We're going to blow our own horn here for a minute or two

Johnny has made it a practice back in Ypsilanti and here in Jersey City to not take advertisements, not to optimize his site with banner ads everywhere (same goes for his YouTube account). It's about freedom of expression here and not owing anything to anyone. If someone's on the take they should be letting you know. Like John Mellencamp sang in 'Minutes to Memories' "An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind."

Here's another reason we don't slather bullshit banner ads and pop ups everywhere, you don't click them.  Seriously. An old friend pointed this out today on Twitter. Did you know you have a better chance of completing Navy Seal training than clicking a banner ad? Ladies, you're more likely to give birth to twins than click a banner ad. Finally citizens, you're more likely to get accepted at MIT than click a banner ad. Oh there are more of these amazing factoids just a click away, and you didn't get to read them by clicking an ad, and here you never will.

Mayor Fulop forgot Johnny's invitation to his Bill Clinton fundraiser

Either His Excellency Mayor Steve Fulop forgot Johnny's $2500 a plate fundraiser invitation for Fulop's 2017 re-election campaign, or more likely it's just lost in the mail.

Yep, former President Bill Clinton will be in Jersey City December 3rd at Liberty House. Unlike former Mayor Healy who supported President Obama from the get go, Fulop was a Hillary man. The Fulop invitation reportedly says that even if you can't attend you can still write Fulop a $10,000 check.

Yeah, right. If the Mayor can't be bothered to send Johnny an invitation to see The Big Dog (and Johnny HAS met with former President Clinton back in his Ypsilanti days) there's no way in hell he can expect a check just because he needs money. Fulop has a lot more to do and a lot more to prove before he can just expect donations to come pouring in. For instance not flip-flopping on borrowing money for city retirement costs would be a good start.

Not just cool, space cool

It won't happen again until 2117, over 100 years from now so Tuesday afternoon, when Venus transits the sun, you might just want to catch a glimpse. The last time Venus passed (or transit) in front of the sun Johnny got up right early back in Ypsilanti, popped the solar filter on his 6" reflector telescope and enjoyed coffee and an amazing view of something really cool.

But Johnny, I don't have a any telescope let alone a solar filter, how can I watch Venus pass in front of the sun? Good question Lil Copernicus, here's how. You can tune into NASA or visit the William D. McDowell Observatory in Lyndhurst beginning at 5:30 pm on Tuesday for a viewing party.

This will look really cool so make sure the kids get a look too. Don't stare right at the sun, you won't see it and if you stare long enough you won't see a lot of things going forward.

It seems Johnny perfected April Fools Day back in 2008

Johnny was gonna hit you with a big involved April Fools Day joke (To which you'd reply Johnny, isn't this entire website some kind of Fools joke -- and you'd be right) but in checking back to his old Ypsi City Desk days, he perfected the April Fools Day gag back then.

Background for Jersey and Gotham readers, John Norman Collins was a serial killer in the late 1960's in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor Michigan. On April Fools Day 2008 Johnny ran a post saying Collins had escaped from the maximum security lock up in Marquette Michigan. Over time this thread apparently set off some kind of flame war in comments long after Johnny stopped reading them. We mean a firestorm that has somehow led to this:

*If you Google John Norman Collins the Ypsi City Desk post is like 6th on the list (Very flattering).
*At the bottom of said Google search there is now a quick search option for 'John Norman Collins escape'.
*Answers.com actually links to the Ypsi City Desk post and we quote: "He is still running from the authorities. In the link retaled links box below I posted a site with the information. (Again, very flattering)

So, Johnny broke the internets a while back. All hail Johnny!

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's audience leaves something to be desired

So little Jimmy Fallon is taping his late night teevee show just across the river in New York City yesterday. Fallon's first joke is a mention that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated disgraceful human being and dog killer Michael Vick. Immediately several people in the audience begin to whoop it up and clap and cheer at the fact Vick has been allowed back in the NFL's good graces.

Huh? What?

What the hell is wrong with Fallon's fans that THIS is their reaction? And Jimmy, thanks for taking them to task over it. Classy. Fallon has recently been making fun of Johnny's former hometown of Ypsilanti, a town he spent time in making a movie and drinking at the Elbow Room Bar. Know what they don't cheer in Ypsi there Jimmy? Animal cruelty.

So Mr. Funnyman, Mr. Big Time New Yorker, you make fun of Ypsilani while yucking it up over Mike Vick with your sad sack audience and Johnny will be right here to call you on it. It's true, you can take the boy out of Ypsi, but, well you know the rest.

Help a Johnny out, where can one get Coleus plants 'round these here parts?

Johnny's got a green thumb and likes growing stuff. Granted, he won't have room for his tomatoes and peppers and such he grew back in Ypsilanti but he will have space for an herb pot or three and would like even two Coleus plants. So, where can a transplant get a plant to replant?

These being Coleus plants:

Hudson County to install 30 warning sirens for a myriad of horrific possibilities--Johnny thinks he should have done more research before moving here

See back in Ypsilanti, where Johnny came from, warning sirens meant one thing, tornadoes. That was pretty much it. They didn't even turn those on for the foggy haze of smoke that was Hash Bash in Ann Arbor. Now, the Jersey Journal tells us, the county of Hudson will be installing 30 new warning sirens that will alert local residents to possible:

*Toxic chlorine gas begins leaking from a Kearny factory
*A hurricane strikes New York Harbor
*A bomb blast at a Bayonne petrochemical plant ignites a fire and a plume smoke wafts over the region

The article says they hope to have the 70 decibel sirens installed by February 1, to meet a Homeland Security grant deadline.

On second thought, the hurricane might be cool....