Cool, another way to ruin my diet.

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C- Very boring, failure to use punctuation

I had no idea they were even still operating.

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December 31, 2006
Relocating
They Don?t Make Passover Matzo Here in Jersey City Anymore
By JENNIFER V. HUGHES
JERSEY CITY

AFTER 74 years of matzo baking at the Manischewitz plant here, it was all coming to an end, and the house rabbi, Yaakov Horowitz, was philosophical.

?The Jewish experience is one of transition,? he said as he prepared to supervise the last kosher-for-Passover run of the crackers before the operation moves to Newark in the spring. Earlier this year, the 100,000-square-foot property was bought by Toll Brothers for $34.6 million. The place where some 75 million sheets of matzo crackers have been baked each year is destined to become another condo development in the city?s gentrifying warehouse district.

?There is a great amount of sadness that the facility so many people looked to for so many years will assume a more, shall we say, mundane character,? said Rabbi Horowitz, as the run of Passover matzo began on Dec. 20. Still, Rabbi Horowitz saw the poignancy in having the final, one-day run take place during Hanukkah. ?Part of Hanukkah is about people connecting the old with the new,? he said. ?We?re thrilled to be entering a state-of-the-art facility.?

The Jersey City plant will continue making other products, which include regular matzo, matzo meal, noodles and jars of gefilte fish, until it closes. Manischewitz also licenses its name to another company for wines.

The new plant, on Avenue K in Newark, will be more efficient and twice the size of the Jersey City factory, Rabbi Horowitz said. Most of the 100 employees in Jersey City will make the move to Newark, company officials said.

Jersey City?s warehouse district was once the heart of a thriving industrial center, filled with factories and rail lines. Its industrial base declined in the 1980s, and about 10 years ago artists began moving into the area, which was designated the Powerhouse Arts District by the city in 2004. That ordinance regulated aesthetic issues, provided for artists? living and working space and mandated affordable housing.

Now, condo and retail projects are completed, in the works or planned for at least six former warehouses. They will add more than 1,000 housing units and almost 800,000 square feet of retail space, said Bob Cotter, the city?s planning director.

The fight over the most prominent artist?s enclave, 111 First Street, which involved residents and preservationists as well as the developer, landed in court; a settlement last June allowed the developer to build 40 stories tall, instead of adhering to the original building?s height. The old building has been demolished, and the design for the new building by Rem Koolhaas is scheduled for completion in mid-January.

Conceptual drawings for the six-story Manischewitz building are similar, calling for a high-rise tower similar in height to 111 First Street, about 400 housing units and 70,000 square feet of retail, said Bob Antonicello, executive director of the city?s redevelopment agency.

That was what some preservationists feared after the 111 First Street settlement.

?If you want to have anything resembling a neighborhood, you can?t have these warehouses packed next to skyscrapers,? said Joshua Parkhurst, president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.

A Toll Brothers spokeswoman declined to talk about plans for the site.

The neighborhood that city planners are hoping will become a new SoHo was not so trendy in the 1950s when Bob Starr began serving as the president of Manischewitz, a post he held for 41 years.

?It was horrible ? this neighborhood was one of the worst slums in the city,? Mr. Starr, who was visiting the plant, said, over the roar of the mixing machines.

The matzo meal is mixed on the plant?s sixth floor, then heads down a chute to the fifth, where it is rolled flat and moved by conveyer belt into a huge brick oven that dates to the building?s erection in 1932.

Mr. Starr said the closing of the Jersey City plant was emotional, even though he has been retired since 1992. ?I spent most of my life right here,? he said.

Include them as having one of the best lunch bargains in town. $5.95 for soup and a choice of beef, pork, chicken, fish & rice. Not a huge portion, but enough. I kinda blew the budget concept though with a pitcher of sangria, but it was worth it :). I don't why they were so dead though.

From the 12/10 NYT Op-Ed page.

Just out of curiosity, is doubling up commonplace outside NJ?

Re complacency to corruption: I first moved to NJ (Hoboken) almost 15 years ago and Russo had just become mayor. In a short time, he revealed what a lowlife bully and thief he was. As time went on, he became more bold with his tactics. For chrissakes, he even tried to run over one of his opponents. I was taken aback not only that he continued to get re-elected, but by huge majorities. Having the feds throw someone in jail seems to be the only way to keep corrupt politicians from elected positions.



December 10, 2006

Op-Ed Contributor
Shrugging All the Way
By HELENE STAPINSKI

THE latest excitement in Hudson County ? news that quite a few politicians are ?double dipping,? pulling in multiple salaries and pensions ? has met with the usual reaction from taxpayers. No, not gnashing of teeth or pulling of hair. There?s no protest at City Hall or public rally demanding change.

The reaction instead is a collective shrug of the shoulders. The fact that double dipping is not illegal ? at least not yet ? makes the shrug even bigger. More than a million shoulders, all shrugging at once, make a terrific sound, if your ears are sharp enough to pick it up.

Having grown up in Hudson County, I have my ears finely tuned. Though I now live out of state, I can still hear that shrug, still hear what people are saying miles away: It?s no big deal. After all, double dipping means only that you have two (or more) public office positions and two (or more) pensions. I mean, there are guys taking bribes in musty back rooms, in well-lighted city offices, out in the open on construction sites even as we speak. A little double or triple dipping is nothing. At least these guys are working ? working hard, I might add. Nothing to raise your voice about.

After I wrote ?Five-Finger Discount,? a book documenting decades of Hudson County corruption and abuse, there was much more of an uproar. Maybe it was a case of killing the messenger, but people from Hudson County protested ? even some of my own relatives complained. How dare I badmouth Hudson County! How dare I say crooks have not only lived in but ruled the place for decades!

There were letters, to me and to the local papers, calling for my head; people showing up at local book readings to argue with me over my description of Jersey City, citizens saying that those were the old days, that Hudson County didn?t operate like that anymore.

I shrugged.

Within months, Hudson was embroiled in one of its biggest scandals ever, the indictment of County Executive Robert Janiszewski for extortion and tax evasion. Bobby J., hiding out as a government informant at a ski resort, had worn a wiretap and brought an avalanche of other Hudson crooks down with him.

One of them was the publisher of the first newspaper I ever worked for, The Hudson Reporter. He was a local developer named Joe Barry. When I read his name in the papers, tied to bribery charges, my stomach lurched; it?s the way most Hudson denizens react when they read a friend or relative has been fingered.

He?s a good guy, I thought. When you do business in Hudson County, you have to grease the skids. There?s no way around it. It?s been going on for a century, since the crooked days of Mayor Frank Hague, a local folk hero. This is a place where SWAG (Stolen Without a Gun) is a way of life; where SWAG feeds you, clothes you and keeps you entertained. You take as much as your arms will hold, and you run very fast.

My father, after all, fed us with the steak and lobster that fell off the truck at his job at the Union Terminal Cold Storage. It was socially acceptable. I mean, who didn?t have a cousin with a no-show job in the public works department? But it?s no big deal, right?

My former boss went to prison. But I thought, and still think from time to time, that what he did was no big deal. Not by Hudson County standards. He was a prince among frogs. The crimes trickle down, or up, depending on how you look at it. And we shrug our collective shrug and forget about it until the next scandal.

Which, of course, is the problem. It?s not the illegal ? or unethical ? actions themselves that are such a shame in Hudson County, but the lack of reaction by the citizens who ultimately pay the price for them.

There?s the rotting infrastructure, the soaring taxes, the lingering toxic waste, the dirty streets, the clean politicians who suffer from guilt by association simply because they?re from Hudson County. All because some jerk is putting money in his pocket when it?s supposed to go someplace else. It all trickles away, dollar by dollar, money meant to make the county a little prettier, a little more respectable ? but instead going to pay for ski resorts and extra pensions.

Prosecutors can put away dozens, no, hundreds more Hudson County criminals. Legislators can vote to make double dipping illegal. But it won?t matter. Because until we stop shrugging and throw the bums out ? the ones who refuse to tell right from wrong ? the Bobby J.?s and envelope padders and takers will continue to conduct business as usual.

When the culture changes, when all our shoulders are used to carry the burden of Hudson?s reputation, without shrugging, when people start yelling at council meetings and writing letters and demanding change, Hudson County might just struggle out of the muck of its antiquated, corrupt system of back scratching and patronage and SWAG. Until then, it?s double dipping all around.

Helene Stapinski is the author of ?Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History.?

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First off, where's the free parking? And I think Ms. Feeney forgot to add in regards to the long lunch lines the reason: the waitress can't seem to pull herself away from her cell. Seriously, anyone been there recently? I haven't been there for several years because of the service.

December 3, 2006
New Jersey
No-Frills Cuban Fare, and Cheer
By KELLY FEENEY

If the Latin music at La Conguita, a casual Cuban restaurant-cum-diner in Jersey City, doesn?t put you in an upbeat mood, then the comfort food will. The atmosphere is casual and fun ? plastic cups and colorful murals ? and the menu is inexpensive. The cafe con leche, strong coffee with steamed milk, ($1) will wake you up in the morning. The breakfast sandwich of egg, chorizo and cheese ($3.50) is easy to eat on the go.

At lunchtime, there is a long line for the Cuban sandwich, with layers of moist pork, ham, Swiss cheese and pickles on crusty bread that is airy inside ($3.50). A bowl of garlic soup is the perfect accompaniment ($4). Or try the octopus salad ($6 for a small serving) or a side of empanadas or ham croquettes ($1 each).

Generously sized entrees include the classic ropa vieja, or shredded beef in tomato sauce, for $8.50. The garlic chicken ($6.95) is straightforward and good. All entrees are served with rice, beans and plantains. Specials change daily.

The Gonzalez family opened La Conguita in 1980 with eight tables and six counter seats. After a renovation three years ago, there are now 75 seats. Service can be hit or miss, but the food is worth the wait; free parking.

La Conguita, 351 Grove Street, Jersey City; (201) 435-6770.

KELLY FEENEY

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Gift cards / certificates are the biggest ripoff and were undoubtedly invented by Walmart in conjunction with Satan. I never quite got it and perhaps someone can explain the benefits. Giving cash allows the donee to buy whatever they want from wherever they want whenever they want. Or god forbid, bank it. On the other hand, you're stuck with a gift card to buying from one lousy place. And god forbid you forget about it or lose it or fail to use it and get charged service charges. In the best case, you'll end up spending more than what's on the card because the dang ipod cost $350 and the gift card was only $300, or something like that. What am I missing?

Oooh, such jealousy! And no, I get my shoes shined while I'm getting my shave, hair cut, nose hairs and eye brows clipped.

When my old-fashioned Italian barber dies, it's time for me to die cuz there ain't no one like him. While they now call themselves "Hair Stylists," they're one of those old fashioned shops that are located in an office building in the Times Square area. I've been going there for years and I tell ya, there is absolutely nothing finer including sex than a good barber shave. [I probably wouldn't have included the sex part 70 years ago.]

I generally tip my super $50 but I might increase it this year due to inflation. This is a condo and he basically provides no extra services, not that I ask. In the past, only 3 or 4 units have tipped -- my bldg. sucks.

We finally have a regular mailman here and he's a delight. He walks up 4 flights to deliver packages. I plan to give him $50. I don't think they're supposed to take gifts though, but this is JC where such rules are considered theoretical.

AND, I plan to tip the UPS guy who carries huge packages up 4 flights and always has a smile. This is a far cry from several years ago where they wouldn't go past the lobby to deliver.

The Times delivery guy is always a quandary. It seems they change every month or so and ironically, the service gets decent around this time of year. Last year, I did something a bit unorthodox and perhaps ridiculous -- the new guy was working about a week when he left the merry xmas gimme money card with the paper. I left him $10 and told him if the delivery was still satisfactory in 2 months I'd throw in more loot.

I give the barber the cost of a haircut and shave, my usual service.

I'm stuck on what to give the cleaning lady who I've had for several months and does a great job. The cost of a cleaning?

Of course, all this is contingent upon finding a job and whether I have enough money left over after buying myself much needed toys. :)

PM me and I'll tell you my thoughts and experience.

Not that I condone such anti-social and repulsive behavior, but I know a certain somebody that put a big sign in his rear window, "Delivery [name of resaurant]" and got away with parking and double parking everywhere, including by the waterfront, without a ticket for a year.

I go back to the Hoboken example. The speed bumps there seemly fairly innoucuous and they're all over town.

I'd suggest finding out how Hoboken went about implementing speed bumps at many intersections and put up prominent yield to pedestrian signs. I have to think that cut down drastically on the number of accidents. It used to be a free for all before that, not unlike it is downtown JC now. It's too expensive to have a patrol car sit at these corners and it's not a long term solution.

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Probably true, but it should be noted that shit happens and some people lose everything or the means to pay rent due to unfortunate circumstances. When I was dropping stuff off once, I met a guy that lost his job as a super and lost his free apartment. It turned out he was a great handyman and I had him do some work for me. He was extremely talented and skilful, just down on his luck.

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I'm not going to quibble about 2 blocks or whatever, but I have personally (my business) donated tons of food and furniture. They are extremely appreciative of donations.

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It's way the heck north on Grove on the hoboken border. Besides, they are sheltering the homeless, not fostering it. Lucy's is a very worthy place to donate food or anything else worthwhile, including furniture. They have a van and are able to pick up, though I don't know if they make a habit of it.

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Great, the principal apparently doesn't venture out of the school. Try 3 blocks away, not 5 or 6.

I'm gonna take an educated guess that the developer is also the management company. That is generally how it works with new condos. It's usually a good idea to replace the developer because it might be a conflict of interest or they simply may not be qualified. In such a small building, the best bet might be to self-manage, but that's another story. Call the management company or whomever you're paying your maintenance fees to and get all the documentation from them. Ask them who is on the board and who the president is.

If I'm not mistaken, every condo must have a POS which details the structure and bylaws. That's what you need to work off of. If you don't know of any such documents, I would make inquiries - not sure who with, I'd start with the business registration section of NJ.

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As a result of the above recommendation, I had occasion to use Al twice in the past week. Thank you thank you. Both were small jobs... well, one sort of doesn't count... my hot water was fixed by turning the stupid switch to on. Duh. But Al was here in a flash, like 15 minutes on a Friday evening. And the other problem he fixed capably and very reasonably.

My prized floor lamp died. Could be the switch, but my knowledge doesn't extend past changing the bulb. I know it's probably not worth having someone come up here (jsq area), but I really like this lamp. I'm willing to pay up to $100. thanks for any recommendations.

I agree with the general concensus that Epps is a scar and needs to be removed. But at first, I thought the Jersey Journal had some sort of vendetta against him or they were just trying to play up the fact that they broke the story. I mean, the articles have been relentless and at times they're overdoing it, including today's editorial. I don't remember any other occasion that they fought so dogmatically on a political/corruption issue, not that I've been an avid reader of the paper. Even though I firmly believe there's some self-serving motivation on JJ's part, I think in general they should be commended for their attacks on Epps and the board that merely gave him a slap on the wrist. I might have to spend more than my usual 3 minutes a day perusing the JJ.

I'm confused. Were you late? I've always paid my tax by personal check and by mail and never had a problem, including the May 1st payment. But I'll think twice about doing it by mail again.

Epps may be a scoundrel and a crook, but at least he's a good tipper. A 20% tip in a country where 10% is normal is quite commendable. But then again, that was my f890'ing money.

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Not to digress, but Irene Stapinski the mom of Helene Stapinski, author of "Five Finger Discount," (a must read for any JC resident) and "Baby Plays Around," (a must read for most anyone.)

The article said very little about Antonicello's background. There was a previous article that went into slightly more detail and another thread here on jclist that went into a lot more detail about Antonicello. Some of us including myself know him from a business relationship. I won't bother to repeat it. But hell, Healy doesn'[t suck any more than his predecessors and lots of other elected officials... patronage regardless of qualifications is at the very core of JC politics.

In any event, if I read that article w/o knowing anything about Antonicello, I'd sure as hell be curious about the circumstances that caused him to file bankruptcy for $6000 debt.

Good ol? JC ingenuity? in the spirit of his predecessors, Healy found a way to continue the time honored tradition of patronage and stoopidity. He couldn?t get his buddy, "Bankrupt Over $6k not to mention incompetent," Bob Antonicello, appointed as head of HED, so the honorable mayor found another influential position for him, a position approved by Healy cronies. Can I just say Healy sucks?
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Jersey Journal article

Healy appointees OK his pick for Redevelopment Agency head
Thursday, April 20, 2006

By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's choice to head the city's powerful Redevelopment Agency has been unanimously approved by the agency's board.
The board, stacked with Healy appointees, approved Robert Antonicello Tuesday night to become executive director of the JCRA, an autonomous government agency responsible for designating developers in the city's blighted areas.
[?]
Healy initially wanted Antonicello to head the city Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce but that was met with skepticism by several members of the City Council.
Five of the seven JCRA board members were appointed by Healy.

A further thought... I don't know how these statistics were calculated, but I'd venture to guess that it was far from scientific. There's something wrong with NYC ranking 40 something cities below JC.

No matter what your impressions of nyc restaurants, unlike JC, they have a strict health code and it is more or less vigorously and evenly enforced.

Someone with a food handler's certificate has to be on duty whenever the kitchen is open. Getting such a certificate also requires a lot more classroom attendance than in NJ.... something like a week for a few hours a day (I forget the exact number of hours.) And the test is not a mickey mouse self-graded test like the one in NJ. You actually have to pay attention in class or have paid attention in culinary school.

At least one health inspection a year is required in nyc... more are done if any violations are found. Every inspection that I've been present at has been very thorough, often taking about 1 hour. Fail an inspection with serious violations xx number of times and the restaurant is closed.

I don't know about the rest of NJ, but JC inspections are subjective and anything but thorough. I'd also venture to guess that you'll find no one on duty at many restaurants who knows important safeguards, such as proper temperatures that foods must be kept at. This is the result of the lax rules and enforcement here.

Along the same lines, you don't have to go very far to find kitchens operating illegally. Next time you go to your favorite deli for an egg sandwich, take a look and see if there's a hood above the stove or oven, a requirement. How they get away with it is beyond me. Well, not really....

Edit to add: Most municipalities make the results of inspections public. Many (i.e., nyc, bergen county) have internet sites dedicated to this. In other counties, results are regularly reported in local newspapers. Not so in JC.

The thing about JC is that the food codes are rarely enforced. You gotta sink to the level of a C-Town where the refrigeration units are rarely plugged in to save electricity. And then someone's gotta complain or die before the health dept. comes out. To the best of my knowledge, there are only 2 health inspectors in all of JC. That's absurd. For a period of time last year, there was only one because one was out sick for a lengthy period, probably from his wife's cooking. I know of a certain legendary cheesey defunct restaurant whose inspection consisted of stuff like the health inspector asking if there was a bathroom and if it was clean. (uh, yeah, we clean it every other leap year.)

The procedure for a restaurant owner to get a food handlers permit (a requirement) is a complete joke. The course is supposed to be 5 hours I think. When a certain restaurant owner went to take the course and test, it lasted 3 hours though on the certificate he got it sez he took a 5 hour state mandated course. And it consisted of oscar grade films, like a half hour film on washing your hands. Duh! At that point, this restaurant owner fell asleep. He awoke to take the test, scared sh!tless cuz he missed all the great films. But he ended up acing it, but then again, it was a self-graded test.

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I was bowled over when I read that. We all know the dispatchers suck, but for Troy to acknowledge it and offer no solution was truly shocking. Perhaps a temporary solution is to call the nearest precinct instead. I did this the last time I had an emergency and the cops came swiftly.