Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Traditional New Jersey Local media is as guilty as the politicians they continue to protect and should be held accountable


Traditional New Jersey Local media is as guilty as the politicians they continue to protect and should be held accountable
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ - Like a person who buys and alcoholic his next drink ,the same media enablers who have allowed New Jersey to be run into the ground by rampant corruption and fiscal irresponsibility since the Whitman days have now picked up the latest cause celeb to attack and blame all our problems , on the Tea Party. It was only a short time ago the former President George Bush was being blamed for everything from parking tickets to the fact that so many residents were fleeing the states corruption and high taxes for greener pastures.

The local media in New Jersey has been partners in the massive misuse of public funds for far to long  and shares much of the blame . The recent spat of "pro union" front page editorials in the Bergen Record under the pretense of  news  headed under the tag "we need this and your gonna pay for it" has become laughable. Whether its a enormous toll increase,a $110 million county park,  a new stadium, that stupid Xanadu or the further adventures of Saint McGreevey, the Record and many other media outlets will bend over gladly  for any politician or State worker Union with his or her hand  out.

Meanwhile the Record and their media brothers were totally remiss in reporting the lack of state contributions to state worker pension funds and the "borrowing" ie theft of money from those funds. The current pension crisis and a Republican Governor  seem to have suddenly  created a need to talk about the $50plus billion dollar short fall. While the prior two Governors exacerbation of the situation went totally unnoticed and unreported.  An even bigger lapse is the states continued "gambling" with high risk investments in the state worker pension funds and the complete lack of over site in choosing the fund managers ,especially during the McGreevey administration.

It is time for the "NJ state media" to stop fronting for Trenton and all their special interest friends and start doing the job of reporting the news. For far to long the constant misrepresentations and press releases have driven local news making the traditional local media part of the problem and not the solutions. Traditional New Jersey Local media is as guilty as the politicians they continue to protect and should be held accountable.

Aronsohn looks to challenge party bosses for Union Support


Aronsohn looks to challenge party bosses for Union Support 
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ- Councilmen Paul Aronsohn continues  to purse a pro union strategy looking to pick up Union support for his political ambitions  It is becoming readily obvious that Aronsohhn a former McGreevey aid and Ridgewood Councilmen is looking to fill the vacuum and take advantage of the current breakdown in Union ,Democrat relations at every possible opportunity .

Recent statements from Aronsohn have amounted to nothing more than an attempt  placate union bosses . Rumors continue to swirl that Aronsohn is looking to run for Freeholder challenging party incumbent David Ganz.

Aronsohn  continues to be very vocal on a host policies like the ADA which have to many become nothing more than Union ,make work" projects . One look at the Ridgewood Train stations and its "elevators to no where "  or the fact that the copper gutters cost over $800,000.00  leaves one wonders how many people with disabilities will visit the train station roof.

Whether its fighting incentive pay for Non-union workers , voting against pay raises for Village managers , lambasting the Governor or writing farewell pieces to Clarence Clemons or Richard Holbrooke ,Aronsohn continues to campaign hard for Union dollars without which he stands little or no chance of winning public office.

Meanwhile Aronsohn continues to be dogged by questions on his own sincerity and within "liberal" circles is often viewed as nothing more than an opportunist. Some would even question his strategy taking on the powerful Sen, Donald Norcross ,Senate President Steve Sweeney  and other party power brokers in an attempt to create a power base with Union money rivaling theirs.

http://www.theridgewoodblog.net/2011/08/aronsohn-looks-to-challenge-party.html

Toll Increase: Does the Port Authority run the risk of pricing jobs out of New York ?

Toll Increase: Does the Port Authority  run the risk of pricing jobs out of New York ? 
PJ Blogger and the staff of the Ridgewood blog

As all Ridgewood commuters know by now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is looking to raise tolls on the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels this year. Drivers with E-ZPass would pay $4 more per crossing — $12 during peak times and $10 in off-peak hours. Cash tolls would jump from $8 to $15.

The dirty little secret is that many people who are making less than $250,000 will not  be able to afford the new tolls and many jobs in the "City" will no  longer be economically viable do to the toll increase.

The city which has gone from ,"the city that never sleeps"  to the city where there is a rule against doing almost everything has become less and less the focal point for the tri-state area  . Technology has made the commute to NYC everyday almost obsolete . At one time New York offered a truly unique experience , but now there is little or nothing you can do in NYC that you cant do right here at home .

I wonder if the tax revenue lost from jobs leaving the city will equal the payoff to the Port Authority and its unions ?  Time will only tell tell ,but New York as a center for world commerce and finance will continue to decline leaving the city as nothing more than an afterthought tourist destination.

http://www.theridgewoodblog.net/2011/08/toll-increase-does-port-authority-run.html

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Yankee Batboy tell all

Yankee Batboy tell all 

(New York ,New York)At age 15, Luis Castillo lived the dream, Castillo was a batboy for the New York Yankees  from 1998 until 2005 .Castillo ran errands for A-Rod, caught warm-up pitches with Andy Pettitte and David Cone, and partied with Ruben Sierra. In those days batboys did not have to sign confidentiality agreement. Which leads us to his new memoir, "Clubhouse Confidential."  were Castillo divulges Yankee player secrets.

Opening Day 1998 was his first day on the job , Castillo says he didn't know what to expect. he quickly learned that the tradition is that every bat boy gets a nickname from Derek Jeter himself . Castillo says that Jeter was easygoing ,joked a lot ,and teased everyone as a way to bond with his fellow team mates.

Castillo claims that Jeter and some of the players were terrific tippers. Roger Clemens would tip $3,000 at the end of the year. Posada gave him $7,000. A-Rod kicked in $1,400. A sizable amount, but when A-Rod  found out that other players were tipping more, he bumped his tips up. Making sure he was the best tipper in the league. Castillo says A-Rod tipped $100 a week to make sure there was a creatine shake waiting for him after each home game.

One day, President Clinton walked into the clubhouse with four Secret Service agents. Players were being polite as hell with him until Jeter  in full uniform, on the way out to the field paused just long enough to say: "Hey, Mr. President, you staying out of trouble?"

Castillo  says that  stadium operations, used a  "Red Alert." system when owner George Steinbrenner arrived.Manager of Stadium Operations would punch in a special code into the walkie -talkie system and the word would spread like wild fire. Casitillo describes the lave hate relationship the team had with Steinbrenner and players like David Cone would often rib the over protective owner.

Despite Steinbrenners penchant to micro manage the team Joe Torre  never let it interfere with his game .Torre would say , "This is what the Boss wants, but this is what we're going to do."  Torre was usually focused no matter what the situation and kept his nose to the grindstone. The only one thing that ever distracted him from work,  was the pony's and Torre would often have the OTB channel on his TV in his office.

http://brewagrownupsguidetovice.blogspot.com/2011/08/yankee-batboy-new-tell-all.html

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Cycling in and around town I have picked up a couple of tips I want to pass on

Cycling in and around town I have picked up a couple of tips I want to pass on
PJ Blogger

Ridgewood NJ - Cycling in and around town I have picked up three tips I want to pass on;
First cyclists and drivers look at the road from two entirely different perspectives ; the cyclist is connected by every nuance , bump ,lawn sprinkler , pot hole and road condition while the drivers perspective is much farther removed. Cyclist often look to avoid road hazards that drivers hardly notice.

Next a cyclist must be extremely vigilant. No amount of safety gear can stand up to the impact of a 3000 pound automobile.This makes vigilance the single most important safety feature for the cyclist.  Always remember it is up the rider to protect themselves. anticipate and be on the defensive.

And finally wear extremely bright clothing. Don't underestimate how difficult it can be for a driver to see you .The brighter the better . It helps the driver notice you sooner. ,and makes you a more visible target . A couple of seconds can be the difference between a trip to the corner store and a trip to the emergency room .


http://www.theridgewoodblog.net/2011/07/cycling-in-and-around-town-i-have.html