The only problem with that idea is that many will then opt to take the free Staten Island Ferry into Manhattan bypassing the Bayonne Bridge and Jersey City all together.

I know that I would likely do just that - and then head up the Manhattan bike route along the Hudson River -- then exit over the George Washington Bridge to Fort Lee.

The only thing I can think of that might make Liberty State Park the bigger draw would be to either offer riders access to bike through the Holland Tunnel in one of the lanes at certain off hours -- or somehow offer a one way free ferry ride with bike if they have some kind of Liberty State Park coupon that they got with their maps (or some such nonsense)

But no -- I think riding through Newark is crazy -- when you could be along the New York Bay.

Quote:

Jersey City firefighters union president: Understaffing puts residents and JCFD members in danger

By Amy Sara Clark/The Jersey Journal
February 07, 2010, 6:23PM
David Jolkovski/The Jersey Journal

Joseph Krajnik, president of Local 1066 of the firefighters union, talks about the understaffing of the Jersey City Fire Department.

The Jersey City Fire Department is so badly understaffed that firefighter and civilian safety will suffer, according to the firefighters' union.

"You can't just cut if you're down to the bone," Joseph Krajnik, president of Local 1066 Firefighters Union president told The Jersey Journal during a meeting last week. "Something's going to happen and it's probably going to be (cost) the life of a firefighter."

In the 1980s, Jersey City had 564 firefighters -- today it has 380.

On Jan. 14, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy announced that the city has reduced the number of fire companies from 26 to 22 and cut the city's arson unit from 13 people to two because there aren't enough firefighters to go around.

City officials agree that staffing levels are low, but say they're not so low to be dangerous.

"Of course we would like to have the maximum manpower, but in view of the current economic downturn, our taxpayers simply cannot afford such a burden," Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said in a written statement. "However, we are doing more with less and have shifted our resources to strategic areas -- three of them being rather recently constructed firehouses."

Krajnik and Fire Chief Michael O'Reilly agree the staffing problems are not due to having too many officers in the department. Over the past few years, retiring officers have for the most part not been replaced. As of March 1 there will only be 135 fire captains, 21 battalion chiefs and six deputy chiefs, according to O'Reilly.

They also both agree with studies that say a municipality needs an average of 5.4 firefighters per fire company, per shift to be effective.

But even with only 22 companies operating, the JCFD currently staffed at an average of 4.3 firefighters per shift.

The cutbacks mean there's not enough firefighters to cover sick days and vacations; so far the city has spent $2.8 million in firefighter overtime out of $4 million it has budgeted for the fiscal year ending June 30, according to both Krajnik and O'Reilly.

But like Healy, the fire chief denies that the cutbacks will endanger the safety of either firefighters or the public.

"Are we short staffed? Absolutely," O'Reilly said. "Should the public be concerned about fire safety? No. As of right now I don't foresee any public safety problems because we can still maintain our response time of three-to-five minutes."

He added that he believes Krajnik's decision to take his concerns to The Jersey Journal is an effort to try to manipulate public opinion during contract negotiations. The firefighters' contract expired in December of 2008.

Krajnik, however, denied the charge, saying he was bringing the issue to the media because he was concerned about safety.

"The problem we have is that people who don't want to make the hard decisions ... nobody's listening," he said.

Jersey City tenant out of patience in building with mold, leak problems

By Gem Jefferson/The Jersey Journal
February 07, 2010, 5:01PM
Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal



Andrea Nesbitt can't sleep in her bedroom at night because the mold grows across her window sills, there are leaks from the ceiling every time it rains and the heater in the room doesn't work.

Other than that, Nesbitt likes living at the Toy Factory Apartments at 340 Bergen Avenue in Jersey City.

That's not a joke. For $783 a month, she gets three bedrooms and some apartments there even have three bathrooms, she said.

That's why she has stayed so long, she says. But now she's getting tired of the problems -- issues like the mold that she says may impact the health of her children.

Nesbitt says the problems have existed since she first moved there in June 2008. Repairmen have cut holes in her ceiling try to locate the source of the leak, but with no success. She's gone to court and she's had health inspectors come -- and still the problems exist.

"I don't know what else to do. The city keeps giving them extensions to finish the work and still nothing," Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt's complaints aren't the only ones that Realty Management, which operates the building, has received. At least two other tenants have similar issues with their apartments.

Cecilia Henriquez and Hassane Azabi said they have rectangular holes in their ceilings to match Nesbitt's.

"We can't even leave our houses without checking the weather," Azabi said. "If it rains when we're not here, it's not pretty when we get back."

Wayne Fox, president of Realty Management, said his company is working toward a solution to the problem.

"We are working on the problem," Fox said Friday, adding that a roofer was scheduled to look at the building that day. "But leaks are hard to fix. You patch up what you think is the problem, and you wait until the next time it rains to see if you were successful.

"We just haven't been (successful) up until now."

Kitchen fire at Lamp Post restaurant in Jersey City

By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal
February 07, 2010, 7:00PM

A one-alarm kitchen fire forced the temporary closure of a restaurant in Downtown Jersey City this afternoon, fire officials said.

Firefighters were called to a small kitchen fire The Lamp Post Bar & Grill at 382 Second St., at 4:22 p.m., said Jersey City Fire Director Armando Roman. Arriving three minutes later, firefighters had the fire under control by 4:33 p.m., he said.

No injuries were reported. The fire caused moderate damage to the kitchen and the restaurant has been closed pending an inspection from health inspectors, Roman said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

Glad to hear that all is well.

Anyone know the background on this?

" ...animal advocate and attorney Diana Jeffrey recently filed a lawsuit against the city’s animal control officer, Joe Frank, claiming he incorrectly seized a woman’s pit bull dog back in 2005..."

http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ss ... v_corzine_settles_in.html

Former Gov. Corzine talks about life in Hoboken, the corruption scandal and the future

By Mark Maurer/The Jersey Journal
February 07, 2010, 10:30AM

Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is interviewed by The Jersey Journal at his Maxwell Place home in Hoboken.
More than two weeks have passed since Jon Corzine moved out of the governor’s home at Drumthwacket to be succeeded by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who beat him in November’s election.

In blue jeans and a navy blue turtleneck at his penthouse condo on the southeast corner of Maxwell Place in Hoboken, Corzine is now in his comfort zone, recovering from a long jolt of public and media attention.

The Democrat says he plans to reside in Hudson County’s square-mile city indefinitely following a demanding decade serving as U.S. senator from 2001 to 2006 and governor from 2006 until Jan.19 of this year.

Corzine, who grew up in Illinois, moved to Hoboken's Hudson Tea building in 2003 after separating from his wife, and then relocated to his current digs in 2008. At 62, he jokes that he elevates the average age of the building’s denizens by at least 10 years.

The walls are lined with Matisse paintings and miscellaneous artwork from his offices dating back to the days of Goldman Sachs, where he served as CEO for four years until he was ousted from his perch in a 1998 coup. The view overlooks Stevens Institute of Technology and the Hudson River on a cloudy day whitened by foggy mist and light snow. He lives alone but employs a state-funded two-member transition team to assist him with day-to-day operations for the next six months.

"One of the things I haven't been thinking a lot about since I left office is politics,” he says in a wide-ranging interview with The Jersey Journal last week.

But he's still thinking about running -- albeit at New York Sports Clubs.

He's also making plans to see his grandchildren and catching up on reading a stack of books.

And yet as a now full-time resident of Hudson County, he has been a careful observer of the ongoing corruption trial, arrests and ongoing investigations of political officials.
Pointing to the colossal N.J. sting operation in July and the fallout in Hudson, Corzine said that accepting campaign contributions in cash in exchange for favors is highly unacceptable.

“None of this is attractive,” Corzine said. “The discussion of it undermines the credibility of government in the public’s mind and makes even stronger the argument that we need to take steps to give people assurance that this behavior is going to change.”

Pay-to-play, or commercial bribery, gets at defining what might be legal in today’s context, but to the public, it looks pretty unethical on any basis, he said.

Joseph Doria, who resigned as Department of Community Affairs commissioner under Corzine’s administration last year after the FBI searched his office and home, was recently linked to the corruption sting by FBI cooperator Solomon Dwek in court although the testimony indicated Dwek didn't know whether money said he intended to go to Doria ever reached him.

Corzine said he hates that Doria got caught up in this snarl, effectively compromising the decisions he would have made as DCA commissioner. He commented that there have been a number of people brought into scandals like this, who had their ethics challenged and were then proven innocent.

“I think closure ought to be brought into the circumstances so that his reputation can be restored,” Corzine said. “He got pulled into this whole broader scheme, at least from what I’m able to discern. There’s not much connection of any.”

A federal jury viewed a video in the bribery trial of suspended Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini last month, giving the public a ringside seat into a meeting Dwek had with Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. Corzine said he feels Healy should absolutely not resign based on the available facts. Healy has made his case that he did nothing wrong within the context of the law, he said.

“People need to be very focused on the quality and character of the candidates,” Corzine said. “At the end of the day, if somebody wants to cheat, we can probably write the strictest laws in the world and you will still find people circumventing those kinds of challenges.”

Corzine’s confident that his experience and advice can be of great value and service to the improvement of the state’s Democratic Party. He said Democrats need to get more organized in ensuring there’s enthusiasm about issues like education and healthcare to effectively mobilize people when it’s time to vote.

“I think we’ve taken for granted too long that Democrats will turn out on the day of elections,” Corzine said. “As we’ve seen in Virginia, Massachusetts and particularly in New Jersey, a falloff in the core Democratic vote is undermining our political decisions.”

He stands behind his administration as governor for its dearth of illegal indiscretions.

“One of my greatest prides is that I don’t think, if you look at the record, there’s anyone in my administration that has fallen prey to taking cash for actions or using their office for monetary gain,” Corzine said.

Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is interviewed by The Jersey Journal at his Maxwell Place home in Hoboken.
Despite spending the past decade committed to public service, Corzine conceded he has probably seen his last election.

“I doubt very seriously that I’ll ever be on the elected side of things again,” he said,” but never say never.”
Although it was recently reported that Corzine is in talks to teach part-time at Rutgers University, he said he has drawn no conclusions on which university he will potentially teach at next fall.

Corzine does consider returning to the world of finance and banking where he started in career in the 1970s. His ideas are broad-gauged: set up his own company, be an executive of a company or work for a financial intermediary. There’s still a need for risk taking, risk allocation, underwriting and advice giving, he said, in the economic system.

Nursing a cold, Corzine spoke softly about his life’s figurative bucket list, which includes spending time with family, appreciating Hoboken and fly fishing in Idaho this summer. He hopes to spend a couple weeks a year with his three grandchildren who live with his two sons in California, and in Brooklyn, with his daughter, spokesman Josh Zeitz said.
Asked about his relationship with girlfriend Sharon Elghanayan and whether marriage is in the works, Corzine replied with a chuckle.

“I don’t think you’ll be the first to know," he said.

Two men charged in Jersey City murders of Mileak Richardson, Lester Thompson

By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal
February 07, 2010, 1:08PM



Hakeem Lester, 21, center, is held by two police officers yesterday afternoon on Kennedy Boulevard near Danforth in Jersey City. Lester and another man, Ronald Lawrence, are charged in last week's murders of Mileak Richardson and Lester Thompson on a Jersey City street.

Two Jersey City men were arrested yesterday in the cold-blooded murders of two men who were shot in the head five days ago, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

Ronald "Diddy" Lawrence, 21, and Hakeem "Hak" Lester, 21, both of Jersey City were each charged with two counts of felony murder and armed robbery, DeFazio said today.

Additional charges may be considered by the grand jury, the prosecutor. Police officers found cousins Lester "Bleek" Thompson, 26, and Mileak Richardson, 17, sprawled on the sidewalk face down at Woodlawn Avenue and Corcoran Street at around 4 a.m. Tuesday, DeFazio said.

DeFazio said that the victims were lured to the scene, where they were robbed of money, drugs and a cell phone, saying they had been "set up" in a "premeditated and planned" event. Lester was arrested without by incident by members of the Jersey City Police Department and Hudson County Prosecutors Office Homicide Unit after following a car he was in and boxing it in at Kennedy Boulevard and Danforth Avenue at around 4 p.m. yesterday, officials said.

Two other people in the car had nothing to do with the homicide, DeFazio said, although one was arrested on an unrelated warrant. Lawrence turned himself in this morning at around 11 a.m. at the JCPD South District on Bergen Avenue, DeFazio said.

The men were arrested on warrants issued by Superior Court Judge Melvin Kracov late Friday night and are being held on bail of $1 million cash, police said.

"This was a very comprehensive and time consuming investigation by the Jersey City Police Department and the Hudson County Prosecutors Office Homicide Unit," DeFazio said. "There is more work to be done."

DeFazio said that the investigation is ongoing and investigators are looking into the possibility a third person was involved. Anybody with information should call the Hudson County Prosecutors Office at (201) 915-1345.

Jersey City police car smashed in hit-and-run on Monmouth Street

By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal
February 07, 2010, 2:50PM

A Jersey City police cruiser similar to this one was smashed in a hit-and-run accident this morning.

A Jersey City police cruiser was "T-boned" in a hit-and-run early this morning, police said.

Police are looking for the driver of a gray, four-door 1994 Honda Accord that went through a red light at Monmouth Street and slammed into the side of a patrol car that was driving along Christopher Columbus Drive at around 3 a.m., Police spokesman Stan Eason said.

The police officers, who were "shaken up" by the accident, were taken to Jersey City Medical Center and treated for "bumps and bruises," he said.

The side of the police car was left with serious damage in the the "mid and rear sections," police said.


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

Here is a picture of a 1994 Honda Accord taken off the web

Just today another gas line explosion!

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

'Mass casualties' reported after explosion at Kleen Energy Systems power plant in Middleton, Conn

BY OREN YANIV
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, February 7th 2010

A massive explosion at a Connecticut power plant shook the ground Sunday, killing at least two people and injuring several others, according to reports.

The gas line explosion happened around 11:30 a.m.in the Kleen Energy Plant at Middletown, about 15 miles south of Hartford.

Fire department crews and ambulances from all across the area racing to the scene.

"They were doing some kind of testing, we don't know what kind, but something obviously went wrong and there was a large explosion," said Middletown Police Sgt. Chuck Jabobeucci.

About 100 employees were working at the 620-megawatt gas-fired plant.
Bernadette Nyland told a local TV station she saw the blast from her yard.

"They were doing the firing of the engines this morning and so something went wrong and it blew up and flames came shooting up almost as tall as that stack," she said.

People from towns as far as 25 miles away reported feeling earthquake-like tremors from the explosion and some homes near the plant were damaged.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/natio ... nt_in_.html#ixzz0esOU4IsS

From Energy Pipeline News
http://www.energypipelinenews.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010

Spectra plans 16-mile gas pipeline in New Jersey

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Homeowners in Jersey City and Bayonne, N.J., will have the opportunity in March to find out more about a proposed pipeline running through their town.
That’s when Spectra Energy Corp., based in Houston, Texas, plans to hold public meetings to inform the public about a 16-mile pipeline extension through Bayonne and Jersey City. The line would allow natural gas to flow from its existing metering and regulating station in Staten Island, N.Y., through Hudson County into Manhattan.

The gas would initially come from Pennsylvania to the tri-state area, and the pipeline would transport up to 800 million cubic feet per day of new natural gas supplies. It could be in service by the end of 2013.

Spectra spokesperson Marylee Henley said the supply will be primarily received by the New York utility Con Edison. She said the reason for the pipeline expansion was one of demand. “In the Northeast, there is a greater need for natural gas,” Henley said.

After a site survey is done, the pipeline project will have to be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), according to Henley.

Here is a nice piece on the author:

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... rfront-with-james-fisher/







James Fisher is the kind of history professor you wish you had. Sure, he looks the part, round glasses and floppy hair, but what most recommends him is his energy. Not energy as in some kind of new age-y good aura, but literally his enthusiasm and passion for his subject, whether that be history, theology or the subject of his latest book — wherein all his other interests seem to merge — the Port of New York.

As a New Jersey native, the often-untold stories of the mostly Irish waterfront workers on both sides of the Hudson River are a source of endless fascination to Fisher, and, whether talking to him about it, or reading his book, his excitement about the subject is contagious.

On the Irish Waterfront: The Crusader, the Movie, and the Soul of the Port of New York, Fisher’s fourth book, was published last year by Cornell University Press and is the result of over ten years of research, interviews and writing begun when Fisher and his wife lived in the Midwest and completed after they moved, with their son, back to New Jersey...

Hoboken building tenants express safety concerns after pit bull attack

By Mark Maurer/The Jersey Journal
February 05, 2010, 3:58PM



This is the apartment in One Independence Court where a pit bull attacked three people and was eventually shot and killed by police.

Following an incident at One Independence Court in Hoboken last night in which a pit bull attacked its owner and two other residents and was subsequently shot and killed by police, apartment tenants reacted with strong safety concerns.

Claudia Karnbach, a 45-year-old doctor who lives in the building, said she has seen several pit bulls in the building and not all of them seemed harmless. She’s not surprised by the attack this morning – it was only a matter of time, she said.

“There have been situations in the elevator and there was always a chance it might escalate,” Karnbach said. “We were told to stay away from them.”

Rev. Tom Pendrick, 45, was entering the building today to visit his octogenarian parents who reside there.
“My father’s 86 and on a cane,” Pendrick said. “I wish they didn’t have an unattended pit bull running around in the lobby. I’m a bit concerned.”

Bob McPhee, who was walking his golden retriever chow mix dog outside the building, said this is the first time he’s heard of an incident in this magnitude.

“This is a dog community,” he said. “It’s a really a peaceful place, but everybody has to be responsible with their pets.”

Mark Rabson, spokesman for the Jersey City Medical Center, confirmed that a 41-year-old woman, 42-year-old man and 26-year-old woman were brought to the hospital last night.

The two women underwent surgeries for multiple wounds and fractures, Rabson said. They are out of surgery now and in stable condition. The man was treated and released, Rabson said.

Defense rests in corruption trial of Jersey City deputy mayor

By Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger
February 05, 2010, 5:42PM

Suspended Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, right, and her attorney, Brian Neary, leave federal court in Newark on Jan. 28.

Without calling a single witness, the defense lawyer for a Jersey City deputy mayor rested his case today in the first corruption trial to stem from last year’s sweeping FBI sting.
"On behalf of Leona Beldini, the defense will rest," said the lawyer, Brian J. Neary.

The move sets the stage for closing arguments Monday in federal court in Newark in the case of Beldini, a 74-year-old Democrat. She is accused of accepting $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions from a government informant who posed as a developer and offered bribes in exchange for building approvals.

A jury of eight men and four women could begin deliberating Beldini’s fate as early as Monday afternoon. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

It is relatively common for defense lawyers to not call witnesses. Prosecutors must prove cases beyond a reasonable doubt, but not defendants. So if defense lawyers feel the government has not proved guilt — or believe they have cast ample doubt during cross examination — they sometimes send the case directly to the jury.

"If you have shown there is reasonable doubt in the case through your cross examination, what is the need of boring the jurors?" said Michael P. Koribanics, a defense lawyer and former Hudson County assistant prosecutor.

Beldini was charged in the money-laundering and corruption sting that led to charges against 46 people, including five rabbis, three mayors, two state legislators and one Brooklyn man accused of conspiring to sell a human kidney.

The prosecution’s case hinged on a single government informant, Solomon Dwek, who secretly made video recordings of rabbis who supposedly laundered money and public officials who allegedly took bribes.

Those black-and-white videos comprised the bulk of the government’s case against Beldini, a realtor. They depict 2009 meetings at a luncheonette and a diner where, authorities say, Beldini agreed to help Dwek secure zoning changes for a 750-unit condominium building in exchange for campaign contributions to Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. Dwek also promised to make Beldini, the mayor’s campaign treasurer, the exclusive broker for the project, authorities said. Healy has not been charged.

Neary has argued the charges were based on ambiguous statements taken out of context by prosecutors. He argued yesterday the charges should be dropped, saying prosecutors had failed to prove their case. Federal District Judge Jose L. Linares denied the motion.

Beldini is not accused of accepting money directly from Dwek. Instead, authorities say, he funneled the campaign contributions through two consultants also charged in the case, Jack Shaw and Edward Cheatam. Shaw died of a Valium overdose five days after his arrest in July. Cheatam pleaded guilty in September and had been expected to testify.

The trial, expected to last three weeks, will go to the jury after less than nine days. The government called just four witnesses. Prosecutors did not question any FBI agents. Nor did they question Cheatam. His lawyer and a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office declined to discuss why.

Jersey-City cops say driver had stolen gun and PCP in his car

Saturday, February 06, 2010
By GEM JEFFERSON
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City police arrested an East Orange man at 3:42 a.m. yesterday after pulling him over for swerving, then finding suspected drugs and a handgun inside of his car, officials said.

Officers were doing regular surveillance when they observed a beige 1993 Buick driving north on Bergen Avenue toward Morton Place.

Police pulled the car over and asked Rahamin Clyburn, 24, of East Orange, for his license and registration. When he opened the glove compartment, officers spotted a black Smith & Wesson handgun, reports said.

Officers asked Clyburn to step of the car, and when he did police saw a clear bottle containing Dip, a liquid form of PCP, officials said.

The handgun, which police learned was stolen from Rahway, contained four different rounds, reports said. Clyburn was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possessing prohibited weapons, police said.

The two passengers in the car were taken in for investigation and later released, reports said.

Cops say 'missing' pregnant Jersey City mom went to Puerto Rico on her own

Saturday, February 06, 2010
By KARINA L. ARRUE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Police initially thought that the pregnant Jersey City woman who disappeared from her home last week without her wallet, ID, cell phone or keys was missing, but now they are saying it was all a farce.

Aileen Cepeda Velasquez, 27, of Marion Place, said she was going to the store for a moment on the evening of Jan. 26 - a day before her due date - but she never returned.

Juanita Pacheco, a friend of Velasquez, filed the missing person report with police last week. But police said yesterday they have procured video proof that Velasquez voluntarily left the United States and went to Puerto Rico, said Lt. Edgar Martinez, Jersey City police spokesman.

The Journal paid a visit to her mother at her Marion Place residence yesterday, but the woman said in Spanish that she didn't know anything and refused to comment "because of nerves."

A native of Puerto Rico and the mother of 9-and 5-year-old girls, Velasquez reportedly was nine months pregnant with another baby girl, although at 5-foot-2, the 130-pound woman never showed any signs of pregnancy, police said.

The children's father is in Puerto Rico, police said.

"The Police Department is reaching out to people in an attempt to get (Velasquez) to speak with her mother and her children and police to let everyone know that she is OK," said Martinez, noting that until they talk to her, she is still classified as a missing person.

Police Director Samuel Jefferson said the department is "working in conjunction with other agencies" in an effort to stop crimes before they occur.

"The Jersey City Police Department works with the TSA and other agencies to help avoid a farce like this," he said, adding "a thousand man hours were wasted trying to track down this woman."

OrganicPetBoutique.com Launches a Revolutionary Website that Provides a One Stop Shop for Organic Pet Products

Devout pet lovers Shana and Len Bentivegna created the Organic Pet Boutique.com website for animal lovers everywhere. "After the China pet food scare we became driven to create a website that offers only healthy organic pet products. Now pet lovers everywhere have a trusted source for all their pet needs."

New York, NY (PRWEB) February 6, 2010 -- Organic Pet Boutique.com was created during the summer of 2007 in an apartment in Jersey City, NJ. During their walks in Central Park with Cesar and Milo (their two Shih Tzus), founders Len and Shana Bentivegna noticed that the other dogs were getting very ill. A few weeks later television broadcasts exposed that pet food additives coming from China were contaminated and cherished pets were dying. Worried for their two dogs (Cesar and Milo, pictured to the right) they began a mission to find safe pet food.

Pamper Your Pet at OrganicPetBoutique.com
After exhaustive research, they found that organic pet food was not subject to the toxins prevalent in products from China due to the strict rules and regulations governing the organic pet food industry. Having trouble finding a comprehensive pet food site they sought out to create one.
The Most Comprehensive Organic Pet Product Website! On December 7th 2009 Organic Pet Boutique.com shifted from a dream into a reality! The website kicked off with a bang and the business sold through all of their inventory in the first month!
Currently Organic Pet Boutique.com has over 400 unique products ranging from Organic Pet Food to Organic Pet Supplements. Simply Fido Pet Toys are one of their best sellers. Simply Fido Pet Toys are created from Organic cotton and plant based dyes and they are one of the safest pet toys on the market!

Organic Pet Boutique.com was designed to cater to not only the advanced internet shopper but also to the novice internet shopper. "We spent months with Volusion (an e-commerce web hosting company) developing a layout that was user friendly and very informative. We added a secure socket layer, PayPal and a one page checkout to simplify and secure the buying process."

The founders plan to open multiple storefronts and offer franchising opportunities in the years to come.

One of the most important jobs at OrganicPetBoutique.com is product testing. Co-Founders Cesar (named after Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer) and Milo (the family pets) have been an integral part of the company. They test out almost every product that Organic Pet Boutique.com carries. "Ed our UPS driver knows each of them by name as they happily greet him at the door everyday."

The Founders dogs love the Castor and Pollux Dog Food. "They will turn their noses up at any other food that we feed them. The Castor and Pollux cat food and dog food has been a big hit among our customers. We received reports that the animals will bat around their bowls until they receive more Castor and Pollux food. "

Co-Founder Shana says "Creating the Organic Pet Boutique.com was the best thing we ever did! Waking up every day knowing that we are helping animals by providing safe organic products is very rewarding. This is going to be a dream that we one day share with our children and their children"

Now their goal is to get the word out to every pet lover! We recently began using Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and BlogSpot. Organic Pet Boutique.com has also begun creating product videos on their YouTube channel Organic Pet Boutique1.

Their mission is to educate pet lover's everywhere about healthy pet products and provide a comprehensive pet product site that caters to all of their pets needs for many year to come.

Top ten must have organic pet products.

Visit Organic Pet Boutique.com to purchase any of the products listed below!

1.Castor and Pollux Organic Cat and Dog Food
2.Flying Basset Organic Pet Supplements
3.From the Field Shelby the Hemp Mouse for Cats
4.Jax and Bones Organic Pet Beds
5.Pal Dog Organic Shampoo and Conditioner
6.Pal Kitty Organic Kitty Shampoo
7.Paw Naturaw Raw Pet Food
8.Simpy Fido Organic Toys
9.Simply Fido Organic Cotton Blankets for Cats and Dogs
10.West Paw Organic Bumper Beds

www.OrganicPetBoutique.com

We are now only suppose to get 2 inches total

http://www.accuweather.com/us/nj/jers ... ic=0&poptype=snow#accupop

They love to get people to stay tuned to their News...

Weather Underground is saying it should only be 3-5 inches max...

Time to break out the Duchamp...


In Advance of the Broken Arm

East Coast Greenway: Feb. 10 Hearing is Chance For Critical North Jersey Link



The requested trail would add off-road trail in an area that is unsafe for cyclists (in fact, the Greenway currently recommends that cyclists take the PATH train between Jersey City and Newark given the lack of suitable infrastructure). Click to view a map showing the surrounding area.

The East Coast Greenway, the developing 3,000-mile bike route connecting cities from Maine to Florida, has long seen the Meadowlands crossing [in northern New Jersey] as the most difficult nut to crack along the entire route. But for the first time, we see a possible opening.

NJ Transit is building 2 new rail bridges across the Hackensack River (a “north” span and a “south” span adjacent to the current Portal Bridge, which will be put out of commission), and taking 2.5 acres of parkland from Hudson County to build a new rail facility. By law, they must give back to the County. State law mandates that NJ Transit must compensate Hudson County by providing one of the following: either (1) double the acreage being taken, (2) double the dollar value of the taken land, or (3) a combination of replacement land and financial compensation. We want that mitigation to take the form of 2 miles of Greenway trail in Hudson County, including a bike & pedestrian path on the new southern Hackensack River bridge, to bring the Greenway off-road from Belleville Turnpike in Kearny to West Side Avenue in Jersey City, adjacent to Hudson Generating Station. Two miles of trail, in a 20’ wide corridor, comes to 5 acres: that’s double the area of the land being taken, meeting the letter of the law.

But to accomplish this, we need your help. On Wednesday, February 10, from 6 to 8:30 pm, there will be a critical public hearing at Secaucus Public Library (1379 Paterson Plank Rd; map here). We urge your attendance. If there is a strong show of support for a bike-ped facility, we can get the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and Hudson County on our side. Public support is imperative; without it, success is unlikely.

In the 18 years since the East Coast Greenway was conceived, this is the best opportunity we’ve seen to build part of the ECG across the Meadowlands. Can we count on your support? Please contact mike@greenway.org if you have questions, or to let us know that you’ll be there.

[Note: The hearing location is a 4-minute walk from a stop on NJ Transit's 190 bus route, which runs between Paterson and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.]

http://blog.tstc.org/2010/02/05/east- ... itical-north-jersey-link/

The Bonus Bounce



Stephen Seremetis is in contract to buy a half-floor space at Mercury Lofts at the Beacon in Jersey City. Why now? A bonus, but more important, he thinks the time is right.

The New York Times
By HILARY STOUT
Published: February 4, 2010

IF the mix of optimism and uncertainty that pervades the New York residential real estate market right now can be symbolized by one property, a leading candidate may well be the penthouse at 1055 Park Avenue.



RIGHT THIS WAY An entrance at the Beacon, a former medical center turned condominium in Jersey City.

The two-bedroom two-bath duplex, atop a new all-glass condominium building on the narrowest of lots in one of the most exclusive of neighborhoods, went on the market on Oct. 5, at an asking price of $9.3 million. Within 17 days the price was slashed, to $7.5 million. And there it has stood.

Now, at last, a buyer has come along who wants to make an offer. But one thing is holding him back. He won’t proceed until he learns the exact dollar amount of the bonus he is expecting from his employer, a Wall Street bank.

And so it is with much of the New York-area market, from downtown lofts to Hamptons mansions. With the outsize bonus returning to Wall Street this year, brokers and sellers are holding their breath. For the past few months there have been signs that the market is reawakening, and an infusion of “banker cash” could be just the catalyst it needs to spark a full-fledged recovery.

But just how powerful a force the bonus money will be is still in question. For all the bankers showing up at open houses, deal after deal seems to be in limbo, its fate hinging on bonus money, as with the penthouse at 1055 Park.

“The bankers are back,” said Pamela Liebman, the president of the Corcoran Group. But, she said, this year the effect is “more about the confidence than the cash.”

By that she means that reports of large bonus pools at Wall Street firms have contributed to an overall sense among prospective buyers that things are getting better, not worse. And brokers say that the rise of the stock market last year, along with very low mortgage rates and prices that have sunk a good 20 to 25 percent below 2007 highs, had already started to calm the nerves of buyers at all income levels. Now there is a growing sense that the best deals will be history once the bonus buyers start signing contracts.

In one indication of increasing interest in higher-end properties, searches for listings of New York City homes priced above $2 million and above $5 million on the real estate search engine Trulia.com have grown significantly. In December 2009, the latest full month for which figures were available, searches for homes over $2 million grew 24 percent compared with December 2008. Searches for homes priced above $5 million increased 13 percent over the same period.

No one expects a return to the days when a banker, bonus in hand, went out, looked at five fancy properties in a day and picked one. Brokers say that Wall Street clients are much more careful in their shopping and deal-making these days — and that, like everyone else, they are looking for bargains.

“Even my customers who are billionaires are shopping smart,” said Susan Breitenbach, a senior vice president at Corcoran in the Hamptons. Another change: many bonuses — particularly those of the highest echelon of earners — will be paid in stock this year, not cash, a curb on any impetus toward reckless spending.

Nevertheless, some transactions that seem more reminiscent of 2006 than the past year are starting to emerge:

In the Hamptons, a buyer from Wall Street paid $19 million for an oceanfront property in Sagaponack last month. Word is he plans to tear it down.

A three-bedroom condo at 1 Morton Square in the West Village went on the market for $2.75 million in early January. It was snapped up in just four days, for more than the asking price. There were three all-cash offers — from a Goldman Sachs banker, from a banker at another Wall Street firm, and from someone in “new media,” said Darren Sukenik, the listing broker and a managing director at Prudential Douglas Elliman.

The banker from the other Wall Street firm prevailed.

“It’s like this flight to sanity,” Mr. Sukenik said. People in finance aren’t using their bonus money to buy “a red Ferrari or two weeks in St. Barts,” he explained. “Now they’re using their bonuses to enter smart, sound real estate purchases.”

Given the outrage in some quarters over bonuses, house-hunting recipients are both discreet and reluctant to be interviewed.

“More important these days than ever before is anonymity, doing it under the radar,” said Tim Davis, a senior managing director at the Corcoran Group, who has been selling real estate in the Hamptons for 30 years. Most Wall Street buyers, he said, are “staying away from high-profile properties, saying, ‘I don’t want to be seen as buying X.’ ”

Stephen Seremetis, 37, an executive director of investments at Oppenheimer & Company, is in contract to buy a 2,994-square-foot loft in a new Jersey City development called Mercury Lofts at the Beacon. The space has a 60-foot living room, 20 windows and, he says, “phenomenal views” of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. (Amenities in the complex include a Bloomberg box, a clear sign that the place is catering to the Wall Street set.)

Mr. Seremetis said he was content with his bonus this year, but he stressed that it was not his only reason for buying. Instead, he said, after a year of searching in Manhattan, New Jersey and Long Island City, he became convinced that prices had fallen as low as they were going to go.

“It’s more the value now,” he said. “Real estate has bottomed out, and it’s time to step in.”

Mr. Seremetis paid under $1 million, he said, for a half floor of space — a bargain by Manhattan standards.

Traffic is up markedly at open houses all over the city for apartments with asking prices over $1 million, and buyers who work in finance account for 40 to 75 percent of the crowd. More than 100 people turned out for an open house for a two-bedroom in the Village a couple of weeks ago. The elevator broke, but people took the stairs without complaining.

Last Sunday, a frigid winter day, Kathryn Higgins, an associate broker at DJK Residential, accompanied clients to an open house at a prewar co-op in the East 80s. So many people showed up, she said, that “for the first time in two years, I had to wait in the lobby. My mouth was hanging open.”

Although reports of large bonus pools at a number of firms have been widespread, some employees have yet to hear their personal “number.” That will happen over the next several weeks.

Karin Posvar-Picket, a senior vice president at Corcoran, recently reached a deal on a four-bedroom condo for more than $4 million at the Georgica on the Upper East Side. But, she said, the buyer “is waiting for his bonus to hit” before he proceeds with the closing.

One of her colleagues, Ms. Breitenbach in the Hamptons, had an offer on a property from a Wall Street buyer; the owner responded with a counteroffer. A day went by, but she heard nothing from the bidder. Ms. Breitenbach called his broker to find out what was going on. The answer: The buyer’s bonus was to be paid in stock, and he had to see how much he could borrow on it before he could raise his offer.

Wise bankers know that it’s best not to put the cart before the horse even when a fat payout is anticipated. Adrienne Albert, the chief executive of the Marketing Directors, a marketing and sales agent of residential real estate, said her firm lost a bonus-inspired sale at the Crystal Point luxury development on the Jersey City waterfront. The buyer, who had already signed a contract, backed out when she learned that her bonus would be smaller than she had hoped.

“It was heartbreaking for us,” Ms. Albert said.

But, behemoth bonus, so-so bonus or no bonus at all, buyers appear to be stirring from their fear and torpor. Take the recent bidding on a one-bedroom condo with a terrace on East Ninth Street.

The property was first listed in June 2009. “We were holding open houses diligently every other week,” said the broker, Tristan Harper, a senior vice president at Prudential Douglas Elliman. But the traffic was almost nonexistent. “Zero to five parties, max,” Mr. Harper said. The seller took the property off the market for the December holidays, then put it back on in early January in hopes of benefiting from a bonus bounce. At the first open house, 18 parties showed up, 30 to 40 percent of them from Wall Street. Mr. Harper was stunned.

Within a day he had an offer. It was under the asking price of $1.049 million, but the owner was able to negotiate for a little more.

While the place was in contract, the seller received a significantly better offer — above the asking price — from two men. One of them worked on Wall Street.

Then the original bidder matched that offer with all cash. In the meantime, a third offer came in, but the specter arose of all three bidders’ fleeing if a bidding war ensued, so the seller never really entertained it. The first bidder won, at a price slightly over asking.

“It was like the good times again,” Mr. Harper said.

Pit bull shot and killed by Hoboken police after mauling three residents in apartment

By Mark Maurer/The Jersey Journal
February 05, 2010, 11:17AM

Hoboken shot and killed a pit bull in an apartment last night that mauled three people, one of which was the dog's owner.

Hoboken Police shot and killed a violent pit bull last night after it mauled three victims - including its owner - at a luxury building at 1 Independence Court in Hoboken, according to a police report.

A 42-year-old man who resides at the building called police around midnight and said his roommate’s pit bull named Giant had caused severe bites to his right ankle, a report said. Police arrived and the man, who said he bitten by the same pit bull last week, was treated outside by EMS, a report said. Police noticed the pit bull was unleashed in the apartment. A second pit bill appeared in the lobby with blood on its face and body but had not harmed anyone, a report said.

The pit bull’s owner, a 26-year-old female Hoboken resident, appeared near the lobby, a report said. Police repeatedly warned her not to enter the lobby or apartment, but she entered the apartment where she was bitten and mauled in her lower extremities by her own dog, causing her massive trauma and blood loss, a report said.

Hoboken Police, assisted by the Port Authority Police, Emergency Service Unit, carried the female resident out the window and into an ambulance, rushing her to Jersey City Medical Center, police said.

Police barricaded the pit bill with furniture. Then, a third victim – a 41-year-old female Hoboken resident – tried to enter the apartment despite the police’s warnings. The pit bull became loose and mauled her causing serious bodily injury to her legs. She was then also rushed to the medical center, requiring emergency surgery, a police report said.
Sgt. Edmund Drishti then drew his weapon and shot and killed the pit bull named ‘Giant.’ The second pit bull, which remained harmless, was tranquilized by the PAPD Emergency Service Unit. The pit bull, which was apparently ownerless according to the Humane Society, later died as well, police said.

The male and female owner/victims both resided at Independence Court and the third 41 year-old female victim was from Hoboken, police said.

Hoboken Health Officer Frank Sasso will conduct a separate investigation to determine if the dog’s owner violated any health or ordinances, police said. The dogs contained no City of Hoboken dog tags, police said.

“There was no other alternative available but to terminate this violent pit bull, who had seriously injured three people," Police Chief Anthony Falco said.

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I was referring to your use of the word "Privileged" rather than your use of the word "White" -- make no mistake --there are plenty of scary "white" teens in the world.

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'DISRESPECTING HIS GIRL'