Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

July 21, 2013 By Fausta

Why urban renewal failed

In a nutshell,

Phase 1 of Riverfront Park, as it is called, was completed last summer: a $15 million complex of playing fields on formerly derelict land, a couple of miles north of a giant sewage treatment plant, in the Ironbound district. This traditionally Portuguese working-class neighborhood avoided urban renewal 50 years ago and has thrived, partly as a consequence.

The Ironbound also sidestepped the redevelopment movement of the 1980s, which produced alien, corporate sites like Battery Park City.

From the NY Times.

And here’s what NJ residents are paying for:

Unfortunately, you can’t get there from here:

In Newark’s case, repairing the damage will not be easy. Mr. Rich, the planning director, led the way on foot the other morning from the train station to the new boardwalk. The trip required crisscrossing streets with meager accommodation for pedestrians, clambering up the exit ramp of an old bridge and hugging the gutter of a four-lane boulevard that lacks traffic lights allowing people to cross into the park. Along the way, he pointed out a riverside brownfield, the former Market Street Gas Works, now a cleanup project for PSE&G, the utility company. Next door, a grim mirrored-glass office building, headquarters for New Jersey Transit and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, squatted atop a multistory garage.

Michael Kimmelman, author of the article, forgot to mention that New Jersey Transit and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield are the two largest employers in the city of Newark, “grim mirrored-glass office building” or not.


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Filed Under: New Jersey Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Newark, Newark Riverfront Park

May 15, 2013 By Fausta

News from New Jersey: Prince Harry, Napoleon’s penis

1. First, Prince Harry went to Mantoloking and got a fleece jacket,

Greeting Prince Harry at the Jersey Shore the best way I know how; with his own Royal Fleece: twitter.com/GovChristie/st…

— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) May 14, 2013

Chris Christie gives Prince Harry his own ‘Royal Fleece’ on N.J. tour
Christie had joked that he would make sure Prince Harry stayed clothed during his trip to the Jersey Shore. He followed through on his vow by giving the visiting royal a version of his famous blue fleece.

Maybe there’s something to the fleece,

2. In case you were looking, Napoleon’s penis is in New Jersey. Jimmy Hoffa’s whereabouts are yet to be confirmed.

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Filed Under: New Jersey Tagged With: Chris Christie, Fausta's blog, Napoleon

February 26, 2013 By Fausta

ACU doesn’t invite Christie to CPAC, gets lots of publicity

ABC, CNN and NBC are shocked, shocked! that NJ governor Chris Chistie was not invited to speak at CPAC this year. There’s even a Memeorandum link by now.

Why the big fuss?

Apparently their hopes of Christie being a front-runner among conservatives have been dashed, since “At least eight potential presidential contenders will be speaking at CPAC”. You’d think that by now, political reporters would have figured out that Republican and conservative are not synonyms.

But let’s not disabuse them of their notions, and encourage them to believe that, if Governor Christie beeeehaves, he’ll be invited to next year’s Oscars.


——————————–

In other CPAC news, my friends at the National Bloggers Club are Sending Bloggers to CPAC. Lend them a hand!


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Filed Under: CPAC, New Jersey, NJ, Republicans Tagged With: Chris Christie, Fausta's blog

February 7, 2013 By Fausta

Ecuadorian minister lies about Cory Booker

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, is a rising star in national politics. As such, there are opportunists that may want to share the limelight.

Last Saturday news agency EFE reported that Ricardo Patiño, the Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Integration, received the keys to the city of Newark from mayor Cory Booker.

EFE quoted “diplomatic sources” (meaning, Patiño’s press release) saying that mayor Booker awarded the keys for Patiño’s “work and efforts” on behalf of the thousands od Ecuadorians living in the area.

There’s only one problem: It isn’t true.

Cory Booker was in Los Angeles.

15 hrs in LA – on plane now headed home. Can’t wait. RT @randoman00: Newark is looking splendid today from the turnpike.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 2, 2013

There’s even a photo of him at LAX,

@corybooker great meeting you at LAX!Count me and @askecoed to support you for #senate twitter.com/MrsEcoEd/statu…

— Julie Tung (@MrsEcoEd) February 2, 2013

I called mayor Booker’s office, and his very courteous staff confirmed that Mr. Booker indeed was in Los Angeles last Saturday, and he has not awarded the keys to the city to Patiño.

Obviously I wasn’t the only one asking. Ecuadorian website Ecuador en vivo reports that Patiño’s original press release announcing the event has now been deleted.

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Filed Under: Ecuador, New Jersey, NJ, politics Tagged With: Cory Booker, Fausta's blog, Newark

February 5, 2013 By Fausta

The real scandal in the Menendez story…

is the relationship between Miami ophthalmologist Solomon Melgen and New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez:

Melgen had reportedly received help from Menendez is the matter of a port-security contract between a company owned by Melgen and the Dominican government. That contract could be worth as much as $50 million a year for 20 years — that is, a total of one billion dollars — except that Dominican officials refuse to honor what they have condemned as the “exorbitant” terms of the contract. Melgen’s financial situation looks shady; he reportedly owes the IRS $11.1 million. But if he could get the U.S. government to pressure the Dominican Republic into honoring that billion-dollar contract, Melgen’s money worries would be over.

Unfortunately for Melgen, however, Matthew Boyle broke the story less than a week before Election Day last fall and, while the mainstream media ignored Boyle’s exclusive at the time, now the potential political ramifications are quite serious. Even if it cannot be proven that Menendez consorted with hookers, underaged or otherwise, during his visits to Melgen’s Caribbean luxury resort, the New Jersey Democrat’s connection to his Florida benefactor is sure to be subjected to intense scrutiny now.

Let’s hope so.

In Santo Domingo, Vinicio Castillo, Melgen’s and Menendez’s Dominican lawyer – who also happens to be Melgen’s cousin – said the accusations are aimed at discrediting Salomon Melgen and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and stopping a contract to X-ray shipments moving through ports in the Dominican Republic.

Castillo called the allegations part of a “diabolical plot” orchestrated to discredit Melgen, who owns a company with a lucrative contract with the Dominican government to provide X-ray machines at ports. The machines would be used to scan shipping containers to look for contraband and illegal drugs.

The contract was originally signed with the Dominican government a decade ago. Two years ago, Melgen bought out the company that had signed the contract.

That contract has raised controversy due to its cost — an estimated $500 million to $1 billion over 20 years. And the machines have not been installed.

Menendez, who has received healthy campaign contributions from the doctor, in a July Senate hearing peppered Obama officials about what they were doing to help U.S. business interests in the Dominican Republic. He specifically mentioned the contract for X-ray equipment at the ports.

Castillo’s father, Vinicio “Vincho” Castillo, the government’s drug czar and Melgen’s uncle, has also spoken about the need for the machines.

Menendez would rather have you believe this is a story that “anonymous, nameless, faceless individuals on a Web site” concocted.


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Filed Under: Congress, Democrats, Dominican Republic, New Jersey, NJ, politics Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Robert Menendez

January 23, 2013 By Fausta

New Jersey: Lautenberg wants to give Corey Booker “a spanking”

Latin America’s not the only source for bizarre news.

88-year old Frank Lautenberg (Senator for my district), who went back to the Senate in 2003 thanks to the Torricelli maneuver, is upset enough at the prospect of Newark mayor Corey Booker challenging for the seat that he let it rip,

“I have four children, I love each one of them. I can’t tell you that one of them wasn’t occasionally disrespectful, so I gave them a spanking and everything was OK,” Lautenberg said with a smile in his first public comments since Booker announced he was considering a run for Senate.

This statement is wrong in so many levels (and he gets away with the obvious because he’s a Democrat), where to start?

By asking, “you and who else, Frank?”

On this corner we have 88-year old walking-with-a-cane Lautenberg.

On the other corner we have 43 year old Booker, fit enough to run into a burning house and pull a woman to safety.

It would make a heck of a fundraiser.

Booker may be “entitled to run”, but Lautenberg’s the one who can’t hide.

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Filed Under: Democrats, New Jersey, NJ, politics Tagged With: Corey Booker, Fausta's blog, Frank Lautenberg

November 6, 2012 By Fausta

What time do the polls close?

I voted at Princeton University’s Jadwin Gym earlier today, where six other districts were moved due to the hurricane damage (the local schools were closed until yesterday, when electricity was restored).

Turnout seemed good for the time of day, but there were no lines.

NJ polls don’t close until 8PM, and NJ voters can text “WHERE” to 877877 to find out where to vote.

Vote Romney!

—————————————

I’ll be in Rick Moran’s podcast from 8-9PM Eastern.


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Filed Under: elections, New Jersey, NJ, politics, Princeton

November 5, 2012 By Fausta

Where to vote in NJ

tested “@urbanjibaro: RT @abbyce: NJ voters can text “WHERE” to 877877 to find out where to vote on Election Day #Election2012 @urbanjibaro”

— Fausta (@Fausta) November 5, 2012

 

I tested the above text and it is correct as of the writing of this post.

In Princeton, check the Township and the Borough websites.

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Filed Under: elections, New Jersey, NJ, politics Tagged With: Fausta's blog

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