Menendez calls for 'pause' to assess U.S.-Russian relations

By Steve Strunsky/The Star-Ledger
on August 11, 2013 at 6:37 PM

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it could be time to ?pause? and re-examine American relations with Russia, in light of Russian positions on NSA leaker Edward Snowden, on Syria, nuclear arms, gay and lesbian rights and even the adoption of Russian children by Americans.

Asked this morning on ABC?s ?This Week? how the United States could get Russian relations back on track, the New Jersey Democrat suggested that, after being rebuffed on a number of issues by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Obama Administration shouldn?t necessarily be in a rush to do that.

?We seem to be more invested in this effort to create a relationship with Russia that can be productive for both countries more than Putin is,? Menendez told the show's host, George Stephanopolous. ?And so it seems to me that, as we?ve tried to restart this relationship several times, that now is a moment of pause, and [we] think about how we?re going to move forward with Russia.?

Menendez and his House Counterpart, Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were on the show following an appearance by the lawyer and the father of Edward Snowden, whose release of classified records involving mass eavesdropping on ordinary Americans' telephone and email communications has prompted accusations of treason as well as efforts to rein in domestic data trawling by the National Security Agency.

Royce echoed Menendez' position.

?This former KGB agent still has a sense of hostility toward the West and to the United States,? Royce said of Putin.

"It seems to me that, as we?ve tried to restart this relationship several times, that now is a moment of pause.?

President Obama cancelled a planned face-to-face meeting with the Russian president after his decision to grant Snowden sanctuary in Russia for one year, allowing him to avoid criminal prosecution in the United States on espionage charges.

Ron Snowden, the former NSA contractor's father, said members of Congress had "poisoned" his son's chances of getting a fair trial by labeling him a traitor. But Menendez and Royce both disagreed.

?In my view , Ed Snowden is a fugitive who deserves to be in an American courtroom and not in asylum in Russia,? said Menendez, asserting that Snowden could have taken his concerns directly to Congress. ?The reality is, I don?t think he needed to undermine America?s national security to do whatever he thought his conscience led him to do,?

But "This Week" played a clip from CSPAN of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) refuting the criticism by Menendez and Royce of both Snowden and then Putin.

"in fact, he was being loyal to the rest of us by letting the American people know that their government was getting out of hand," Rohrabacher who chairs a Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Russia, said of Snowden. "Accepting him for asylum, I think, was not as hostile an act as it?s being portrayed.?

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013 ... us-russian_relations.html

Stevens Institute students build $300K solar-powered house for California competition By Lisa Hagen/The Star-Ledger on August 11, 2013 at 10:00 AM
Ecohabit: Stevens' entry to the 2013 Solar DecathlonSteven Institute of Technology students are building a solar-powered house, called Ecohabit, in Hoboken. The house will be taken apart and shipped to California for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 competition. Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal HOBOKEN ? A sleek, modern $300,000 house is rising in a parking lot overlooking the Hoboken waterfront with the New York City skyline as a backdrop. The one-of-a-kind modular house has Western red cedar rain screens, solar shingles, the latest innovations in heating and a unique green wall and roof covered with living plants. But don?t expect a for-sale sign to go up anytime soon. Later this month, the new house will be disassembled and shipped nearly 2,439 miles to Irvine, Calif. Then it will be rebuilt by students from Stevens Institute of Technology, who are entering the house in the U.S. Department of Energy?s Solar Decathlon. More than 60 Stevens students and faculty members spent two years designing and building the house, which they have dubbed Ecohabit. Their mission was to create an energy-efficient and attractive home on an affordable budget. ?The team?s goal is to integrate technology into the house,? said senior chemical engineering major Dan Munt, referring to all of the student-designed features in the house. The federal government?s Solar Decathlon, which is held every two years, challenges college students to design and construct energy-efficient, solar-powered houses. Stevens is among 20 colleges chosen to compete in this year?s challenge. The 20 furnished houses will be shipped to California and reassembled in Orange County Great Park, where they will be judged and displayed for 10 days. The decathlon consists of 10 different contests. Teams will be judged on their houses? energy efficiency, architecture and affordability. They will also be judged on the structure?s comfort level, as the participants host a dinner party and movie night in the houses. The winners get bragging rights and the real-world experience of designing an award-winning house while still in school. Stevens is not the only team from New Jersey building a solar house. New Jersey Institute of Technology students in Newark have entered their own solar home in a separate solar decathlon competition in China. Partnered with students from Harbin Institute of Technology in China, the NJIT team has been working this summer to finish their entry, called Nexus House. In Hoboken, Stevens students are constructing their entry in two sections ? a wet and dry module ? so it can be easily transported and reassembled in California. The wet module, covered in concrete panels, controls the plumbing while the dry module, lined with Western red cedar rain screenings, sports the team?s alternative to solar panels. Stevens team designs, builds solar home for a brighter futureFor the past two years, a group of 60 students and faculty from Stevens Institute of Technology have been planning, designing and building a house to compete in a solar decathlon. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the competition will be held in Irvine, California in October where 20 teams from around the world will compete to have the most affordable, energy efficient and attractive home. Stevens' house, Ecohabit, will implement several unique features and student-invented systems including DOW Powerhouse solar shingles, Bio PCM insulation and dehumidifier that uses a liquid desiccant system. (Video by Lisa Hagen/The Star-Ledger) Stevens students said they are the only team incorporating solar shingles in their house. Courtney Gnash, a sophomore majoring in music and technology, described the shingles as ?solar panels in disguise.? Similar to asphalt shingles, the solar shingles snap together through a conduit. ?They?re very discreet, streamlined, and they?re more aesthetically pleasing than solar panels and less bulky,? Gnash said, noting the shingles are hurricane resistant. Around the exterior, Stevens students are also installing green fixtures and gardens as additional energy sources. Claire Griffin, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said the team integrated plants into Ecohabit to have ?more interaction with nature.? Students also designed a ?smart detection system? that will monitor energy consumption and savings in every room. The size of a fire alarm, the system will learn a resident?s daily lifestyle patterns and can be accessed through a phone application. The house also includes insulation that will act as a ?thermal buffer? for the house, storing heat to either keep in the structure or release to the outside depending on the weather. Ecohabit also only has ramps so the house is wheelchair-accessible, a requirement for the competition. Once construction is finished, the house?s interior will be furnished with modular furniture, which can be rearranged to suit any lifestyle. Two years ago, Stevens partnered with Parsons The New School for Design in New York to build a solar house for the competition held in Washington, D.C. Their entry won the contest for the most affordable house. This time around, Stevens students worked alone and spent a bit more money, with a projected budget of $300,000. Sponsors and donated materials helped cover the cost. Ryan Seiffert, who recently graduated with a degree in business and technology, said it was a ?good experience? to work on the project with other Stevens students outside his major. ?It?s been interesting to work with everyone, a little difficult at times,? Seiffert explained. ?Sixty students is a lot of people to try to coordinate together, but I think we did a good job with it.? Star-Ledger staff writer Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013 ... etition.html#incart_river

Rockford Mayor Ditches Anti-Gun Group

I am going out to vote for Steve Fulop. Its about time we get a Mayor with integrity in Jersey City. 10 years of Healy mis-mangement is enough; we need change and need it TODAY.

I think that Steve Fulop will be the best Mayor in at least the past 50 years of Jersey City political history. The stigma of corruption will go away with Steve as Mayor.

In a nutshell Fulop has written plans to improve the quality of life in Jersey City while Healy says "If it aint broke dont fix it" LOL

http://library.municode.com/HTML/1609 ... AN_ARTIIIDO.html#TOPTITLE

? 90-19. - Noisy dogs.

No dog shall be allowed to unnecessarily disturb the peace or rest of persons residing in the neighborhood wherein it is kept or harbored or otherwise become a nuisance.

? 90-21. - Enforcement. [Amended 6-14-1995 by Ord. No. 95-050]

A.
The Division of Health or any person or persons authorized by it or any person authorized by this Code shall be charged with enforcing the provisions of this article.

Any person, firm or corporation who or which shall violate any other provision of this article shall be punishable as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, ? 1-25

? 1-25. - General penalty. [Amended 3-27-02 by Ord. No. 02-035]

A.
Notwithstanding any other section of this Code or any other ordinance, the maximum penalty for violating any provision of this Code shall be, in the discretion of the Court, a fine of up to $1,250.00 and/or imprisonment for a period of up to ninety (90) days and/or a period of community service not exceeding ninety (90) days. Each day a violation of any provision of this Code or any ordinance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense. This section shall not affect any mandatory minimum penalty established by any section of the Code or ordinance.
B.
In addition to the penalties hereinabove provided, any condition caused or permitted to exist in violation of any of the provisions of this Code or any ordinance shall be deemed to be a public nuisance and may be abated by the city as provided by law, and each day that such condition continues shall be regarded as a new and separate offense.

Here are a couple of reports on the tax abatement situation in Jersey City:

http://www.njpp.org/reports/all-that- ... abatements-in-jersey-city
http://www.njpp.org/assets/reports/bu ... fiscal/3-rpt_glitters.pdf

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1901269

Bloomberg is a greedy bastard who is friends with Steve Rattner who should be in jail but instead is managing billions of Bloombergs personal fortune.

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/02/19/steve-rattner-rehab

CNN Money - Fortune
The rehabilitation of Steve Rattner
By Dan Primack February 19, 2013: 3:54 PM ET

Steve Rattner gets by with a lot of help from his friends.
FORTUNE -- Well, it's official: Steve Rattner's reputation has been rehabilitated, just two years after settling with federal and state authorities over allegedly participating in a kickback scheme to get public pension fund investments for his private equity firm.

From Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times:
As Mr. Rattner sat across from me in Midtown Manhattan two weeks ago, his re-emergence as power magnate was well under way. He is the overseer of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's fortune of billions of dollars ? you could call Mr. Rattner a money manager but that doesn't capture the scope of it. He has appeared as a pundit about the economy on television (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," ABC's "This Week" and "Fox News Sunday," among others) and in newspapers (The Financial Times, Politico and The New York Times). And to take the story full circle, the Obama administration, which had eased Mr. Rattner out of his role [as car czar], appears to have re-embraced him, even using him to campaign for the president last fall.

As someone who extensively covered the private equity corruption scandal in which Rattner was implicated, Sorkin's story left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not because I begrudge Rattner the chance to rebuild his professional life, but because he did so through the enabling embrace of powerful pals who pretend that he did nothing wrong in the first place.

The most egregious example is Michael Bloomberg, a public official who has casually dismissed the allegations against Rattner as little more than media inventions. Even when both the SEC and then-New York AG Andrew Cuomo brought charges against Rattner, Bloomberg continued to turn a blind eye. And then, as if to prove his loyalty was to his friends rather than to the people he represents, Bloomberg let Rattner's new firm manage his vast personal fortune.

And then there was what Bloomberg told Sorkin:
"Steve is a good friend. You stick by your friends. And I don't worry about what people say... I never heard anyone say they wouldn't invite Steven Rattner to a party because of what was happening."

Really Mr. Mayor? That's your standard? Party invites? I guess you don't hang out with Rattner's former partners at Quadrangle Group, who blame him for their firm's demise. Or Quadrangle's investors, many of whom feel the same way.
Again, once again, this wasn't idle gossip. It was government lawsuits that Rattner paid millions and millions of dollars to make go away. Or, put another way, it was way worse selling a Big Gulp full of Mountain Dew.

The real legacy of Steve Rattner's legal troubles won't be to dissuade future private equity executives from (allegedly) trying to bribe public pension officials. It will be to make such executives pick the right friends first.

Poker Is More a Game of Skill Than of Chance, a Judge Rules
By MOSI SECRET
The New York Times
Published: August 21, 2012

-
In a ruling that goes to the heart of what it means to play poker, Judge Jack B. Weinstein tossed out the conviction and vacated the indictment of the man who ran that gambling business. The judge?s reason: poker is more a game of skill than a game of chance, so game operators should not be prosecuted under the federal law the prohibits running an illegal gambling business.

read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/nyr ... e-a-judge-rules.html?_r=0

The New Jersey Constitution might make it illegale in Jersey City: http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Laws/New-Jersey

I looked for recent information about the drug connection and found this article from Forbes CACHED but it does not appear anywhere on forbes.com - is it possible that the drug companies have an influence on what gets reported on or published?

Here is the content of the article just in case the drug companies are so powerful they can elimate negative press:

Lawrence Hunter, Contributor - Forbes.com
OP/ED | 1/14/2013 @ 8:00AM |9 views

Psychiatric Drugs, Not A Lack Of Gun Control, Are The Common Denominator In Murderous Violence

In 2000, New York legislators recognized the ubiquitous and unambiguous connection between violence, especially gun violence and mass murder, and the widespread prescribed use of psychiatric drugs. Senate Bill 7035 was introduced in the New York State Senate that year requiring police agencies to report to the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) on certain crimes and suicides committed by a person who is using psychiatric drugs, including assault, homicide, sex offenses, robbery offenses, firearms and other dangerous weapons offenses, kidnapping and arson. The preamble to the bill read, in part:

There is a large body of scientific research establishing a connection between violence and suicide and the use of psychotropic drugs in some cases. This research, which has been published in peer reviewed publications such as the American Journal of Psychiatry, The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and The Journal of Forensic Science, has shown, among other things, that: certain drugs can induce mania (a psychosis which can produce bizarre, grandiose and highly elaborated destructive plans, including mass murder);. . .and certain drugs can produce an acute psychotic reaction in an individual not previously psychotic.

The bill died in committee. Since that time, there have been at least 12 additional high-profile mass murders linked to the use of psychiatric drugs, about one a year. And, in virtually every mass school shooting during the past 15 years, the shooter has been on or in withdrawal from psychiatric drugs. Here is a partial list of 24 such horrific events that occurred since 1998, not including the Virginia Tech shootings and the recent Sandy Hook shootings where the authorities continue to suppress information about whether and to what extent the shooters were on or in withdrawal from a psychiatric drug.

These examples are not unique. According to the Citizens Commission On Human Rights International (CCHR), between 2004 and 2011, there were 12,755 reports to the U.S. FDA?s MedWatch system of psychiatric drugs causing violent side effects including: 1,231 cases of homicidal ideation/homicide, 2,795 cases of mania and 7,250 cases of aggression. Since the FDA admits that only one to ten percent of all side effects are ever reported to it, the actual occurrence of violent side effects from psychiatric drugs is certainly nine or ten times higher than the official data suggest.

Yet, federal and state governments continue to ignore the connection between psychiatric drugs and murderous violence, preferring instead to exploit these tragedies in an oppressive and unconstitutional power grab to snatch guns away from innocent, law-abiding people who are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution the right to own and bear arms to deter government tyranny and to use firearms in self defense against any miscreant who would do them harm. Therefore, it is pharmaceutical makers, not law-abiding gun owners or gun manufacturers, who should be held to account for the series of ?lone-wolf,? mass shootings that have occurred since the widespread use of psychiatric drugs began.

Although it is doubtful any single variable can explain what causes someone to commit such unspeakable acts as we saw recently at Sandy Hook, one common denominator surfaces time and time again, in hundreds and hundreds of cases where a ?lone wolf? commits violence, murder and mayhem for apparently no reason: Prescribed psychiatric drugs, which are well documented to induce mania, psychosis, violence, suicide and murder, including mass murder for no apparent reason by otherwise non-psychotic people.

Given the mass of supporting data linking psychiatric drug use/withdrawal and violence, and given the fact it has been ignored studiously by the U.S. Congress and federal agencies, it is well past time that Congress and state legislatures and government agencies at all levels formally investigate the well established link between prescribed use of psychiatric drugs, school shootings and similar acts of senseless violence.

This video reveals the indisputable connection between psychiatric drugs and violence, especially young ?lone-wolf? shooters in gun massacres.

As psychiatrist Peter Breggin observes in the video:

?One of the things in the past that we?ve known about depression is that it very, very rarely leads to violence. It?s only been since the advent of these new SSRI drugs that we?ve had murderers even mass murders taking these antidepressant drugs.?

Instead of intimidating the NRA into negotiating away Americans? Second Amendment rights through its seat at the table in Washington, the government should be demanding answers and explanations from PhRMA and the pharmaceutical companies.

Instead of extorting NRA chairman Dave Keene and NRA president Wayne LaPierre into participating with the gun snatchers? efforts to nullify the Second Amendment in the name of reducing gun violence, why aren?t the White House and Congress putting former Business Roundtable President and current head of PhRMA, John Castellani, along with the presidents of the pharmaceutical companies on the hot seat?

Why isn?t Castellani sitting in on White House and congressional meetings about the connection between his products and mass shootings instead of Keene and LaPierre of the NRA?

Why isn?t there a White House Task Force on the connection between psychiatric drugs and violence, suicide and murder, both gun related and otherwise?

Why aren?t there congressional hearings on the connection between violence and psychiatric drugs?

Why aren?t there bills being introduced in Congress and state legislatures to tighten down on the indiscriminate, unmonitored use of these killer drugs?

Why is the government still suppressing information about the shooters? psychiatric drug use at Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech?

Why is the government turning America into a police state in the name of protecting us against nonexistent ?reefer madness? while it turns a blind eye to the real, deadly med madness created by psychiatric drugs and the uncontrollable violent rages they produce in some people?

Could it be there is a quiet conspiracy afoot among pharmaceutical companies, the government and the gun grabbers to make Mr. and Mrs. Gun Owner of America the patsies for the violence and to blame lone-wolf violence on guns rather than psychiatric drugs?

Could it be that power-hungry politicians and gun snatchers are out to exploit rare tragedies such as Sandy Hook and use the blood of innocent children to scare America into giving up its constitutional rights to own and bear arms and use them as a deterrent against tyranny?

Could it be that big pharma is today?s big tobacco?

Could it be there is an intentional effort underway in the centers of power in Washington, DC to hide the truth from the American people about the strong connection between psychiatric drugs and violence and to protect the pharmaceutical companies from civil and criminal charges for their responsibility in these heinous crimes?

Could that be the explanation for why there continue to be lawsuits against gun manufacturers ? not for defects in their products but rather for the misuse of their products by drug-addled individuals ? and why there are few lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for the obvious flaws in their products, which are producing violence and mayhem?

Could it be the Gun Control movement is simply a blind; just an effort by the triple alliance of left-fascists, big-government politicians and big-pharma prescription-drug dealers to dose and oppress the American people in the name of public safety, ?officer safety? and social order?

The gun snatchers such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg all shamefully exploit the bloody murder of children as a pretext to nullify the Second Amendment and short arm the American public with their so-called ?assault-weapons? ban and ammunition/clip restrictions. The fact is, the kinds of guns used by mass shooters are far less relevant than the kinds of drugs they were prescribed.

From a financial blog that I follow:

The Market Ticker ? - Commentary on The Capital Markets
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=215268

How about we stop handing out SSRIs and anti-psychotics like candy to adolescents and kids?

Do we have a desperate need to improve mental health facilities for our youth (and those who are not youth)? You bet we do. This begins with accountability -- and that means removing these drugs from the prescribing realm of family doctors and all others who are unable or unwilling to be responsible for monitoring on a proactive basis those who are using them. This, in turn, means restricting prescribing to psychiatrists and imposing proactive monitoring requirements, along with criminal penalties for violations.

If you are tired of being fed the blue pill by mainstream media here is another perspective - the theory that perscription drugs are the main problem causing people to do insane things.

http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=215268

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/985865

In Newport they had an affordable program and it was not government subsidized and applicants had to prove income of at least $30000/year. Newport still has that program in a couple of buildings without a crime problem.

I believe this is similar to the program that Goldman agreed to. Integrated housing works and this developer is bound by this contract. He is threating not to build? Then his property should be condemned and sold to the highest bidder. He already screwed this city by kicking out hundreds of artists and tearing down a historic building. Will it never end?

Jersey City politicians are weak, corrupt, and should be thrown out for even considering anything this developer demands. This is one of the worst developers in the history of Jersey City and we should be eager to replace him with a decent developer who is not intent on building a hideous structure that will embarrass this city.

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... pe=&topic_id=6353&forum=8

New Jersey Threatened with Mandatory Water Fluoridation - Science and Residents Ignored

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Despite objections from environmentalists and utility officials, New Jersey is under threat of mandatory fluoridation, which is the addition of fluoride chemicals into the public drinking water ostensibly to reduce tooth decay. Despite admission by the Federal Government that American children are fluoride over-exposed and that fluoride's benefits are primarily topical, New Jersey legislators are crafting a law that will force fluoridation on the entire state, reports the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

"Since fluoride's benefits are topical, it makes no sense to swallow fluoride and makes even less sense to put fluoride into drinking water when fluoridated toothpaste is available to everyone," says Paul Connett, PhD, FAN Executive Director and co-author of the book, The Case Against Fluoride.
NJ Senate Bill S-959 and Assembly Bill 1811 will require cities to add unnecessary, untested, health-robbing fluoride chemicals into the public water supplies.

"Not only does this unfunded mandate completely strip away all local control of fluoridation, but requires local taxpayers to fund the estimated $5 billion start-up cost and the annual $1 billion cost to maintain the practice," says Connett.

"We suggest NJ residents quickly contact the NJ Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and Governor Christie to reject this ill-conceived unfunded fluoridation mandate," says Connett.

Fluoridation chemicals?often purchased from Mexico, China, and Japan?are hazardous waste by-products of the phosphate fertilizer industry that are contaminated with trace levels of arsenic, lead and radionuclides. These industrial-grade chemicals were never tested for safety in humans or animals, and never received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

While the NJ House and Senate members rush to cast votes that will affect all residents of the State, the public's voice is being ignored. Testimony was given in opposition to S-959 by the NJ League of Municipalities, the NJ Sierra Club, the NJ Business and Industry Association, the citizens' group No Fluoride New Jersey, and by numerous local water companies and utilities who explained that fluoride is such a powerful chemical that over time it corrodes their equipment. But most NJ residents are unaware of this pending legislation.

Oddly, the push for mandatory fluoridation in New Jersey comes in the wake of an historical shift in the U.S. fluoridation program. Growing numbers of cities are stopping fluoridation because of health and cost concerns. Since 1990, more than 300 communities in North America voted to end fluoridation, including 43 cities serving approximately 3 million residents since October 2010.

On January 7, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended lowering the level of fluoride added to drinking water. This was in response to national survey data showing that 41% of adolescents ages 12-15 have dental fluorosis, or discolored teeth, an outwardly visible sign of fluoride toxicity. However, the new level recommended by HHS (0.7 parts per million fluoride) is still too high to protect all citizens, especially people who drink large amounts of water, kidney patients and babies.

Adding fluoride to drinking water is also an Environmental Justice issue. Black and Mexican American children have significantly higher levels of the more severe forms of dental fluorosis. Add to that over 25 published papers associating exposure to fluoride and reduced IQ in children while EPA's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory lists fluoride as a developmental neurotoxicant.
Infants drinking formula made up with water containing 0.7 ppm fluoride will receive approximately 175 times more fluoride than a breast-fed infant. Many government, health and dental organizations now advise that infant formula should not be mixed with fluoridated water. Low-income children have a greater risk of suffering from all forms of fluoride toxicity, as poor diet exacerbates fluoride's detrimental effects.

The NJ legislation was introduced without notifying or requesting comments from those opposing fluoridation. More than 4,000 professionals (including 331 dentists and 518 MD's) urge that fluoridation be stopped citing scientific evidence that ingesting fluoride is ineffective at reducing tooth decay and has serious health risks. See statement. Also, 11 US EPA unions representing over 7000 environmental and public health professionals are calling for a moratorium on fluoridation

Connett says, "There are two fundamental scientific questions on water fluoridation: 1) does it work, 2) is it safe. The answer to both is no."

"Fluoridation promoters routinely exaggerate benefits. The largest survey of tooth decay in the U.S. was conducted by the National Institute for Dental Research in 1986-87. The actual saving was just six-tenths of one tooth surface, without consideration that fluoride causes late tooth eruption. Even promoters of fluoridation now agree that fluoride works through contact with the tooth surface rather than by incorporation into developing enamel. So this dispute comes down to whether the government should put fluoride into everyone's water so that fluoride might eventually end up in the saliva to deliver this topical action or whether people should apply it themselves using fluoridated toothpaste. The first approach exposes every tissue of the body to a toxic substance and the second approach avoids that and also avoids forcing it upon people who don't want it," says Connett
"The concerns of a landmark fluoride toxicology review by the National Research Council in 2006 included fluoride's thyroid effects and fluoride's ability to damage the brain. There have now been 25 studies showing that fluoride can lower the IQ of children. One well-conducted study found a threshold for this effect at 1.9 ppm. That leaves a totally inadequate margin of safety to protect every child in America, when one considers the wide range of sensitivity and exposure in a large population," says Connett.

The US EPA is in the process of preparing a new health risk assessment for the maximum level of fluoride allowed as a contaminant in drinking water. The Fluoride Action Network, a non-profit advocacy group, urges the representatives of New Jersey to delay their vote until the outcome of the EPA's assessment is known. The conclusion reached by EPA, if they follow normal regulatory procedures, may well be that no amount of fluoride is considered safe for drinking water.

SOURCE Fluoride Action Network http://www.FluorideAction.Net

The Absurdities of Water Fluoridation http://www.fluoridealert.org/absurdity.htm

Fluoride Water Causing Teeth Spots
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01 ... -causing-te_n_805706.html

From the New York Times:

The right of photographers to stand in a public place and take pictures of federal buildings has been upheld by a legal settlement reached in New York.

In the ever-escalating skirmishes between photographers and security agencies, the most significant battlefield is probably the public way ? streets, sidewalks, parks and plazas ? which has customarily been regarded as a vantage from which photography cannot and should not be barred.

Under the settlement, announced Monday by the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Federal Protective Service said that it would inform its officers and employees in writing of the ?public?s general right to photograph the exterior of federal courthouses from publicly accessible spaces? and remind them that ?there are currently no general security regulations prohibiting exterior photography by individuals from publicly accessible spaces, absent a written local rule, regulation or order.?

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10 ... hat-federal-building/#/1/

CITY HALL - TONIGHT

Cosi does NOT offer WiFi
The Cosi at Exchange Place is closed for over a year.
The Cosi at the Goldman Sachs is small
The Cosi at Newport is large
www.getcosi.com

Try the Hyatt they have a very nice bar/lounge area, could be free WiFi

Or walk 4 blocks to The Warehouse Cafe for a comfortable atmosphere, food, coffee and unlimited free WiFi
http://jcguide.com/item/the-warehouse-cafe

It is going to be a bistro, working name is Grove Square

brick oven pizza, full bar, wine bar, full kitchen, open late, live music, full renovation happening soon former congressman Guarini owns the space and leased it to the new owner.

It is the large storefront next to the Dunkin Dounuts

If you get towed the thing to do is pay with American Express, Visa or MC; the law requires they accept these cards. - If the towing people say not accepted then immediately call the police and file a report and demand your car be released. At that point the tow operator will most likely accept your credit card.

The law requires that all tow operators in NJ accept credit cards. They cannot offer a discount for cash either.

If you paid cash then file a complaint aganst them or take them to court for not accepting your credit card.

Watch Jersey City Cemetery Has Rich History on PBS. See more from WNJT.

www.jerseycitycemetery.org

11/12/2011 9:50:36 PM
Due to a signal problem, ALL PATH train service is temporarily suspended.

Jersey City Officials Say FERC Report is Too Favorable to Spectra Energy?s Proposed Pipeline, Which They Dub ?A Recipe for Disaster? By Matt Hunger ? Oct 12th, 2011 Jersey City Independent http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... ub-a-recipe-for-disaster/ Jersey City officials say the federal regulators charged with approving Spectra Energy?s proposed natural gas pipeline are simply taking the Texas-based energy giant at its word when it comes to possible safety and environmental impacts that Jersey City could face from the pipeline. The draft Environmental Impact Statement released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has ?too much reliance ? on representations made by the applicant, Spectra Energy,? Mayor Jerramiah Healy said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. ?I?m here today to re-declare our opposition to the Spectra pipeline,? Healy said of the pipeline that would run from ?the south end of our city almost all the way up to the northern end.? Citing both the close-to-home pipeline explosion in Edison 15 years ago and the more recent San Bruno, California explosion, Healy called into question the supposed safety of gas pipelines. Even in relatively lightly-populated area the damage was devastating, he said. ?As bad as they were, it was not in a densely populated area like Jersey City,? Healy said. ?If an explosion happened here the consequences would be catastrophic.? The half-hour press conference reiterated the city?s two-year opposition to the natural gas pipeline?s proposed route ? which would run 6.5 miles through some of the city?s densest residential and commercial areas, as well as by mass transit points like the ferry, PATH and light rail? and called on Gov. Chris Christie to file an intervener with FERC before the October 31 deadline. Healy also called into question the ?disrespectful? double-standards in Spectra?s proposal, which would push gas through Jersey City at 1,200 lbs per square inch, yet reduce that rate to 350 lbs per square inch once it reaches New York City. ?They get the benefit with the reduced risk,? he said. ?It?s outrageous.? Alongside Healy was Emergency Management and Homeland Security director Sergeant W. Greg Kierce and Bob Cotter, the director of City Planning, who expounded on the city?s concerns. Kierce noted that the federal Department of Homeland Security has ?identified Tier 1 and Tier 2 threats? in the city such as the PATH, light rail, Holland Tunnel and the New Jersey Turnpike that will be at risk due to the pipeline. ?These are part of the regional planning for evacuation,? he said. ?An explosion may cut off these exit routes.? Kierce also said Spectra, in its federal filings, has painted a sunny ? though not necessarily accurate ? safety assessment. ?Spectra has been more speculative than factual,? he said. ?It?s a recipe for disaster.? But Spectra spokeswoman Marylee Hanley says the company is working with local government and advocates to make sure the pipeline will be safe, pointing to the ?more than 300 meetings? that have been held thus far. ?We are committed to building one of the safest natural gas pipelines in the country and have demonstrated that by the numerous safety enhancements we have made that exceed federal requirements,? she says. ?Our goal continues to be an open dialogue with Mayor Healy and other local officials to ensure public safety, create jobs and deliver affordable, clean and domestic natural gas to New Jersey and New York.? But at yesterday?s press conference, Cotter highlighted what he considered to be the inevitable negative economic consequences of the pipeline, including devaluing property and driving away potential investors. Describing the city?s economic growth since 1980, in particular the resurgence of development Downtown, as a ?remarkable turnaround,? Cotter said much of the rest of the city is now following suit but would suffer if the pipeline is approved. ?Spectra can?t see the future of the city,? he said, projecting the city would lose $26 million in tax revenue based on current and proposed projects. The city also estimates that 11,141 jobs would be ?lost? due to the loss of development if the pipeline were to be constructed. In FERC?s draft Environmental Impact Statement, released in September, the commission suggested the biggest environmental impact would likely occur during the construction of the pipeline. The findings also said safety issues were adequately addressed. ?We have reviewed FERC?s Environmental Impact Statement and feel that our repeated safety, environmental and economic development concerns have been ignored, including detailed filings the city submitted in June,? Mayor Healy said in a prepared statement made available yesterday. ?We want FERC to fully consider the alternative routes for this project and to recognize the severe public safety risk associated with running this pipeline through a city as dense as Jersey City.? The administration also released a public service announcement video (see below) as part of its press conference yesterday, making much the same case as the mayor did in person. There is a public meeting on the FERC report on Wednesday, October 19 at 7 pm, at Ferris High School in Jersey City (35 Colgate Street).

That Felon Inspecting Trash? He Used to Be Mayor
By EVAN SERPICK
The New York Times
Published: October 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/nyr ... eye-on-trash.html?_r=1&hp

My encounter with Gerry McCann began with a warrant for my arrest.

In August, my wife and I sold our house in Jersey City. About a month later, I got a call from the new owner, who had received some ?important-looking? mail addressed to me. I asked her to open it. She did, and gasped ? not a good sign.

?NOTICE OF WARRANT FOR ARREST ISSUED,? it read at the top. It did not explain why the warrant was issued, but it did suggest that I report to the police in order to post bail, which was listed at $1,000.

I didn?t recall committing any crimes, so I called the municipal courthouse. I discovered that the warrant was issued after a ticket from the Jersey City Incinerator Authority had gone unpaid. Apparently, my tenants had left some garbage out a day early when they moved out in August. A $106 ticket was mailed out but never received. When a month had passed without payment, the warrant was issued.

After pleading my case several times and being forwarded to various municipal offices, I was told I had to speak to the inspector who issued the ticket, Gerry McCann, and was given his cellphone number. After I explained my case, Mr. McCann was surprisingly sympathetic.

?I?m going to see the judge later ? I?ll get her to dismiss the warrant,? he said. ?Just make sure you send her a check for the fine, and make sure you mention my name.?

I hung up, relieved. But something about Mr. McCann struck me as strange. He was nothing like the countless bureaucratic functionaries I?d dealt with over the years. He was confident, reasonable ? and able to actually solve a problem on the spot. Also, his name apparently carried some weight, and he seemed to have an oddly close connection to Chief Judge Nesle A. Rodriguez.

On a lark, I Googled him. All the links referred to Gerald McCann, a twice-elected former mayor of Jersey City. ?Well, that ain?t him,? I thought. Then I noticed that Mayor McCann had been removed from office in 1992, after being convicted of a savings-and-loan scam, and spent two years in federal prison. I wondered if it could be the same man. Then I came across a topic from February 2010 on a local political Internet forum: ?City Hires Former Mayor and Felon, Gerry McCann.?

?Yeah, that?s me,? Mr. McCann said when I called him back. (This time I smiled at his ring-back tone: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? ?I Won?t Back Down.?) For those familiar with Jersey City politics, the irony of the former mayor?s employment with the incinerator authority is especially thick.

Mr. McCann?s trial, which related to investments made in the four years between his two terms in office, proved to be particularly contentious. Michael Chertoff, who went on to become Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, was the prosecutor. Mr. McCann, who vehemently denied wrongdoing ? and still does ? assailed Mr. Chertoff.

?They were insane to bring this case in the first place,? he announced at one news conference. ?And we are going to send Mr. Chertoff back to preparing wills. Maybe I can find him a job driving a sanitation truck in Jersey City.?

Mr. McCann, tucked into a booth in the VIP Diner in Jersey City, allowed a small smirk after being reminded of the comment. ?It just so happened that this is the job I like doing,? he said. ?Chertoff handled Katrina, so you get an idea of how competent he is.?

At 61, Mr. McCann still has the glad hands of a politician. Within 10 minutes of sitting down, he had been recognized and greeted by former Councilman Ben Lopez, who sang the former mayor?s praises ? ?Without him, a lot of that development downtown would never have happened,? he said ? and a local building manager who has been ticketed by Mr. McCann several times. He was less enthusiastic, but still friendly.

Mr. McCann was 31 when he was elected mayor in 1981 ? the second youngest in the city?s history. He takes credit for promoting waterfront redevelopment, helping spur an economic boom and attracting young professionals from New York. As a Democrat, he was an early and vocal supporter of Ronald Reagan ? who kicked off his 1980 campaign in Jersey City ? which helped lure federal money to the city. Mr. McCann lost a bid for re-election in 1985, but he won back the office in 1989 and served until his 1991 conviction.

The trial revolved around Mr. McCann?s 1986 partnership with a Florida savings and loan association to develop a marina in Liberty State Park. The S.&L. sent Mr. McCann $300,000 to develop a proposal for the project, but the government contended that the former mayor spent the money on a leased Mercedes-Benz, rare coins and other luxuries, and failed to deliver a proposal. Mr. McCann maintains that he did nothing improper and earned less than $60,000 for his work on the project over two years.

?If you go against the federal government, you?re going to lose ? it?s almost impossible,? he said, explaining the conviction. ?The government wins, like, 98 percent of the time.? Mr. McCann, an accountant by trade, served his two-year sentence in the low-security Allenwood federal prison in Pennsylvania, where he did the payroll and cost accounting. ?It was one of the funniest times of my life,? he said. ?I had my own car there.?

After getting out, Mr. McCann wanted to return to politics in Jersey City and tried unsuccessfully to challenge the prohibition against felons running for office. Nonetheless, he has remained in the political mix, and not without contention.

He served as an adviser to various campaigns over the years and won election to the Board of Education in 2007, though he was also sued by one of his opponents in the race who claimed that Mr. McCann had improperly signed up voters in a nursing home; the case was eventually dropped. Later, it was suggested that Mr. McCann had leaked pictures of Jerramiah T. Healy, one of the candidates in a 2004 special election for mayor, naked and drunk on the porch of his house. Mr. McCann denies it. (Mr. Healy won and remains Jersey City?s mayor.)

He first worked for the incinerator authority as an inspector 10 years ago, but he was fired in 2004 (as payback for supposedly leaking the photos, he claims, though the authority?s chief executive, Oren Dabney, said it was over policies and procedures).

He started at the job again last January, earning $50,000 a year, as an environmental services monitor, a non-uniformed inspector who follows up on complaints about illegal dumping and other compliance issues throughout the city. But he still does not see eye-to-eye with his superiors. ?He?s overly aggressive at times,? said Mr. Dabney, who recently suspended Mr. McCann for failing to give people warning before issuing tickets (hello!). ?We want to educate people, give them the benefit of the doubt, but Gerry has a strong work ethic ? a little too strong maybe.?

Mr. McCann dismissed Mr. Dabney?s concerns, as he does others who have criticized him. ?Whatever I do, I give it 100 percent,? he said. ?They ask me to give out tickets, I?ll give out tickets all day. I?ll go sit on sites at 2 in the morning.?

Walking around Jersey City with Mr. McCann makes it clear that he is not a disgraced man. There are the occasional shouts of ?Hey Mayor!? and Mr. McCann?s running commentary includes a tour of buildings that were developed during his administration, along with properties he has recently ticketed.

There is also the endless reserve of Jersey City trivia: ?Jackie Robinson played his first major league game here?; ?The original Ozzie and Harriet lived in that building right there?; ?The Stanley Theater was once the second-biggest in America, behind Radio City.? He brags about growing up with Robert Bell from Kool and the Gang, suing New York for control of the Statue of Liberty, and meeting Richard Nixon, who told him, ?I read about you in The Bergen Record!?

?Frank Sinatra hated Hoboken,? Mr. McCann declares at one point, citing Jersey City?s next-door rival, the birthplace of Ol? Blue Eyes. ?He moved to Jersey City and lived here for nine years ? he married a Jersey City girl, and his first two kids were born here!?

He could have gone on all day, but Mr. McCann had to get to track practice ? he coaches the St. Peter?s Prep team ? at 3:30.

?People ask me all the time if I have any regrets and I tell them no,? he said. ?I have three daughters and four grandchildren that I love. I get to coach track, which I love, every day. I don?t need money ?cause I don?t have bad habits.

?I?ve had a successful life,? he said. ?I had a lot that I had to deal with, but it?s not my whole life.?