.org or (212) 935-3960.

Late night open thread

In the midst of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.
--Albert Camus

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday Night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BILLY JOEL!

Gonna keep the music from around the neighborhood as it were tonight in the music series. Circle the wagons and all that. Billy Joel with New York State of Mind'

Friday Night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN!

Bruce with 'Atlantic City'

Friday Night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with LOU REED!

Keeping it local evening now concludes on this internet radio outpost with Lou Reed and 'Walk on the Wild Side'

Friday, September 9, 2011

An excellent op-ed from City Councilman Steve Fulop in today's Jersey Journal

Mr. Fulop pays tribute to two fallen Jersey City servicemen, Marlon Jackson and Rafael Nieves who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our nation enlisting in the armed forces after 9/11. A section of the Jersey City waterfront walkway will be dedicated to their memories directly across the Hudson River from where the Twin Towers stood.

You can read Mr. Fulop's piece here.

In case you missed it last evening...

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Late night open thread

A movie trivia question tonight. In "The Blues Brothers", what does SCMODS stand for? Leave your reply in comments.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

So how will YOU commemorate 9/11?

Will you watch the events on television? Will you walk down to the water (Like Johnny and Mrs. Johnny) Sunday morning and reflect, will you head over to Liberty State Park to look at the stunningly beautiful Open Skies memorial? Will you be attending events at Ground Zero?

Fell free to tell us what you'll be doing to commemorate the anniversary. Also, we'd love it if our readers would share their stories from 9/11 and tell us what you did, where you were etc. Johnny was sitting in his basement office at the University of Michigan that horrible day and would very much like to hear from those who lived through it first hand.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Late night open thread

We're gonna reach back into Johnny's animated gif grab bag tonight for some super slow-mo awesomeness.


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Johnny's busy so it's crime stats day

Feel free to pour over these NYC crime stats and see why Greenwich Village is worse off than Midtown and elsewhere...

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Late night open thread

Here, read this before bed and uh, don't say we ain't classy...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

It's reasons like these that help people lose faith in city government

Now, before we get going, Ray Velazquez, Jersey City Councilman-at-Large voted AGAINST city issued vehicles having some kind of city sticker affixed to them (or maybe that was just for the ones city council members drive).

Velazquez's Ford Explorer was stolen back in June. Velazquez kept his keys to the Explorer in a glove box of another car he owned on site. Not so much of a safe spot there Ray but OK, you messed up. Now, things get really sad. The Explorer was accruing tickets in New York City (Some of our regular readers may know New York City, Jersey City's largest suburb, is just across the Hudson River). About three and a half weeks later the car was discovered to be property of Jersey City and Gotham kindly called and asked if we'd like the Explorer back.

Ray, you voted against stickers on these cars. Do you suppose that if ticketers in NYC had seen the affixed JC sticker on the car this might have been cleared up sooner? We sure do.

Ray and JC Officials -- was a police report taken?
Ray and JC PD -- Did somebody check the EZ Pass to see if the SUV might have, um, gone into the city?
Ray -- Why sit on this? Isn't losing a 30K ride worth alerting -- oh, wait, we get it now, hush hush, don't let people know your city issued vehicle is missing. *Wink wink* we get it now...

And these people wonder why we have no faith in them. Oh, by the way Mayor Healy is also against affixing stickers to the vehicles in the city he runs that WE pay for. Luckily there are still some people on city council that think stickers are a good idea and have as of now voted to place these stickers on taxpayer-funded whips.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Late night open thread

Did you know that on September 27, 1777, for one day, Lancaster Pennsylvania was the capital of the United States? You do now...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

While you were safe and sound inside your home or shelter last weekend, here's what went on

While the rain from Hurricane Irene poured down and the winds blew and you stayed safely inside did you ever wonder what exactly might be going on outside? Did you wonder what might be going on elsewhere with your neighbors and around town? The New York Times has an excellent look at the nutty goings-on during Irene.

Late night open thread

Here's a part of 9/11 that has touched everyday life. The constant news scroll at the bottom of the news channel screen debuted on 9/11. Before that only weather warnings or huge news would break that way. Now it's just become what the viewer expects.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Sunday, September 4, 2011

So Jersey City, what's for breakfast?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, look at all the Applewood smoked bacon. Whatever you're having for breakfast (and with apologies to Johnny's vegetarian friends) bacon makes any meal better...

Late night open thread

It's that time of year again, if is Saturday and it's the late night thread it's the Saturday Night Scoreboard Show

LSU 40
Oregon 27
What, did somebody step on a duck?

Penn St. 41
Indiana St. 7
They just let Joe Paterno sleep through the games now in his special nap room.

USC 19
Minnesota 17
These two teams have the exact same colors, it's a hard game to watch.

Stanford 57
San Jose St. 3
Take your damned money and go

Lehigh 49
Monmouth 24
Lehigh's Chris Lum and Ryan Spadola were unstoppable for the Mountain Hawks. Lum was 22/34 for 346 and 4 TD's while Spadola caught six balls for 148 and two scores.

North Dakota State 42
Lafayette 6
The Leopards get run over by copious amounts of Bison.

Kentucky 14
Western Kentucky 3
You do not wanna know what was being grilled in the parking lot before the game

Cal 36
Fresno State 21
You'll pay for the whole seat but you'll only need the edge.

Richmond 23
Duke 21
Duke blows at football. It helps balance the universe. North Carolina tried being good at football and many players were kicked off the team and the NCAA suspended more. Again, it restores balance for April.

The Jersey City Desk Game of the Week®
South Dakota State 29
Southern Utah 28
Scads upon dozens of fans jammed scenic Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings South Dakota today in perfect football weather to watch THIS very game. South Dakota State led 29-7 in the 4th quarter and yet had to survive a frantic comeback by Southern Utah, knocking away a 2 point conversion with 2 seconds left to win. Know who made the defensive play to win it? Dirk Kool. Now that's a name. Dirk Kool may now loot and pillage for 24 hours.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Saturday, September 3, 2011

So, anyone headed down the the shore this weekend?

Last big weekend of summer, Governor Christie is encouraging everyone to head down and help pick up the shore economy after last week's hurricane so, ya going?

Johnny's working on a Jersey City Desk App you could use while beaching, it should be up and running by summer of 2014. It'll have a little foghorn reminder to turn over when tanning (All the Michigan peeps know of the WRIF radio invention), the best places to get cheap booze and a little game in the App "Pin the gin and tonic on Snooki."

Late night open thread

Three days of sleeping in, you can't beat that with a stick.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday Night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with GREEN DAY!

Yes it's intense. Yes it's controversial and difficult to look at all while sounding do darned good. Here's Green Day with one of the best music videos ever filmed, 'Wake Me Up When September Ends'.

Friday Night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with DOLORES O'RIORDAN!

The Cranberries front lass Dolores O'Riordan tonight on the music series. Johnny, who has some nice tattoo artwork of his own thinks Dolores has the best ink in the biz. Good Irish messaging which of course is of tantamount importance, and a beautiful job done by the artist. So many music stars have tats that look like they're right out of 'Jimmy the Weasel's First Prison Tattoo Kit'. But not Dolores. She obviously knows the value of getting the job done right.

Dolores O'Riordan sans Cranberries with their song 'Salvation'.

Friday Night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PAT BENATAR!

You know what Johnny loves most about Pat Benatar? Not all the songs that got played and played and played back when on radio, it was the hidden gems on her albums that didn't get a lot of airplay. 'Out-A-Touch' is one such track. Neil Geraldo is pitch perfect on this hidden gem.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Well pigskin fans, that time of year is upon us -- Rutgers starts with a win

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights began the 2011 college football season last night at Rutgers Stadium (again, we don't play corporate name games) in front of 40,000 plus Scarlet Knight fans with an impressive (for the competition) 48-0 trashing of North Carolina Central. The defense set the pace for Rutgers, overwhelming the NC Central offensive line with NINE sacks and limiting the Eagles to 8 yards rushing on 30 carries. The offense was so-so for such a blowout and Rutgers will have to improve as next week it's a REAL North Carolina team, the Tar Heels whom Rutgers visits next Saturday. Still, 1-0 ain't chopped liver.

Now, Johnny's team, the Michigan State Spartans, wait, the Defending Big Ten Champion Michigan State Spartans kick off against an equal patsy in the Youngstown State Penguins at Spartan Stadium at 7:30. While 11-2 again this year looks difficult given the MSU schedule, Mark Dantonio is building a gangbusters program in East Lansing.

As he does every season, Johnny now plays one of his favorite MSU video clips to ward off bad luck and evil Badger, Buckeye, Wolverine and now Cornhusker spirits:


And let's spin that 'S' one time shall we?

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Late night open thread

21% of us don't make our bed daily. 5% of us never do. Sleep on that.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Hi Ho Silver!!!

Seems the Lone Ranger is missing his training horsie seen here grazing in an empty lot off of Morgan St.