I'm thrilled that they cancelled it and that they were so nice about it... thanks everyone!

About the balloon bill/Balloon Council... that's insane. My hope would be that they've lost some traction since 1994 (balloon releases are banned in many areas: http://balloonsblow.org/laws-concerning-balloons/).

Though a bill was recently defeated in VA: http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/l ... esult-in-a-fine/22944813/

Unsurprisingly, a novelty store owner was opposed to it.

I wasn't aware that La Festa Italiana (which I enjoy otherwise) includes a balloon release... Please, if you have a moment, let them know that this is a bad idea, and why. There has to be a more acceptable way of memorializing loved ones than releasing balloons... which kill wildlife.

La Festa Italiana's page on the balloon release:
http://lafestaitalianajc.com/spirituality-2/memorial-balloons/

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I'm sharing this from WiredJC because it's worded far better than what I'd come up with:

Please send a note to holyrosarychurch@gmail.com expressing your opposition to this practice, or feel free to copy and paste the letter below with your name added on.

You can also contact La Festa Italiana on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LaFestaItaliana and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lafestaitalianajc.

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I am writing this letter to ask the Holy Rosary Church and La Festa Italiana organizers to end the Memorial Balloon practice in which helium balloons are released into Jersey City's environment in the form of a memorial ceremony.

Balloon release ceremonies present a major threat to avian and marine life in Jersey City and surrounding areas. These wildlife populations are already suffering major losses due to environmental pollution, habitat loss, and other factors. A growing number of states are implementing bans on balloon releases because of the deaths and injuries they bring to wildlife.

The Memorial Balloon ceremony should be ended immediately. It is not an appropriate way to commemorate the lives of loved ones.

Sincerely,


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Here are some resources concerning the threat of balloon releases:

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/envir ... ists-20150519-gh4tef.html
http://us.whales.org/blog/dustincirce ... other-marine-debris-oh-my
http://www.seaturtlehospital.org/shacklefordIII.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... ses-kill-marine-life.html
http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com ... -sea-turtle-survival.html
http://research.pomona.edu/karnolab/2 ... eration-balloon-recovery/
http://www.examiner.com/environmental ... loons-kill-marine-animals
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/balloon-releases827.html#cr

I usually pass by there but didn't this morning...

There are two Wild Turkeys that are generally in the cemetery or roosting in the trees near the freight tracks, though I've seen one across Newark Ave on the school lawn as well.

I hope it's all right... please post if there are any updates!

To my knowledge, Investors doesn't tend to sell its mortgages--I used them recently and would recommend.

The drawback to the mortgage being sold is that you have to deal with the new bank. Had automatic deductions? Time to set them up again. I had a mortgage sold to another bank--with the first, I was paying every two weeks and the new one didn't have that option. Probably not a dealbreaker if you're looking at a lender that might sell, but it can be an unexpected headache when they do... for me, it wasn't a smooth transition and the new lender just didn't have the same level of customer service as the first.

I've known people who have allergies and have been able to live with a poodle--they have hair so require grooming but don't shed, so maybe something to consider. They're also easier to find through rescues. Big poodles with shaggy haircuts are so cute too!

This rescue's in NJ: http://doodlerescue.org/

I don't know anything about them personally, but you can usually find a rescue for just about any breed you're looking for ("hypoallergenic" or not). Petfinder's a good resource, though I'm not seeing any of that type of dog locally. I'd contact rescuelife and see what they can do--anything but a breeder.

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There's an open resume submission for the city... doesn't seem that there's any need for a petition. If she's so qualified and if this job were created, then so be it. There are currently more people browsing this forum than have signed the petition, so it seems unlikely that it's going to have much impact on anything.

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Port Authority being who they are will always want you to pay another fare--that said, it would seem that since PATH accepts MetroCard, they could work something out so you could put both your unlimited fares on one card. Even better there could be a discount for someone buying two unlimited fares, but that seems highly unlikely.

From the Jersey City Code of Ordinances:

? 84-38. Definitions.

PUBLIC PLACE - A place to which the public or a substantial group of persons has access, including but not limited to any highway, street, road, sidewalk, parking area, shopping area, place of amusement, playground, park or beach located within the city, except that the definition of a "public place" shall not include those premises duly licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises or within their own private property.

The only way to add as much as you want is to buy the 30 day unlimited (which doesn't help you on PATH), so you'll have to divide it into two purchases.

Money-wise, it's best to split the money between a SmartLink card and a MetroCard, but that might not be an option.

Side note: As of this year, you can add rides to an unlimited card, but the card will use up the unlimited amount before you can use any of the pay-per-rides.

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There's no extra charge to have them hold it at a FedEx location; both FedEx and UPS will do it for free (once you have your missed delivery slip number that is), though the closest UPS is in Secaucus.

Here's a circa-1889 map:
http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/HUDSON_COUNTY/Jersey_City_c1889.jpg

and a 1928 map of the area:
http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/JCplat_book/Plate48/index.htm

The footbridge crosses Mill Creek, which then feeds into the Morris Canal Basin. The current bridge is where the rail bridge is on the 1928 map. You can see the Morris Canal route well in the 1889 map; it followed Canal Street (which was just south of present-day Grand Street) and emptied into either the Big or Little Basin.

Don't do it. We had been renting a ground-floor apartment in Paulus Hook and got 6 feet of water during Sandy--just about everywhere did. Those apartments all lost just about everything.

We had asked when looking at the place if anything had happened during Irene and the answer was "no." We didn't find out until right before Sandy that there had been a sewer backup during Irene, and it wasn't just confined to the ground level; the tenants who lived on the 4th floor were the ones who told us that they'd had a backup that caused a lot of damage.

Insurers don't necessarily come out to look at properties before selling you flood insurance, and a lot of people had purchased it and wound up only being covered as a basement (some appliances, window air conditioners, no personal items). Ours was "certified" and "legal" and we eventually got some money from the flood policy but you couldn't pay me to move back there.

I'm starting to see some of the rental units that were destroyed listed again (at the same price you'd expect to pay in that area for something higher up), and I hope that anyone who's thinking about moving into one does their research. There's a reason it's 150k under market value--it shouldn't be used as livable space.