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I thought it was just me, but I read through the clips on NJ.com and watched all three videos and agree with you. I don't see a dramatic smoking gun here.

Dwek comes across as obnoxious and suspiciously pushy. No one is "that generous." Dwek spoke so vaguely about his business dealings and the officials seated didn't seem to drill down further to see if he was legit. They all seemed to take him on his word.

When you read Cammarano's wire transcripts, his words are much more incriminating.

This sounds like a scam to me. Many of these "teams" of two or three individuals are very slick and talk an exceptional game.

Scammers will pose as officials from the water department, a utility crew, or an inspection department. Common scams include them telling a victim they have an urgent need for checking a basement for a leak from a purported water main break; checking a pipe somewhere in your house because there's a leak from an upstairs neighbor; checking a utility function, etc. One person will draw you into a room in your house under the guise of "checking" or "helping out" while they inspect, while the rest of your house gets robbed by the other team member.

It usually happens to the elderly, but anyone that can be distracted is vulnerable. They also scope out houses to see who is home and when (not to scare you, but they operate as such).

Next time you see them, try to remember a description and call your local precinct. You may want to tip them off anyhow about your experience.

Glad you're okay.

I just spoke to a vendor in California who has a great website for emergency kits and supplies that are pre-packed and ready to go.

And he also has kits for pet owners, too.

Check out www.LivingFresh.com or call 714-530-3777. Ask for Joe Branin.

I wonder if this guy could be connected to the stabbing at Burger King in October:

Stabbed in throat by beggar

Friday, October 09, 2009

A Queens man was stabbed in the throat by a beggar as he waited in his car in a Burger King drive-through lane in Jersey City early yesterday morning, officials said.

Officers responded to the Jersey City Medical Center just after 4 a.m. and met the 24-year-old victim, who said he was in a car at the Burger King at 12th Street and Manila Avenue when a man approached asking for $2, reports said.

The victim said that when he told the man he had no money, the man took a quick jab at him with a sharp object, leaving a wound 4 to 5 inches long.

The panhandler is described as being 30 to 40 years old and 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7. He wore a green coat, black T-shirt and blue jeans, reports said.

Anyone with information on the stabbing is asked to call the Jersey City Police Department tip line at (201) 547-JAIL.

MICHAELANGELO CONTE

New N.J. policy deems 7K children in low-income areas ineligible for Abbot pre-school

By James Queally/The Star-Ledger
December 03, 2009, 8:01PM

Nearly 7,000 children across the state are now ineligible for a pre-school program aimed at closing the learning gap in low-income neighborhoods the New Jersey Education Law Center said today.

The drop-off is the result of a change in the way the state Department of Education tracks the number of 3- and 4-year-olds living in a particular school district, said Elizabeth Athos, a senior attorney for the Law Center, a Newark-based advocacy group.

Athos said the state?s 31 "high-needs" districts were ordered to use only the total number of first-graders enrolled in their schools for the year to determine eligibility for the Abbott program, a banner project born from the Abbot v. Burke school equity rulings aimed at giving students from poor districts the same opportunities as those attending pre-school in wealthier ones.

"The law mandates all 3- and 4-year-old children are eligible for Abbott pre-school, regardless of whether they subsequently enroll in private or public schools in kindergarten or first grade," Athos wrote in a letter to the state education department.

Statewide, 6,891 potential pre-schoolers were rendered ineligible. Nearly a fifth of them are from Newark, where 1,632 children who were eligible in 2008 are now unable to attend Abbott programs. More than 2,000 children in Paterson and Jersey City are also ineligible.

"It is incredibly disheartening that our children will be missing out on the formidable years of education, where the basis of their learning begins," said Nakia White, a member of the Newark Public Schools advisory board. "We need to make sure that our children have access to this type of education at the earliest age possible

If you have commercial plates, you may want to check with the Parking Authority. When we first moved here, our UHaul truck was booted because we parked it on the street overnight and it had commercial plates.

Moxie - this was in the JJ on Saturday:

Eight people were arrested on weapons charges after residents on Webster Avenue near South Street reported hearing gunshots around 3:30 yesterday morning, Jersey City police said.

At Palisade Avenue and Franklin Street, police en route to the scene stopped two vehicles that fit the description from the shots-fired call and removed all occupants from both.

A black Glock 30.45 caliber with an extended magazine was under the driver's seat in one vehicle and a Ruger-serial No. 239 was found in the trunk of the other, police said.

At the scene, police found several shell casings and live rounds and said at least two vehicles also appeared to have bullet holes in them.

Charged with several offenses, including unlawful possession of weapons, possession of weapons for unlawful purposes, and possession of prohibited weapons, were:

Yribia Contreras, 20; Bernardo Guzman, 21, and Norberto Liranzo, 25, of Union City;

Alberto Sosa, 29; Franklin Sosa, 27; Jesus Valdez, 20, and Luis Dolco, 23, of Jersey City, and

Jason Laramatos, 27, of Passaic.

Union City police recovered a spent projectile connected to the incident in the front seat of a vehicle parked on the border of Jersey City and Union City yesterday morning, police there said.

The bullet broke through the window of the vehicle, police said, declining to give the specific location.

Journal staff writer Michaelangelo Conte contributed to this report.

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Have to disagree with you on that point with young children. They inherently want to learn. Ever spend time around a three or four year old? They ask question after question and have a natural curiosity and insight into the world that?s amazing. It?s the parents that do the most damage to children when they are at their most sensitive time to learn - tuning out the questions, sticking them in front of a television, or giving them a video game to occupy their time. Children have a critical window in their young lives when they are ready and willing to learn ? if parents don?t encourage that fully, then children will naturally not pick up the discipline necessary to become active learners.

Yes, I agree that Jersey City schools are a complete mess (compare what we spend per child vs. a town like Tenafly ? then compare the aptitude scores). But parents play a role in this mess as well ? and more should be discussed about this topic rather than lay the entire blame on our public school systems.

I know a lot of people don't want to narc on their landlords, but having been in a very similar situation, it's the only way to get your situation fixed and also, it's a good way to validate your no-heat claim if you ever have to take your landlord to court.

I found this great information from DELL 1 on a Newport website. It's from 2004, but I just checked out the no-heat phone number and it's still valid.
Check it out:

According to the Tenants' Rights guide written by nonprofit organization, Legal Services New Jersey (LSNJ), under New Jersey tenant-landlord laws, by entering into a rental contract, landlords have a duty under the "warrant of habitability" to keep all rental units "safe and decent." Failure to do so can result in inspections and fines. According to LSNJ, it is important to put repair requests in writing and to keep copies to prove that your landlord was notified and given due time to make repairs. If you have taken this course and nothing has been done, you have the right to call in building or health inspectors, use your rent to make repairs or withhold your rent. The legal group warns, however, that if you use your rent to make repairs, receipts must be fully documented and that withholding rent doesn't mean spending rent money on something else. It means refusing to pay rent until repairs are made, but putting the money aside in a separate bank account to be paid after repairs are made.

Visit the website at www.lsnj.org, and look up "Chapter 6: Your Guide to Safe and Decent Housing" in the "Tenants' Rights in New Jersey" report found under "Publications" or call the statewide legal hotline at (888) LSNJ-LAW.

The local heat ordinance of the Jersey City Municipal Code requires temperatures to be at least 70 degrees in the daytime and at least 65 degrees at night between October 1 and April 3, regardless of the outside temperature, and between May 1 and September 30 whenever the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees. These temperatures are five degrees warmer than state requirements. "We want Jersey City to be warm," said Mark Redfield, assistant director for Housing Code Enforcement in Jersey City.

Jersey City tenants who suspect that their apartment is in violation of the local heat ordinance can call Jersey City's 24-hour no-heat hotline at (201) 547-4821 or try the Housing Code offices from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (201) 547-4825. Have your landlord's contact information on hand so that enforcement officials can issue notifications to make any repairs deemed necessary. "When there isn't heat, 10 to 1 you have other violations of code," said Redfield, who added that city health and fire department officials are sometimes called in to inspect buildings as well.

When inspectors determine that an apartment is in violation of the heat ordinance, the landlord has 24 hours to correct the problem. The inspectors then come back to check on the heat after the day-long period is up. If the heat is not back on or if there is no evidence of repairs in progress, inspectors issue a summons to bring the landlord to municipal court. Usually the mention of court motivates negligent landlords to fix the heat, said Redfield. But if that is not enough incentive to get the furnace pumping, the inspectors continue to come back again and again to monitor the situation.

"Each time we go back it is another violation. We can ask for daily fees for each day there is no heat," explained Redfield. The minimum fine is $100 per day per apartment. The maximum? A hefty $1,250 per day per apartment.

To catch landlords who let thermostats dip well below the minimum - or who even turn the heat off at night - The Housing Code Enforcement inspectors sometimes install Dickson digital chart recorders which monitor the temperature every three hours over a seven-day period. Landlords are usually notified of the chart recorder's presence in their building, said Redfield, and one way or another, the chart recorder gets the heat situation righted again. "I don't want to bring anybody to court," said Redfield, "I just want people to have heat."

In Bayonne, heat complaints can be directed to (201) 858-6100; in Hoboken, (201) 420-2375; in Union City, (201) 348-5608; in Weehawken, (201) 319-6054; and in other county municipalities, contact your local health department.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission just released this brief in late September:

CPSC Urges Parents to Inspect and Secure TVs, Furniture, and Appliances to Prevent Tip-Over Deaths and Injuries

WASHINGTON, D.C. - For young children, the home is a playground, and while many parents childproof to ensure that their home is a safe place, some may not be aware that unsecured TVs, furniture and appliances are hidden hazards lurking in every room. Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents once again to take simple, low-cost steps to prevent deaths and injuries associated with furniture, TV, and appliance tip-overs.

CPSC staff estimates that in 2006, 16,300 children 5 years old and younger were treated in emergency rooms because of injuries associated with TV, furniture, and appliance tip-overs, and between 2000 and 2006, CPSC staff received reports (pdf) of 134 tip-over related deaths. Additionally, CPSC staff is aware of at least 30 media reports of tip-over deaths since January 2007 involving this same age group.

?Many parents are unaware of the deadly danger of this hidden hazard. I urge parents to include securing TVs, furniture, and appliances in their childproofing efforts,? said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. ?Taking a few moments now can prevent a tip-over tragedy later.?

?You may think your home is safe, but everyday things like a television can hurt your child. I was right there and it happened,? said Sylvia Santiago, of West Haven, Connecticut who lost her two-year old daughter in 2008.

Typically, injuries and deaths occur when children climb onto, fall against, or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests, and appliances. In some cases, televisions placed on top of furniture tip over and cause a child to suffer traumatic and sometimes fatal injuries. ?The most devastating injuries that we see resulting from furniture tipping on children are injuries to the brain and when a child is trapped under a heavy piece of furniture and suffocates,? said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, Director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children?s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Recent revisions to the voluntary safety standards for clothes storage units provide for the inclusion of warning labels and additional hardware to secure the furniture to the floor or wall. To help prevent tip-over hazards, CPSC offers the following safety tips:

Furniture should be stable on its own. For added security, anchor chests or dressers, TV stands, bookcases and entertainment units to the floor or attach them to a wall.


Place TVs on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.


Push the TV as far back as possible.


Place electrical cords out of a child?s reach, and teach kids not to play with them.


Keep remote controls and other attractive items off the TV stand so kids won?t be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the TV over.


Make sure free-standing ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.

Thanks Jaded, you're absolutely correct. I mentioned "near the Beacon" because I had no idea where Amity Street was until I looked it up on the map. I thought it would be helpful to identify where the mysterious "industrial area" that the JJ identified.

I don't care what Beacon owners think or whether my navigation point bristled readers. Another woman has died in our city. It doesn't matter where. It has happened again, senseless and brutal, and that's the tragedy of it all.

(From The Jersey Journal - Nj.com)

A 46-year-old woman died from multiple stab wounds she received in an industrial area yesterday morning, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

A security guard called the police after spotting the woman, who has been identified as Frances Chisolm of Jersey City, lying near where she collapsed near to 135 Amity St. at 3:30 a.m.

The woman underwent surgery at the Jersey City Medical Center and was pronounced dead there at 9:25 a.m., police said.

Homicide investigators who have spoken to numerous witnesses believe she was stabbed after an argument over money. The area is known for prostitution.

Her killer is believed to have been a Spanish speaking man, is believed to have walked a couple of blocks to Clifton Place where he jumped into a yellow taxi cab.

Anyone with information should contact the Hudson County Prosecutor's Homicide Unit (201) 915-1345.

A developing feud between Newark Mayor Corey Booker and Conan O'Brien has just taken an interesting turn...check it out here:

I would have paid money to listen to the exchange between the cops and the "victim" when describing his watch...

"A WHAT kind of watch? How do you spell that?"

I'd like to know how to pronounce it!

This Watch is Better...Buy Now...Pay Later

Mazurs...yum! +1

The best cake I ever had was from Michelle's in Fort Lee, right off the Turnpike:

Michelle's Bakery

(From the Jersey Journal tonight - nj.com):

A 12-year-old Jersey City girl climbed out a second floor window and down the fire escape of a Colgate Street building last night to escape the clutches of a 33-year-old Jersey City man who held her hostage for two hours and has been charged with kidnapping, criminal restraint, and sexual assault, police said today.

The girl was not raped, but in New Jersey, a sexual contact charge is automatically upgraded to sexual assault when a minor is involved. The man tried to pull down the pants of the 12-year-old, but was unsuccessful, police said.

The girl, whom police did not identify, was riding her bike at around 7:30 p.m.when she was grabbed off the street by Luigi Pandolfo of 82 Colgate Ave., police said.

Pandolfo took the girl into a second floor apartment he shares with his mother at this address and handcuffed the girl, police said.

Pandolfo took the girl into a room and locked himself and girl inside, but the mother kept banging on the door, police said.

Fed up with his mother, Pandolfo, took the girl to an unoccupied house behind where he lives, police said.

Pandolfo then went back to 82 Colgate St.

Hearing the two arguing next door, the girl slipped out the handcuffs and out a second floor window. She climbed down a rear fire escape, got back on her bike, which was still on the sidewalk and rode home, police said.

Her mother called the police and cops went to 82 Colgate St. and arrested Pandolfo, police said.

Get yourself NOW to a major hospital - preferably NYU or Columbia Presbyterian where they have eye specialists. If you cannot make it to NY, get to Hackensack University Medical Center. Waiting days to take care of this can cost you your vision.

DON'T WAIT...and I hope you are okay.

Just had a great experience with a computer repair shop in Bayonne on 1019 Broadway. Owner's name is AL, from THE COMPUTER GUY. Telephone is 201-455-3460.

They do in-shop and at-home repairs. The best prices I have found so far - eg; house call to install a wireless network plus a wireless printer - only $80.00. Geek Squad wanted $160.00 just to come out to my house, and the actual work would be additional.

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Most police departments are not really equipped to deal with mental illness (not a criticism, they are just focused on law and order matters). And if this man is truly mentally ill, a note such as this is a really frightening thing to receive as he truly doesn't understand how his behavior is impacting others.

He has a sickness - and he needs to be cared for.

It is best to get social services involved as soon as a neighbor sees him in distress. More than one call to the EMS number noted above when there is a flare-up would be best.

His neighbors are now his lifeline enabling him to get the help he needs. Thank you for caring for him. Please update the list when you can.

This is a very sad story - but there is immediate help if a community member can step up to the plate and make ONE phone call.

Here's how it is done:

1. Contact ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES at 201-295-5160. This is the Hudson County Office. Their main number is 1-800-792-8820.

2. They will investigate the situation and determine this man's particular needs. If it is determined that the man is over 60, indigent, suffering from mental illness or dementia (without someone to care for him), then he will become a ward of the OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC GUARDIAN. They can be reached at 609-351-5555.

I can't imagine the pain he must be in...so I really hope someone closer to the situation than I can make that call. A hot meal may also be welcomed if he's not being cared for at all. Lack of sleep and food for an elderly person can be a trigger for a lot of symptoms.

If these calls do not help the situation in the short term, please PM me.

Wow - thanks - even better they have a mission to help the community:

(from their website:)
Metro Shredding is member of Hudson Community Enterprise?s family of social ventures. It is a non-profit, mobile shredding company dedicated to providing members of the community with special needs the opportunity to increase self-esteem and self-reliance while gaining valuable work experience. It offers secure and reliable mobile shredding services on a scheduled or one-time basis in the Hudson County area. Make no mistake, Metro?s employees provide dependable and thorough services. To them, this job is more than just a paycheck. Metro gladly invites you to compare it to its competition. Most importantly, all of Metro Shredding's profits go back to the community by funding Hudson Community Enterprise?s (Metro?s parent company) vocational and job preparation programs.

By doing business with Metro, you will be contributing to your community in a meaningful and real way.

Does anyone know of a company that does bulk shredding for a consumer-sized order? I have a few box loads of items to shred.

Accused triggerman in Newark shootout that injured 4-year-old girl surrenders to police

by Sharon Adarlo/The Star-Ledger
Saturday September 05, 2009, 12:36 PM

NEWARK -- A city resident accused of taking part in a Tuesday afternoon gun battle that injured a 4-year-old girl surrendered to police this morning, according to the man's attorney.

Curtis Daniels, 32, turned himself in to Newark police at his attorney's office in Orange shortly before 11 a.m., said Sebastian Bio of the law firm Bio and Laracca, who was hired by Daniels.

Daniels' surrender comes after police identified him as one of two alleged shooters at a playground at the Betty Shabazz Apartments on Irvine Turner Boulevard where a young girl was caught in the crossfire.

Bio disputed that Daniels was one of the shooters and said it was a case of mistaken identity. Bio also said Daniels had planned to surrender next week on Tuesday after he had made arrangements for his incarceration with his family and his job as manager at a Jersey City Pathmark.

Bio said he had informed police on Thursday that Daniels would turn himself in next week and police did not object.

"There was no need for a manhunt, there was no need for search," Bio said. "He had no intention of evading arrest and prosecution."

A police spokesman said there will be a press conference on Daniels' arrest at 3 p.m. today at the agency's communication center on Washington Street.

The Tuesday shooting incident unfolded at approximately 4 p.m. when Daniels allegedly got out of the Audi and fired a weapon at Rasheed Nelson and an unidentified man in the courtyard of the complex, police said. Investigators believe Nelson, 26, shot back at the gunman. Four shots were fired during the incident.

The young girl caught in the crossfire was transported to University Hospital, where she remains in stable condition, authorities said. Police did not know whose bullet hit the child.

Three hours after the 4 p.m. shoot out, police arrested Nelson after he sought treatment at University Hospital for a gunshot wound to the hand. Police said Nelson was charged with aggravated assault and weapons charges.

Daniels fled with several other occupants in the Audi, which was found abandoned a short time later at Barclay and Montgomery streets, said Detective Todd McClendon, police spokesman. The vehicle had been carjacked at gunpoint on Aug. 16.

McClendon said investigators are still seeking three to four additional people in connection with the shooting. The unidentified man in the courtyard with Nelson is being sought as a witness

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It actually isn't unusual. Most suicide victims do not leave notes. And according to Canadian researcher Dr. A. Leenaars, who has extensively studied suicide notes, the percentage of those who leave notes varies from 12 to 37% percent.

Since I know JCList readers have uncommonly big hearts, here's a story I picked up at Hoboken411.com - it is a message from councilwoman Beth Mason:

................................................................................

I would like to inform you that Frank Sinatra Drive is currently closed from 4th ? 12th streets while rescue workers continue to aid in the recovery effort of Saturday?s plane and helicopter crash. Recovery workers are currently trying to pull the plane out of the Hudson, as well as recover the bodies of the last two crash victims.

I want to thank the rescue workers for all of their hard work and efforts. Currently there are six recovery boats and numerous divers in the river working to secure the plane. These workers could use donations of water, Gatorade, and/or ice. On Sunday alone, rescue workers went through 20 cases of water. I ask that you please consider donating these supplies. You can drop off your donations at the rescue station located at the entrance to Frank Sinatra Drive between 11th and 12th Streets.

In addition, I would also like to thank Benny Tudino?s for assisting me in supplying lunch and water to the workers yesterday. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me by email at info@masoncitycouncil.org?

Try Vistaprint.com. Awesome resource for small business owners. They do all types of printing, including t-shirts.

Here's how to save - sign up for their email list first. They start sending you offers immediately for free merchandise.

Never pay full price at the site as their emails come often and always offer free postcards, flyers, brochures, t-shirts, signs, magnetic signs, etc.

If you need a quickie t-shirt, there is a very nice kiosk vendor on the first floor of the Newport Mall that will help. The t-shirt quality is just okay, but if you're looking for a one-day-wear item, he's your man.

From the Jersey Journal:

Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith of Jersey City, arrested on corruption charges last month, has agreed to resign his office, according to sources close to Smith.

Smith was arrested on July 23, along with nearly two dozen other Hudson County officials, as part of a massive corruption bust.

Smith is charged with accepting $15,000 in bribes from a government informant posing as a developer seeking help with obtaining the okay from the state Department of Environmental Protection to build a project on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City.

Former mayors Peter Cammarano of Hoboken and Dennis Elwell of Secaucus, who were also arrested July 23, have already resigned their positions.

Pressure was mounting on Smith to depart. Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts had suspended his state pay and benefits. And two Republican Assembly members had called for his expulsion. But Roberts declined to pursue that because the process, he said, would interfere with the ongoing federal probe.

Smith and his attorney, Peter Willis of Jersey City, couldn't be immediately reached to comment.

Other news reports are indicating Camarano has not yet made up his mind yet...is this resignation a definite?

Good NYT article about Jack Shaw's shady background...with an interesting connection to Metrovest developers:

Jack Shaw Article NYTimes

Here's how the Hoboken protest went tonight. JJ is reporting about 200 people showed up:

Hoboken Protest from the Jersey Journal