i was very happy to have the opportunity to shoot this event for juxtapoz.

photos from the opening in nyc can be seen here:

http://www.juxtapoz.com/index.php?opt ... sk=view&id=2130&Itemid=62

or go to juxtapoz.com and click on the three eyed bunnies!

In New Jersey if you would like to vote for Ron Paul in the primary you MUST be registered as a Republican. If you are a registered voter you must change your party to Republican before December 17, 2007; click here to see the party declaration form. If you are not registered you can register to vote in all elections and declare yourself Republican all on this one form before January 15, 2008. The New Jersey primary election will be held on Feburary 5, 2008; for more information on Ron Paul in the primaries please visit: www.primarilypaul.com

Sefzi.

I make the real estate joke, and yes, it's a joke, because you seemed to lash out so passionately about something that will soon effect your rent prices, eventhough I don't actually believe you when you say you rent. Because I'm sorry, no one wants to pay more for something. It's just human nature.

Yes, people all over the country commute more than 45 minutes. But it's for other reasons. I'm sure if I had a wife and two kids, my priorities with housing would be different.

Yes, it is happening fast, how can you possibly disagree? Look around at the construction in Jersey City...The JC skyline is changing by the day...I'm not making this up. And yes, my rent, personally has gone up almost 45% in less than 5 years. That's moving quickly...

Yes, Real estate companies are driving pricing changes. Are they 100% to blame, no, but they are a major part of it. They are building this community up with publicity and lifestyle ads that are attracting buyers not familiar with the community and pushing what i belive is a "fake" jersey city. Just as people love to hate on walmart for their expansion, and what it does to local communities, the real estate companies in jersey city are doing the same thing, except, they are offering higher prices instead of lower ones. All these new condos are not working off jersey city prices, they are working off NYC ones, and they are trying very hard to sell JC as an area that it hasn't developed into yet. They are the ones setting prices, all following each other. And no, people aren't buying them as fast as they thought. Some places are not even %40 full, when they've been open for a few months, and have been advertising for over 2 years. I'm pretty sure it's because their prices are too high. They aren't market prices, they are trying to inflate the market price themselves. I'm pretty sure that when these places go a few years of being half capacity, the prices will fall, But it doesn't help the situation now.

Yes, who are the people buying 500 sq ft. condos for 500k? It's not even the case of being able to afford it or not. If I hit the lottery tomorrow, and had 500k cash in hand, I WOULD NEVER buy a 500 sq ft studio apt in JERSEY CITY for that price. I ask the question because i have yet to hear from or meet someone who has. I'd be curious to hear their reasoning.

Read the rest of the thread. Read the article brewster posted. I'm not making up the fact that middle class home are vanishing from the NY area. I'm not too lazy to find them, and like I've mentioned before, the prices are getting so high in JC, they are coming too close to manhattan prices. This is only going to hurt Jersey City. If someone has the choice to live in jersey city, 30 minutes from their job, or pay $100 more and live in manhattan, most people will choose manhattan. That's why I'm saying I think JC is getting ahead of itself. And yes, middleclass people should be entitled to live close to their jobs in affordable housing. Yes, it is wrong that an entire city, and surrounding area is priced that just the wealthy can live there. And it IS destroying the fabric and history of the area.

The only luxury condos going up are on the waterfront??? NO. look at the beacon, look at the new condos in bayonne and on the west side.

Of course I'm going to look at this problem with an emotional attachment. I have an emotional attachment to Jersey City. It's where my family is from.

I like how you just had to throw in the BUSH administration. Like he is responsible for rising prices in JC. And you think I'm detached? You think things would be different if John Kerry was president? Please. Save your garbage liberal agenda for you conspiracy websites. For as much as you pat yourself on the back for raging against the machine, you seem to defend the "capitalist pigs" with an army of quotes sticking up for them. And in no way does my republican vote mean that i support kicking people out of their homes and destroying the middle class. Stop believing all that liberal propaganda. It's just their way of trying to make republicans look bad, and it's total BS.

That's great you think golf is for "A$$hole republicans". It shows how screwed up your thinking is. Like people who vote democrat don't play golf. And how everyone who doesn't vote the way you do is an a$$hole. You are a snob. You're a snob for thinking that you know more about economics than i do when your political agenda clouds your thinking. When you think you are smarter than someone just because they look at a problem from a different perspective. Your an idiot for thinking it's weird that I'm complaining about my rent going up 22% in one year. I love the fact that you think it's strange that I'm an artist and I vote republican. I wonder what you'd think if you found out i was in the army as well. You need to get over the weird, perverted propaganda from your liberal constituents and lose the romantic idea that all liberals are creatives, and vice versa.

But if you believe so strongly that the pricing should go up in JC, why not contact your landlord tomorrow and ask he or she increase your rent 22%.

Amazing, that all those small galleries and stores in the PAD which were highlighted in the City-Sponsored Arts Tour pamphlets, obviously are just figments of my imagination

And 111 First which was also a major site of the City-sponsored arts tours, through which JC citizens and NYC visitors were encouraged to walk through, is now labelled an unsafe, unsound structure that had to be replaced.

This is 2007 not "1984", but Matsikoudis sounds decidedly Orwellian in his attempt to rewrite reality and history.


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Which politicians promised that the Federal Income tax would only affect the richest 1% of the population, and when exactly did "they" do this?

The third thing is the real problem - it's very easy to raise a tax once it's on the books. Almost always it gets pushed up over the years. Probably the best example is the Federal Income tax, which politicians promised would always affect only the richest 1% of the population to get it passed. Look at how that's worked out.

If JC really needs the money it would be better to raise the real estate taxes but they don't want to do that because it would be less stealthy than sneaking in another form of taxation.

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I'm registering Republican just to vote for Ron Paul in the primary.

I advise everyone to do the same.

(I hope I haven't passed some arbitrary deadline already)

I love how the Healy administration gives out tax-abatements to big business and developers, then turns around and requests / demands more money from the working stiffs via this possible sales tax to generate some playing money for his staff.

Why is it we always elect individuals that have no experience in big business or any risk management skills to mitigate any short comings.
We need to elect a person who has experience as a general manager from some large corporation like shoprite or similar. Someone who has logistic skills, people skills, supply skills, industrial skills, negotiation skills, ethical skills, contract skills, understanding on how to balance the books - accounting skills and the ability to project manager a city's resources - We need a person with a PhD in Business Management, not some wanker, risk taker / reactive attorney.

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Rent's may decline with RE values, then again they may not. A frequent phenomena is that as less people buy because of high prices and/or rates, and rent instead, rents go up from increased demand. The added variable here is that rents have risen considerably simply because the desirability of the area has gone up, and that is unlikely to go away soon, Downtown is past the tipping point that is often the challenge for a gentrifying area facing a downturn market.

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If you contact your community relations officer at your district police station I believe that there's a form that you can fill out that lets you call anonymously. you give them a number that you're assigned.

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Sure, the building had already been saved, so Stevie had to figure out some other way to make a buck.

Its amazing to me that witnesses to "gang slayings" are having there names and other information posted about them. Is it really shocking to police that the man from Newark gave them a fake name and was not answering questions. Im sure he doesnt want be the next victim but it wouldnt suprise me if you here about him or the other woman being the newest victims. It seems to me the press puts peoples lives in danger to often just to make there story.

For those being exposed to Ron Paul for the first time I think that these are valuable resources that should be read so you can get to understand his views and make your own decision:

www.ronpaul2008.com

www.ronpaulforpresident2008.com

www.ronpaulforums.com

www.dailypaul.com

There may be others, but these are the ones that I find to be free of the standard CNN, FOX News, and Rupert Murdoch influence.

alb - no one can find fault with you for having an opinion on something as subjective as a restaurant and the food they serve/prices they charge. the kind of place you want would be a welcome addition in JC, but who knows when something like that will happen.

as for the design and feel of the place, I think it is still very much a work in progress. give it some time. the lack of art on the walls seems like a temporary situation. do you remember what used to be in that space? and how it looked? Did anyone ever eat at La Primavera? I for one am very happy to see that place gone and all traces of it wiped clean.

Has anyone checked out the brunch menu? It seems like they are already on top of the whole $$$ thing. Prix Fixe brunch and other options starting at $6 and up.


Long live Ox.

This does suck. If the landlord thinks that there is someone out there willing to pay this rent, then he may be entitled to charge it. From a practical standpoint, it may be worth it to offer the landlord a counter offer less than the proposed rent increase. This could beneift both parties: you get to stay in the apt. that you like and the landlord maintains steady tenancy.

If you're not willing to pay the rent increase, and the landlord won't take the counter offer then you may consider moving... There are many 1 br apts. within 4 blocks renting for less than $1300 and many 2br apts renting for less than $1900.

Moving sucks, but that is what renters have to do sometimes. In today's real estate market, many tenants are being forced out of their homes because the owner has defaulted on a mortgage. That truly sucks because the renters haven't done anything wrong...

As for market conditions in JC...don't worry too much. The bubble is about to deflate and prices/rents should stabilize or decline modestly IMHO. This is simply the market at work. There simply aren't that many wealthy individuals to buy up all the new condo stock around here. Again, IMO.

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Two words for ya:

Madame
Claude's

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"Too cold and modern for jc" - are you SERIOUS sweetie? Have you MET some of the folks moving in downtown? Cold and "modern" doesn't even BEGIN to describe them.

Oh, and if what you say about being "affordable and friendly" is true, Marco and Pepe and Beechwood would have closed years ago.

Oy vey where to even begin, aside from the fact that it couldn't be more inappropriate for the City's Corporation counsel to be responding to an Editorial in the JJ, particularly when that response is outright lobbying in favor of a development proposal currently under review. Might have something to do with the Mayor's complete indifference, or with Matsikoudis wanting to stick up for the Planning Board since he appointed his multiply sanctioned brother to it. Either way, it's a sure sign of how the Planning Board is going to vote on the Toll proposal.

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Wow, so it's deplorable for the JJ to be critical of the City's failed PAD policy in print, but it's perfectly okay for the City's attorney to backhand bitchslap the amazing efforts that have been put into making the bars and restaurants in downtown Jersey City a thriving scene, and a totally viable alternative to Hoboken and Manhattan for a lot of people, JC residents and otherwise?

What a G-D hypocrite.

Speaking of hypocrisy, Mr. Matsikoudis, i'm just taking a stab in the dark here, but you criticize the editorial staff of the JJ for being "non-resident" but I'm not familiar with which JC ward you live in. I wonder if he would care to enlighten us.

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Wow. And in 1930, there were no housing projects and no mega high-rise residential towers. And the waterfront was railyards and factories. And the city managed to accommodate 60,000 more people. Thanks for making a great case against the upzoning, genius.

I didn't realize that a shortage of liquor stores was a problem that might face our state's downtrodden urban areas. Thank you, Mr. Leighton, for alterting me of the problem.

Based on Mr. Leighton's wise statements, I propose that the best way to revitalize struggling business districts in Newark, Passaic, Camden, and other cities is to open a liquor store on every corner. That will definitely turn those cities around.

Just wanted to second your opinion.
OX is good, but a bit pricey for me to go there regularly. Not a bad place to get together with a party of 8-10 for special occassions, though.

I can vouch for the steak and duck.

Lawmakers debate liquor licenses for grocery chains

by Tom Hester/The Star-Ledger
Monday December 03, 2007, 6:14 PM

New Jerseyans would be able to buy liquor, beer or wine at supermarkets or convenience stores -- like consumers in 45 other states -- under a bill debated before a legislative committee today.

Lawmakers took no formal action on the bill, which would change a 47-year-old law designed to prevent monopolization, price-fixing and mob influence. Owners of mom-and-pop liquor stores complained the measure is a first step toward supermarket chains gaining control of the state's retail liquor business.

Fred Leighton, president of the New Jersey Liquor Store Alliance and owner of Bayway World of Liquor in Elizabeth, argued the legislation would hurt struggling business districts, raise the risk of minors illegally obtaining liquor at busy supermarkets, and lead to price hikes.

The director of the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control said the proposal is unnecessary and is opposed by the Corzine administration. He said it would make it more difficult to enforce the drinking age.

"When I see a 15-year-old walk into a liquor store, I assume there is a problem," Jerry Fischer, state ABC director, told the committee. "When I see a 15-year-old walk into a supermarket, I can't assume anything. I have very valid concerns."

The bill (S1691) would change the existing system that limits any corporation or individual to only two retail liquor licenses statewide. It is being pushed by the New Jersey Food Council, the lobbying arm for such supermarket chains as Acme, Stop & Shop, Pathmark, Whole Foods and Quick Chek.

"The existing law is anti-competitive, unfair and riddled with loopholes," said Deana Lykins, a consultant retained by the N.J. Food Council. "It is a protectionist measure for one part of the liquor industry."

Read more in Tuesday's Star-Ledger

But the renderings on the website is umm... how can I put this? Overly optimistic.

I love what they are trying to do over there. More power to the developers on this project. The area desperately needs it.

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Well that's going too far.

I completely agree. The CANCO neighborhood is getting better and better. The lofts at CANCO are by far the nicest condominiums around. I am waiting to see the finished model and will probably purchase.

'GHOUL' WON'T STAND TRIAL
By ALEX GINSBERG
New York Post

December 4, 2007 -- The former owner of the Brooklyn funeral home where prosecutors claim a ring of organ thieves harvested bones and tissue from cadavers is unfit to stand trial with his co-defendants, a judge ruled yesterday.

Justice John Walsh separated former Daniel George & Son Funeral Home owner Joseph Nicelli's case from his alleged cohorts' after a serious fall at a Jersey City construction site left him with severe brain injuries.

Michael Mastromarino, Lee Crucetta and Christopher Aldorasi are expected to stand trial on Jan. 8.

=======================

Embalmer granted separate NYC trial in body parts scandal

Newsday
December 3, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) _ A former funeral parlor owner and embalmer accused in a plot to plunder corpses and sell the body parts for transplants has been granted a separate trial because he needs more time to recover from a serious head injury, prosecutors said Monday.

Joseph Nicelli has been rehabilitating since suffering the injury in January by falling off a roof, but has not made enough progress to appear at an upcoming trial with three co-defendants. The trial is expected to begin sometime early next year in Brooklyn.

The four men were charged last year with removing skin, bone and other parts from hundreds of bodies at funeral homes in New York without family permission. A related case involving nearly 250 bodies has been brought in Philadelphia as well.

Seven funeral directors have since pleaded guilty to undisclosed charges and agreed to cooperate. Lawyers have said one was the director of a funeral home that took parts from the body of the late "Masterpiece Theatre" host Alistair Cooke.

OMG - I agree with parkman.

What i love is that they spend all this $$$ to make sidewalk ramps for the handicapped and then dump that thing wright in the middle of the sidewalk.

Even funnier is that they dumped one of thiose signs right in the middle of the courtyard plaza (if it can be called that) for City Hall. If you read the sign you'll learn that you are standing in front of --- City Hall.

Meanwhile, they can't spend any $$$ to fix the crumbling steps!

http://www.nj.com/hudsoncountynow/ind ... ggle_is_powerhouse_a.html

'Power' struggle: Is Powerhouse Arts District on track for failure?

by The Jersey Journal
Tuesday December 04, 2007, 4:09 PM

An arts district in Downtown Jersey City takes its name from the the old commuter train Powerhouse.

Is the city serious about the Powerhouse Arts District? Does the Healy Administration appreciate the meaning of "Arts''?

Those are the questions being debated in Jersey City as a developer has asked for changes to the district plan.

Yesterday, The Jersey Journal strongly editorialized that the city has, in essence, abandoned the vision of the district's creators. In response, the city's corporation counsel writes in an op-ed today that the artists just aren't there and the revised vision is they way to bring culture and entertainment to the area.

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EDITORIAL RESPONSE

Newspaper too myopic to see future arts district

Tuesday, December 04, 2007
BY BILL MATSIKOUDIS
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

The Jersey Journal's editorial on developments in the Powerhouse Arts District is wrong and disturbing and requires a response. It is heart-breaking that the non-resident editors of Jersey City's hometown paper take no time to get the facts right, disregard advancements that will make Jersey City a world-class city and disgracefully conclude that our city has no soul.

Let's begin with the fact that our city does lack cultural amenities and the Powerhouse Arts District (PAD) is currently a blighted area with no cultural institutions. The original PAD redevelopment plan had the dual aims of being a cultural destination for the visual and performing arts and a creative incubator where artists could work and live. While there has been some positive residential development, there are few cultural amenities to speak of. While artists have taken advantage of subsidized housing opportunities, securing interested and qualified artists has been a Herculean task and hardly any artists have occupied non-subsidized housing. While the Journal erroneously states that the City Council removed the PAD from the oversight of the Historic Preservation Commission, it was Hudson County Assignment Judge Maurice Gallipoli who ruled the historic ordinance ineffective and also commented on legal frailties of the PAD redevelopment plan.

During the Healy Administration, strides have been made that will ultimately make the PAD unique and one of the most vibrant locales on the East Coast. For the first time, steps have been taken toward preserving and renovating the most significant architectural building in the district and the namesake of the area - the Powerhouse. The developers who successfully renovated the similar Power Plant in Baltimore have been designated as developers, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has dedicated funds to move the electric transformer that is an obstacle to development and the city and Port Authority are poised to enter into an agreement that will bring about the conversion of this edifice into a place where visitors can dine, shop and enjoy the arts within an architectural masterpiece.

The 111 First St. settlement will replace a structurally unsound and unsafe warehouse with a unique building designed by one of the world's greatest architects that the Jersey Journal heralded in its Feb. 27, editorial as "a breath of fresh ideas." The settlement also provides for over 20,000 square feet for galleries and live entertainment, some 120 units of affordable housing, over 100 reduced-price artist lofts that will have an exclusive marketing period for artists and $1 million to be divided between the Jersey City Museum and the Loew's Jersey Theatre (which makes the editorial's comment that the Toll theater proposal will justify the demise of the Loew's Theatre incomprehensible). When I addressed the "domino effect" before the City Council it was clear that other property owners, including Toll Brothers, might seek greater densities and heights and I said those issues would "come down to policy issues" and that "with regard to those other properties, those developers or those land owners are going to have the opportunity to make their case to the administration, to the council, to the Planning Board, and you are going to get to decide on that." (See Transcript of June 28, 2006 City Council meeting.)

Toll Brothers has been making their case and the city will soon decide. While unanimity on all aspects of the plan can't be expected and certain well-intended criticisms are well taken, the benefits of this proposal are significant. A first-class theater and plaza surrounded by restaurants, cafes and bars will help make the PAD a true destination. The preservation of the fa?ade of the Manischewitz building will maintain the industrial feel created by the A&P building and 140 Bay St. The criticized high rises are consistent with the high rises all around the area and, more importantly, the development is consistent with smart growth principles. Not to take advantage of the mass transit opportunities provided by the nearby PATH and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail would be environmentally foolhardy. Moreover, the critical mass of people these buildings will provide will help the cultural institutions in the PAD thrive. Currently, most of Downtown is a ghost town at night. Jersey City has more than 60,000 less people today than it did in 1930. We are helped by people moving to our city.

The PAD will ultimately develop into a unique, thriving cultural destination. It's a shame that Jersey City's hometown paper is too myopic and negative to recognize this.

BILL MATSIKOUDIS is corporation counsel for the City of Jersey City.

On the positive side, it's not a sign that's likely to be missed. It practically walks up and introduces itself. Fair warning all: You only have a short time to work a youtube video around this prop and then it's gone.

wtf, were they thinking, who's idea was this? I like the idea of location maps in the city but this one is just idiotic.