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This photo was taken at, um 1 Jersey Ave. (you know, that part before you walk the plank to LSP?) in Jersey City by Flickr's Lugo Lounge.
Remember, folks -- you
gotta be in it to win it! To be featured as Photo of the Week, and in
our constantly updating Flickr badge in the right sidebar, tag your
Flickr photos with CityBelt -- or you can just e-mail them to us.
MORE PHOTO OF THE WEEK
The weekly rundown: by Shane Smith
don't miss:
Volver I'm not a big fan of Almodovar or Penelope, but this is a good one. Landmark Sunshine (NYC)
don't bother:
Music and Lyrics Hugh and Drew compete for Most Cloying Performance of the Year. cute soundtrack, though
I consult a weathervane
But the wind disappears
Just a fallen arrow now
I open unsuspecting jars
And unleash my tongue
Lids stay sticky anyhow
I hail all rocks on water
That skip longer for less
Descent climbs offshore
Morning I steal for love
Afternoon I know is iffy
Night I see once on tour
-- Daniel Morris
ShapTalk: Guest Commentary
By Michael M. Shapiro
Fifty years ago, women would typically vote for the candidates their
husbands voted for or would not vote at all. Times have thankfully
changed and women now have a significant role in campaigns and
elections. Whether it be the "soccer moms" of the 90s or the "security
moms" post-9/11, the role of women in politics has taken on greater
importance, especially in the last decade. As a significant voting
block, women have become critical to the election hopes of any
politician. However, the number of women serving in elected office
continues to be dwarfed by the number of men who serve. In New Jersey,
on the Republican side of the aisle, something is being done to address
this problem: the Christine Todd Whitman Excellence in Public Service
Series. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party currently has no comparable
program.
Continue reading "THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY & WOMEN IN POLITICS" »
By Tris McCall
From: The Graves still live in Metuchen, and I believe Mister John Gleason teaches primary school somewhere around there. But their new label – Kill Buffalo – is based in Brooklyn. Perhaps because of this, the Roadside Graves have come untethered from the Turnpike. These guys have always sung about the West; for the first time, they sound like the West. And they do it without falling into any of the Will Oldham clichés that are currently wrecking contemporary folk-rock.
The People's Rally For Peace & Justice brings activists together
By Erik-Anders Nilsson
On the relative eve of the Congress voting on (and almost assuredly passing) an additional $120 billion dollars to continue the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the People’s Rally For Peace & Justice was held this past Saturday in Newark to counter the miss-appropriation of our tax dollars -- and to bring the troops home now!
Held by the Peace and Justice Coalition, a group of over 124 endorsing peace and justice organizations (including City Belt) and led mainly by the People’s Organization For Progress (POP), the event at Essex County College was attended by more than 600 activists. The four-hour speak-out and rally was a follow-up to the People’s Peace Conference held this past January.
By Leigh Davis
In his Academy Award-winning
film, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore -- discussing why so many
in the corporate world have resisted the obvious about climate change -- quotes
Upton Sinclair: “You can't make somebody understand something if their
salary depends upon them not understanding it.”
Case in point: The continuing story of the ubiquitous hormone-disrupting chemical BPA, which is found in consumer products from baby bottles to dental sealants, to microwave-ware, refillable water bottles and the inside of food cans, and implicated in such modern maladies as precocious puberty, obesity and diabetes, low sperm counts, miscarriages and breast cancer. (We reported on the problems with BPA in the second installment of Toxic New Jersey: Dimilin and its Dangers.)
But where is the crane wife? Ah, yes, bad jokes abound when the Decemberists come through town. But this photo has nothing to do with this week's mega-indie show at the Loew's. But as a crane enthusiast myself, I really dig this photo, taken by Flickr's Ciel_Rouge with a Holga. It's gotta be Bayonne! (They need to make that their city slogan, it's got a nice ring to it, and I can definitely picture it on T-shirts.)
Remember, folks -- you gotta be in it to win it! To be featured as Photo of the Week, and in our constantly updating Flickr badge in the right sidebar, tag your Flickr photos with CityBelt -- or you can just e-mail them to us.
Picture an apartment with
a rusty fire escape in a city called
"Somewhere, New Jersey."
A man in a black T-shirt sits
smoking and chewing, watching
George W. in a blizzard of static.
"What now?"
the man asks a sleeping
dog at his feet.
The mutt growls and
twitches, the channel flips to
a woman eating a spider. "Hell."
The man runs down three flights
to the street, stops to watch
the moon rise over roofs,
its bewildered face a mirror of his own.
- Michael Gates
Editors' note: A new feature today at City Belt is Shane Smith's weekly rundown of what's playing in the theaters around our area. Short & sweet, it's our weekly film user's guide.
don't miss
The Queen: the film is awesome, Helen Mirren is better CC Village East (NYC)
Volver: I'm not a big fan of Almodovar or Penelope, but this is a good one
Landmark Sunshine (NYC)
don't bother
Babel: really speaks to you if you happen to be experiencing culture shock when you see it, otherwise it's pretty flat
Music and Lyrics: Hugh and Drew try to outdo each other for Most Cloying Performance of the Year. cute soundtrack, though
For full calendar listings, check The Agenda. To have your event listed, please e-mail the editors.
THIS WEEK'S BEST BETS:
FRIDAY | 3.23.07
Art. The closing party for "True Character," a show of photography by JC's own Laos Fois, is at the Lex Leonard Gallery in JC at 7 pm.
Film. _gaia presents the documentary Until the Violence Stops -- about the growth of Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues into a national movement and "V-Day" -- at Symposia Bookstore in Hoboken at 7 pm.
Theater. It's the last weekend for Art House Production's Camino Real over at Victory Hall in JC. Be sure to catch it tonight or tomorrow, both shows at 8 pm.
Concert. The early and late shows at Maxwell's are both worth your while...At 7:30 pm, Day Jobber and Ms.-I'm-featured-on-Weeds Jenny Owen Youngs opens for Jim Bianco. At 10 pm, the band named after everyone's favorite gay-or-not-gay weatherman, Sam Champion, opens for Ra Ra Riot and Thing One.
Concert. The Iron Monkey's got another solid Friday night bill tonight, with Water Under Water and 33rd Revolution -- that's at 10 pm.
Concert. Out in Montclair, for you EssexCo folks, there's an interesting show that is, from what I can understand, in the basement of a restaurant. There are six bands, including City Belt favorites Thunder Kids and Fun Machine. Rounding out the bill are Shape, GDP, Bully Mouth and PVD Nabil. The show's at a place called "8 Underground."
ShapTalk: Guest Commentary
By Michael M. Shapiro
The New Jersey State Senate is composed of forty individuals who serve
part-time. The Senate currently houses 22 Democrats and 18 Republicans.
In the past few weeks, 11 senators have announced that they will not
seek re-election; others may soon follow. Interestingly, eight of the
ten Senators who are not seeking re-election are Republicans: Martha
Bark, Leonard Connors, Bill Gormley, Walter Kavanaugh, Robert Littell,
Robert Martin, Henry McNamara, and Joseph Palaia. The three Democrats
are: Wayne Bryant, Joseph Doria and Bernard Kenny.
By Emma Pollin
Editors' note: Talk about timing. The very day Ms. Pollin turned in this column, heavily based on Akon, the Christopher Columbus Drive locale of his now-deceased manager's label Block Royal Entertainment was raided. The Jersey City Police said they seized 700 grams of cocaine and crack, $30,000, four handguns, hollow-point ammunition, four vehicles, and a bulletproof vest.
The problem is this: When I hear the mellifluous voice of Akon, I act irrationally. “Smack That” comes on the radio and basic decency -- never mind political correctness -- demands that I change the station. But I do not. I reach for the dial and, veering from my good intentions, I turn it up. I then proceed to roll down the car windows to air my apparent self-loathing for all the world.
Nor is the problem limited to Akon tracks. I also crank up Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode,” in which the shorthand for woman is “somethin’ to poke on.” I join my sisters in shame singing “Got Your Money” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard. ODB exhorts us to give him his money and we, in unison and all too eagerly, acquiesce. And I can’t seem to stay off the dance floor when “Ain’t No Fun” comes on. This Death Row ditty, with its deceptively upbeat bassline, irresistibly melodic synth, and sing-along hook, is in the great “posse cut” tradition; each rapper gets one verse to elaborate on the theme of, in this case, hoes. The not-fun situation of course occurs “if the homies can’t have none” of the young lady the narrator is already enjoying.
Even way back in the eighth grade, I shuddered when my dad asked me what my favorite song was. I answered bravely and honestly, if not quite proudly.
“Rump Shaker?”
By Nightdreamer
In bowling, 300 is the perfect score, achieved when one rolls strikes in all ten frames. In the kingdom of cinema, Frank Miller has just scored 300 for the second time with the release of 300, which is based on one of his comic books.
Back in September, we reported on Bob Flisser's arrest in Flemington for participating in a vigil against the Iraq War, due to a vaguely worded ordinance. Then, we updated you when Judge John Petronko ruled against Flisser in November.
Today, we finally get some good news: a State Superior Court Judge has dismissed the borough of Flemington's case against Flisser. "I am pleased that the Borough of Flemington finally realized that it makes more sense to stand up for free speech than to stand against it," Flisser said in a statement. "I am hopeful that the town will now take prompt action to change the ordinance so that the same problems do not arise again."
As long as we're on the topic of numbers:
At least 3,210 Americans dead
Approximately 650,000 Iraqis dead
750 detainees at Guantanamo, aged 10 to 80
What can we do?
Work to make sure this is the last year of the war continues. This
week the Senate Appropriations Committee will write the Senate version
of the 2007 Supplemental War Appropriations bill. Our very own Sen.
Frank Lautenberg is a member of this committee.
Contact Sen. Lautenberg
and urge him to include in the bill a withdrawl of troops
and a prohibition on attacking Iran without Congressional approval.
By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Sorry the Peach Pit’s been closed for renovations the last few weeks.
It’s been wild. Brandon just came in and wanted his job back after only
giving Nat, uh, no notice to take a job at the Beverly Hills Beach
Club!
But back to the subject at hand – America’s Next Top Model, cycle 8.
Union-busting must do a body good, because Tyra is more like her cycle 1 or 2 self. If only the same could be said for the girls.
Last season Tyra paraded around like a more-narcissistic-than-usual drag queen. No matter the topic Tyra could make it about herself. But the rumors that Tyra wants to be the next Oprah “When will everyone see I’m a cult leader?” Winfrey must be true because Ms. Banks (ohh, la-de-dah, look at me! I work at The New York Times!) is adopting that down-to-earth every woman’s BFF style that Oprah does so well.
Continue reading "THE PEACH PIT: AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL" »
A picture postcard if we've ever seen one. Taken by Pat Marella.
You gotta be in it to win it! To be featured as Photo of the Week, and in our constantly updating Flickr badge in the right sidebar, tag your Flickr photos with CityBelt -- or you can just e-mail them to us.
Tucked in the lower corner,
the headline told the ostensible story,
“Former professor, to call girl,
then suicide, police say.”
Untold, unsung, are the thousands like Brandy,
those less picturesque,
less resonant to media,
as untold as the untellable millions
endangered by her passing.
In the battle against AIDS, against the virus that slays
through sex, drugs and their seductions,
Brandy was a brilliant coming star
who married bright ideas, research savvy, caring,
passion, and impatience —
all needed, all in short supply.
ShapTalk: Guest Commentary
By Michael M. Shapiro
printer friendly
Recently, Gov. Jon Corzine proposed selling or leasing key assets of the
State including the New Jersey Turnpike. The governor believes the sale
or lease of such assets will provide billions in revenue that can be
used for a variety of fiscally responsible measures including paying
down the state’s debt. However, given the proclivity of politicians in
New Jersey to spend every penny they can, it is doubtful that the
governor’s plans for the money would be championed by members of the
state legislature. In addition, the sale or lease of state assets may
have negative consequences for New Jersey residents, including but not
limited to, higher fees for use of those assets, improper maintenance
and delayed repairs to maximize profits, and inappropriate or
incompetent management of those assets.
Continue reading "TO LEASE OR SELL STATE ASSETS REQUIRES THOROUGH INVESTIGATION" »
Round Three: Can Jersey City’s Pho Thang Long Match Little Saigon?
By Kimberly Kaye
After a brief and informative hiatus spent pitting you dedicated foodies against one another, we return to the North Jersey Vietnamese Showdown (a big thank you to all the “So You Think You Know Food” challengers who not only impressed me with your food knowledge but with your delicious humor as well -- the winner of a free meal at Jersey City’s Taqueria will be announced in the next column).
We bring to you this week a battle featuring last week’s champion, Montclair’s Little Saigon (who trumped Bloomfield’s Binh Duong with a knockout combination of great food and killer service), and New Jersey titleholder Pho Thang Long of Jersey City (recently featured in NJ Monthly’s 2007 Best Cheap Eats issue). I was amped about this fight and had high expectations for Pho Thang Long – it takes a solid restaurant to put out notably good food at even more notably low prices, and in an area as densely populated with great cheap eats as Jersey City you’ve got to be good to stand out, right? Well, mostly.
Continue reading "BUT I DIGEST ... NORTH JERSEY VIETNAMESE SHOWDOWN" »
Henthorn's look back can help us look ahead
By Greg Strid
From Submarines to Suburbs: Selling a Better America, 1939–1959 | By Cynthia Lee Henthorn
In From Submarines to Suburbs, Cynthia Henthorn delivers a thorough examination of the visual and rhetorical messages that large commercial enterprises fed the American public in the twenty-year period encompassing the preparation and conflict phases of World War II and the transition to the Cold War era. From Submarines to Suburbs offers not only a history of the use of print media advertising from the early stages of World War II to the postwar rise of the military-industrial complex, it also details the ideological battle that existed between proponents of the free market and liberal reformers, a conflict which is still with us today. Filled with illustrations and examples of the connection between advertising rhetoric and the road to a permanent militarization of America, this work sheds unique and critical light on the present, as America finds itself knee-deep in another war without end. The message that we are spreading American values of democracy—cleansing the world of liberty’s (and the free market's) opponents— is trumpeted through every available media, both old and new.
Continue reading "BOOK REVIEW: FROM SUBMARINES TO SUBURBS" »
Formerly art house
Oh-so-modern Rem Koolhaus
And now we've "arrived?"
- Jon Whiten
I happened upon Michael J. Pfeifer, who fronts the Michael Pfeifer Trio on overcast afternoon as I walked down Palisade Ave. This guy just handed me a flyer -- I figured it was a real estate agency, or perhaps discount suits. But instead, Michael said: "Check me out on MySpace...this is my band." Well, I did, and it's pretty cool stuff, and a definite break from the indie-liciousness usually featured here. Pfeifer's pedal steel wafts and fades around through the trio's "country-jazz" tunes.
Residency restriction law was similar to the one recently enacted in Jersey City
The Philly Inquirer has the full story, here are the highlights:
This marks the second local sex offender residency restriction law to be ruled invalid in court in the past few months. About 45 municipalities around the state have similar laws.
In his opinion, Superior Court Judge John T. McNeil wrote: "We can't have potentially hundreds of municipalities around the state creating a hodgepodge mosaic of ordinances in an area that clearly must have a carefully crafted detailed framework."
He also brought up one of the main points of Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg's January article here at City Belt, saying offenders are already "tightly regulated to the extreme and, therefore, figuratively under a microscope once they are so classified."
Of course, the bloviating from local officials, much as it was in Jersey City, was ridiculous, with Mayor Bernie Platt saying, "I frankly cannot understand why the state courts would not support our township's efforts to safeguard our kids."
Here are three examples that illustrate why
ShapTalk: Guest Commentary
By Michael M. Shapiro
printer friendly
The governor works hard to create a fiscally responsible budget. He calls for legislative support for its passage. Many of the legislators whom the governor needs to vote for the budget make demands that "Christmas tree" items be added to secure their vote. A few hundred are included so that the budget will pass. As a result, it passes but with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional unnecessary spending, upending the governor's fiscally responsible good work.
The residents of New Jersey desire property tax reform -- and committees in the legislature are created to tackle the issue. Committees actually develop some interesting concepts that could help alleviate the property tax squeeze in New Jersey. These ideas are gutted by the legislature but property taxes are reduced through a spending gimmick that provides residents with a thousand or two off their property taxes, but with no meaningful permanent reform.
Some legislators propose a ban on dual office holding. Others publicly support the idea as long as all incumbent officials are grandfathered. After weeks of haggling, an agreement is reached. A last minute discrepancy between the Senate and Assembly versions of the proposal stalls a ban on dual office holding for the foreseeable future. Even if the ban is eventually enacted, current office holders will likely still be grandfathered. Since incumbents win re-election over 90 percent of the time, it seems that dual office holding will remain with us for decades.
Continue reading "MEANINGFUL REFORM MAY NOT ARRIVE IN NEW JERSEY ANY TIME SOON" »
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