Late night open thread

Johnny's about to cure you off of the breakfast cereal for at least six months.

First off, where the frig does this clown live and sleep? In some kind of doghouse surrounded by paper on the ground? That must be some successful circus that makes the clowns live like dogs. The kind of circus where you don't know if there's gonna be enough food to feed the crew when a giraffe mysteriously vanishes between Wichita and Topeka. Second, good GOD, did you go looking for a clown that upsetting? Johnny used to work with a nice woman and this would have sent her straight into night terrors. Johnny's sister might seize up and start flopping on the ground like a fish if she saw this. And for children's cereal too. It's not hard to look at the big top and wonder if there might be some bodies buried under it......recently. Third, damn clown, know what makes cereal taste good? MILK. Sugar Rice Krinkles, U R doing it wrong. Fourth, LOOK AT IT, it's hideous! It's a walker, shoot it in the head!

Krinkles, the stuff of nightmares.


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Pulaski Skyway Shutdown: City Held Hostage!!

Big stories with big ideas need big annoying headlines like you see on teevee news don't you think?

We'll start with Terrence T. McDonald at The Jersey Journal:

Hudson County and Jersey City officials this morning urged a state Assembly panel to consider options to minimize the traffic nightmare expected when the northbound lanes of the Pulaski Skyway close for two years starting in 2014.

Here's another issue where Mayor Healy and Councilman Fulop argue on the same side yet because of the political acrimony can't really show too much cooperation. The Mayor understands the huge impact this has on our city:

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy additionally suggested banning single-occupancy vehicles from the Holland Tunnel during rush hours. Healy acknowledged that the Skyway “must be fixed,” but added that even on a normal day there is a crush of vehicles heading in and out of Manhattan during rush hours.

Fulop too understands the economic impact this will have beyond just traffic:

“I think that the costs to the financial Waterfront, our business committee … could be much more substantive,” Fulop said. Jersey City Ward E City Councilman Steve Fulop, meanwhile, told the panel that the DOT should explore keeping one of the northbound lanes open, even if it means the rehabilitation project takes longer and costs more.

But citizens for once people came with possible solutions in mind not just brickbats. Ideas on having motorists carpool from the Frank Lautenberg Secaucus Junction station (good luck with that), extending Jersey Avenue out to the Turnpike extension and keeping one lane open northbound regardless. Johnny likes very much the idea of extending Jersey Avenue out to the turnpike extension. Can they get it done by 2014? Somebody hurry up and make that call. Once they do get that open consider closing both northbound lanes at off hours and weekends because yes, the bridge needs to be saved because ferry boats would suck more than traffic jams.

Late night open thread

On this day in 1827 the city of New Orleans celebrated their first Mardi Gras. The alcoholic wonder known at "the Hurricane" was invented one day later.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Johnny's an interloper and as we all know interlopers are liable to say craaaaazy things...

Craaaaazy things like "Hey, Freeholder Jeff Dublin, Johnny would like to see things from your point of view but he can't seem to get his head that far up his ass." WHOA, an unfortunate comment escapes from another person with interlopers disease.

Mr. Dublin takes a very dim view of what he calls, well here, here are his glorious words at the Mayor Healy re-election kickoff:

“This young man wants the title of the mayor but not the job of the mayor,” Healy said. “Get out to vote so that, as (Freeholder) Jeff Dublin said, Jersey City can remain for Jersey City, not some newcomers, some interlopers who don’t know the city, don’t care about the city, and want to use the city for their own personal ambitions.”

So, according to Freeholder Jeff Dublin, Johnny's an interloper as are a lot of the other unwashed, uneducated newcomers who might you know, ask questions about how the current model doesn't work. While some lucky townies may have latched onto all the government jobs (and Jeff did you know some people around here actually draw multiple government-related paychecks?), it's up to a lot of us noobs and yes, interlopers to work hard to further OUR personal ambitions all while paying for a shoddy product.

If we're pounding on your doors and calling you out and showing up at meetings to demand answers that shows we the people DO love and care about our city. That's the sound of America at work.

BTW Jeff, have a toast next Thanksgiving to "the interlopers," won't you?

Just saw one of Mayor Healy's ads on the teevee

It centered on the Mayor's tireless efforts to get guns off of Jersey City's streets. Thankfully he has taken this head on for years. The ad notes the drop in the murder rate. We sometimes don't spend enough time thanking the Mayor about this because it's his signature issue. We eagerly await the Mayor's next ad on something new, the city taxes, what is REALLY physically tangibly happening at Journal Square, and the merging of city departments to really save money.

A note to Councilman Steve Fulop. Should you be fortunate enough to win the keys to city hall we can only hope you'll put as much emphasis on the topic of guns as Mayor Healy has.

What a rotten rainy day out there

So dear readers, what is your favorite song with the word "rain" in it?

Late night open thread

State trivia night.

Which was the first state to give women the right to vote? Answer here.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Hey New Jersey, that sound you hear is New York City deflating

The air has been let out of New Yorker's long-held belief that THEY were Gotham in the Batman story. Cottage industries have been built on the belief they are where Batman lives.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

News this morning breaks that in FACT Batman lives in New Jersey and folks that comes from The DC Comics Wiki and here and here that Gotham City is in NEW JERSEY.

Listen, listen, can you hear the wails? Sounds like a few dead-enders too, "No way, it's still here despite the facts and um, SHUT UP!" The tears, they are delicious.

So, The Batcave, Wayne Enterprises and all that is Batman now joins the Statue of Liberty in the "Things in New Jersey coveted rather rudely by New Yorkers" column. Only one way to end this post.

Hey New York:

Outgoing NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg endorses Mayor Jerramiah Healy for another term

Though Lautenberg is not running for another term in Washington D.C., he has endorsed Mayor Healy for a another full term. Said Lautenberg in his endorsement:

“Mayor Healy has an aggressive plan to add city parks and make Jersey City and even better place to live, work and raise children," he said. "Mayor Healy has been a steadfast ally in reducing gun violence and combating crime, by hiring more cops and getting guns off the streets.”

So, another big name endorsement for Healy. Time alone will tell if these are going to gain traction but for now they look good in the news.

Late night open thread

State trivia night.

Which was the first state to give women the right to vote? Answer here.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark