In the words of Joe Jackson, "You can read it in the Sunday paper"

Tom Moran with the Star-Ledger had a great editorial yesterday about the fact that as Mayor Fulop's run for governor looms larger and closer, his baggage increases, some of it bordering on illegal. A must read for every Jersey City resident.

In New Jersey it would seem bail bond companies can overrule a judge

A baddie goes before a judge who decides yep, this guy's a baddie and wants to keep him locked up leading up to trial. The judge sets a bond of $350,000. There, that oughta do it. Except the defendant can walk across the street and get -- are you sitting down? -- a $0 money down bail bond with the promise of say a payment plan of $75 a week. Suuuuure, you bet the baddie will sign that. He's now free. No money down and a small installment plan (which, let's face facts he's not going to pay on, surprise he just wanted out) gets a complete walkaround from the judge's intentions. Got your attention?

Thomas Zambito with the Star-Ledger pulls back the curtain on this shameful trend in the bail bond industry that is putting the legitimate bondsmen out of business. You know that 0% down bond the baddie got? The judges and prosecutors aren't often told baddie is out walking the street. Out walking the street and say murdering a two-year old Newark boy like Wakir Bryant, the beneficiary of three payment plans. Court workers are more than frustrated:

"You’re lowering the defendant’s bail without the judge’s consent or approval," said Assistant Prosecutor Roger Imhof, the deputy chief of the trial section for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. "A judge of the Superior Court is saying the bail should be $200,000, and a bail bond company is saying he’s ROR (released on his own recognizance)."

Grab a drink and read this one friends, and then contact the powers that be when you're done.

Isn't good journalism a great thing?

Governor Christie signs into law "monitors" for Sandy relief money

Governor Christie working once again with Democrats on the topic of Superstorm Sandy has signed a bill into law requiring monitors to oversee rebuilding money lest it be wasted and or um, stolen. Tomas Dinges with the Star-Ledger fills in some of the blanks:

Under the new law, the state will establish a network of monitors to review the procurement process for state contracts using federal reconstruction money, submit regular reports on these contracts and post the information about public expenditures of recovery funds on a public website.

Also:

"...monitors will be automatically assigned to any rebuilding project totaling more than $5 million, while anything under that amount will be subject to the discretion of the treasurer, the statement from the governor's office said."

So this is a good thing, and it further harms Christie's standing in his own party by working together with Democrats to help the residents of his state in an effective manner, which is awfully sad. Let's just take notice if there is a sudden burst of $4,999,999 contracts being put through and let's make sure to hire the right monitors, nobody aligned with any political party or party donors please.

A real eye-opener of an story this morning from the Star-Ledger

While they posted it under an editorial banner the information is truly an eye-opener nonetheless. Did you know (and in reading the story you'll find out) according to the American Cancer Society that if a phone solicitor calls on their behalf and you make a donation, ZERO of that money went to fight cancer or to cancer research. No, all that money just went to pay the telemarketer who called you. Sadly there are many other organizations who happily look the other way while money pledged to them is eaten alive by telemarketing companies.

Angry yet?

Good, read on and learn to simply tell anyone calling you, no matter no good the charity may sound, no. The money you think you're giving is going almost always to the telemarketer or the company employing them. You'll also learn why organizations let so much money pledged to help a cause go to these telemarketing companies. It's called weak any way you slice it.

An interesting question put forth today

The Star-Ledger  asked the question, 'Since Governor Christie will try and change outsiders views of New Jersey via his keynote speech at the RNC convention, will he be effective?'

Note we didn't say it was a good question, just an interesting one.

Of course he won't. 89% of Republicans are white people, older, and who aren't open to a huge amount of new ideas. In the meantime, their children, and anyone under 50 who are subjected to on a daily basis "The Jersey Shore", Jerseylicious", "The Housewives of New Jersey", "Snooki and JWOWW Against the World", "Mob Wives" et al are NOT going to change their opinion of the Garden State because the governor gives a speech.

A recent poll would confirm Johnny's suspicions:

The latest Rutgers-Eagleton poll found 46 percent of those surveyed think Christie’s speech will make no difference in how the state is perceived. Nearly a third — 32 percent — think it will enhance the state’s image, while 14 percent think it will hurt.

Now, Johnny has only lived here in Jersey City for four years, but isn't the whole idea about being from New Jersey that you don't give a frog's fat ass what people think of you? Isn't that part of the allure?

Your thoughts?

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster

Luftschiff Zeppelin No. 129 was the official company name for the Hindenburg, something forgotten by many over time no doubt. But of course everyone knows the flaming image when the word Hindenburg is used. It is a powerful name sometimes even used to describe similar catastrophes.

The Star-Ledger's Mike Frassinelli has a fantastic look back at a very awful day. A chilling accounts from some of the few live witnesses to that day in Lakehurst. A great read over morning coffee.

Nothing like a great read on a rainy Sunday

The Star-Ledger has a great piece today on New Jersey sailors who were aboard the destroyer USS Hobson when it was fatally rammed and split in two during wargames by The Wasp, a U.S. aircraft carrier hundreds of miles from the Azores in the North Atlantic. The Hobson sank in less than four minutes taking 176 US sailors with it, sparing only 61.

These are their harrowing tales or the sinking and their survival.

Dear Star-Ledger, the street name is "purple drank"

The Star-Ledger did a boffo story today on the well organized roaches selling drugs out in Newark. Branford Place between Halsey and Broad streets has become the new home to drug dealers chased off by the no drug zone almost across the street from where they used to set up shop. The drug boys actually walk up to those leaving the medical clinic on the block trying to buy up pain meds and grape flavored codeine cough syrup from which they quickly divy up the six ounce bottle into one ounce shots and sell it for $10. The street name of this abomination is "purple drank." (Johnny never ceases to amaze does he?)

Local businesses are not at all happy that the drug boys have set up shop now on their block. Police come by, the roaches scatter and police leave and the roaches come back. The central focus of many business owners is on the medical clinic. The owner of the clinic doesn't feel the blame is his:

Michael Lipkin, says it’s irresponsible to blame him when drugs have been a fabric of the street for years. He says he has armed security to stop drug dealers from coming up into the clinic. His staff, he says, has told patients not to sell their prescriptions. "Hundreds of time, I tell them," he said. "What can I do. I can’t follow them around."

So what to do? There has already been a wild-west type daytime shootout on the block so you know these drug boys aren't scared off easily. We here would say it's just Newark being Newark but as long at Greenville is a part of Jersey City that'd just be wrong.

Johnny's just a common man but he'd suggest expanding this drug free zone past the Prudential Center by a few blocks, it seems to be the only thing the roaches are afraid of.

Paul Mulshine of the Star-Ledger, grow a set man, don't be so sensitive

The Star-Ledger writer/blogger Paul Mulshine is one to often engage people who leave comments on his opinion pieces. Today Mr. Mulshine decided the news of the day was that the hideous show 'Jersey Shore' wasn't even filming in New Jersey anymore, they are down in South Beach in Miami to film a show about the Jersey Shore, well done MTV, well done. Your criminal element show now is 5 states away from where you claim it's done. Anyway, back to Mr. Mulshine. Since he interjects himself into the comments section Johnny can only believe he helps decide which comments get seen and which don't. Johnny left a comment on the Jersey Shore moving to Florida stating one of the characters on the show, Snooki, looked like a Hobbit version of Elvira. Well that comment was just too much for Paul apparently, as the comment went up, then came down.

Mr. Mulshine, either you or your blog content editor need to grow a set.

So, All Points West turned out to be somewhat of a washout

Friday night and most of Sunday were a muddy bust it appears. Two bands from host state New Jersey were bumped off the card yesterday because they must have been deemed expendable after a 5 hour delay. Steel Train and The Gaslight Anthem deserved better treatment. Jay-Z we hear did a nice tribute to the Beastie Boys on Friday night. Plenty of Gogol Bordello coverage and not one mention in the entire coverage from the Jersey Journal and Star-Ledger of Neko Case's set? Criminal.

Anybody you the Jersey City Desk reader would like to see on the 2010 stage at All Points West?

A good read for a rainy Sunday

The Star-Ledger's Mark Mueller takes a very interesting look at the new ARC tunnel being constructed from North Bergen under the 1 & 9 to it's ultimate destination at 34th Street between 6th and 8th Avenues in New York City.

When the project finishes in 2017 the ARC will connect commuters to PATH trains, 14 NYC Subway lines and the Long Island Railroad.

The story is a great read on all the hurdles facing the project, tunnel digging machines as long as football fields, and the disagreement between NJ Transit and Amtrak.

Good work Mr. Mueller.