3/31/2008:

Here’s a message from Board of Education Candidate Tricia Snyder:

Dear Hoboken411.com,

The next years school budget has really increased the passion and interest in our upcoming School Board elections. I would like to share with you and your readers a number of the questions that I have been getting the past few weeks. There is a lot of misinformation being spread around regarding next years budget and what the finance committee negotiated with the Superintendent in his budget that was presented last week. If anyone has additional questions please send them to me at info@kidsfirst2008.org or I would recommend you attend the HFA School Board debate at the Multi Service Center (124 Grand St), Sunday April 6th at 1:30.

See 10 of the questions she has been asked after the jump.

[Click to continue reading the rest….]

3/31/2008:

Baseball season may have already started, but not in New York!

This Hoboken resident couldn’t me more excited about it. Although I’ll only probably have time to “Ctrl-Tab” between Firefox screens, it’ll be nice to see a live boxscore finally!

Today’s Yankees opener this afternoon (1:05pm) at the Stadium shouldn’t be rained out, and will pit Chien-Ming Wang against Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays. While the Mets and new ace Johan Santana opens up in balmy Miami against the Florida Marlins at 4:10pm. Today is a historic day in the Bronx, because it’s the last ever opening-day in the house that Ruth built.

Good luck to both teams, and may we see you in October!

3/30/2008:

Here’s a nice article contributed to Hoboken411 from Irene Sobolov (photo by Jean Marie Mitchell.)

Schools Out! At least for the Hoboken Sat U Students.

The hard working students of the Hoboken Public School’s Saturday University Program have reason to celebrate! They recently completed the rigorous 16-week program and as a reward, they spent a day touring Princeton University and returned to Hoboken High School for a barbecue luncheon.

The Hoboken Saturday University Program offers supplemental, advanced academic challenges to those public school children who perform at the top of their class in grades 3rd through 6th. . Participants must demonstrate advance proficiency in either the NJASK or Terra Nova standardized tests. The Program was offered in two eight-week cycles, with 3 subjects each cycle. The offerings included: science, business/math, art, dance, public speaking/debate and computer animation. The children and teachers worked hard and had a lot of fun. The real heroes are the children who chose academic study over athletics, family time and even an extra hour sleep to arrive at Hoboken High School early every Saturday morning for 16 weeks. They showed true intellectual curiosity and commitment. Job well done!!

The tour of Princeton was lead by Jared Ramos, Hoboken High and Princeton graduate. Mr. Ramos is not only a HHS English teacher and the school’s choreographer, but spent the last 16 weeks teaching computer animation to the Sat U students. Mr. Ramos led the children on an extensive tour of the beautiful campus, visiting the library, chapel and student center among other things. However, as a Princeton graduate, he was able to add a personal touch, for example, pointing out the location of his senior dorm and detailing his graduation ceremony.

See the rest of the story and a bonus photo gallery after the jump!

[Click to continue reading the rest….]

3/30/2008:

Doesn’t sound too serious but an auto accident occurred at the intersection of Observer Hwy and Harrison St. involving a flipped GMC Jimmy. It sounds like the driver who was registered to the vehicle had a suspended license.

People involved in the accident were standing around, yet were complaining of injuries. HPD, HFD and Amcare are on scene.

Listen to the Live Hoboken police scanner for more.

Update: couch sold, reader sends thanks.
3/30/2008:

I don’t normally do this (there is a classified section here, you know), but I had an extra minute and one avid Hoboken411 reader thought one of you might be able to help out.

“I moved out of my apartment this weekend and am not able to bring a sofa from my old place to my new place. I need to get rid of this sofa tonight or tomorrow.

Please let me know if you can post this. I need desperately to get rid of it.”

Location is downtown in an elevator building.

I would, however, consider doing this every now and then if the item for sale was rare and cool!

3/30/2008:

Here a Hoboken411 reader is experiencing problems with his iPhone. Anyone else have issues too?

“Have any other users complained about AT&T EDGE network problems? My iPhone has been unable to access EDGE for about 24 hours now and the Apple people are convinced it’s an AT&T problem in our area, but AT&T says nobody has been reporting problems. Just wondering if I’m the only one having these troubles or not.”

3/30/2008:

Wow, time flies. 2008 is already a quarter in the books!

Help 411 get a vacation this year! Email me if you’d like to contribute an article or two. I won’t mind if it’s a fluff piece, photo-observation or even a kiss-ass review of a sub-standard business! If I can get about 50 submissions, I might be able to leave town for a much needed break!

Read the Top 10 articles published or bumped this week that had the hottest overall chat action in Hoboken!

Hottest topics of the week

1. Finally, some attention!
   The long overlooked Board of Education budget gets under the microscope. We’ll see how politics can screw this one up.
2. Not someone’s cup of tea
   Average food joint expresses rude behavior to regular patron. “Bed with two bad sides, on sale this week only!”
3. What kid hates puppies?
   Not a normal one. Read how one reader witnesses a punk trying to invoke harm on a tiny canine.
4. Rock around the clock (tower)
   Lackawanna’s tower nears completion.
5. Food costs money
   But this reader thinks it’s fishy to pay too much.
6. You have what I need, but I don’t want to pay for it…
   Councilman Ruben Ramos is sending emails about NYC taxi stuff, but has no plan to improve the situation.
7. We want to kill you
   Urban legend or real threat? One rumor circulates about gun-toting crims looking to “make the club.”
8. Booty-licious
   Hoboken cop car ends up with one of those horrible tire boots on it. We thing it was just a prank, but funny to see nonetheless!
9. Hoboken Philly-Harmonic
   The Hoboken Philadelphia Phillies club has regular meetings at a downtown pub.
10. Running at 99%
    Some random power fluctuations case some debate on Hoboken411.

Other notable items of interest

• Street fair schedule announced
  The Spring Arts & Music Festival now has it’s own thread on 411.
• My car weighs more than you
  Another intersection scares the crap out of someone
• Spring Fundraiser announced
  Hoboken Shelter has a fundraiser in April at City Bistro.

3/28/2008:

File under: Political Posturing

Yesterday, Hoboken Councilman (and Assemblyman) Ruben Ramos sent a letter to the Commissioner of New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, citing “unfair” rates taxi drivers are charging customers for “short” trips across the Hudson. (see complete letter after the jump.)

What are your thoughts about this?

For one thing, it’s NYC law to allow taxi drivers to negotiate and “agree” to a flat fare to destinations outside of NYC limits. Call it “free market” if you must. Apparently, the rates that drivers are charging are what they deem to be fair, or in-line with what they’d stand to lose by leaving the city.

§2-35 Trips Beyond the City.
(a) For a trip beyond the limits of the City of New York, except for the counties of Westchester or Nassau, or the facilities of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at Newark Airport, the following shall be applicable:
(1) the driver shall not start the trip until agreement has been made on a flat rate, as set forth in Owner Rule §1-73;

§1-73 Trips Beyond the City.
(a) For a trip beyond the limits of the City of New York, except for the Counties of Westchester or Nassau, or the facilities of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at Newark Airport, the fare shall be a flat rate. (A flat rate is a definite amount fixed between the driver and the passenger at the start of the trip. For example, “$20″ is a flat rate. “Double the meter” is not a flat rate and is not the proper fare.)

This is where the problem begins, and becomes complicated. It’s not our job to dictate what other city governments put into law, especially across borders. They handle their jurisdiction quite well as it is. You don’t see other cities writing letters to Hoboken telling us how much to charge for a trip to Jersey City, or Weehawken, etc. That too, is “negotiated.”

Once we start meddling with cross-border rules and regulations, you’re going to have a giant mess on your hands because other cities will want their piece of the action too.

One way to overcome that might be to have a giant “Tri-State TLC” or something along those lines, which would be an entire separate “governing body” with rules, rates, etc. for a much larger area. Of course, that’d be yet another layer of government to muck up. You ready for a third, fourth, fifth job, Ruben??

I think that lowering the fare would have minimal impact reducing drunk driving or fueling the economy… I think it’s just a political stunt to give Ramos press airtime.

How would you handle this situation? How would you execute putting this into law? Is there a simple solution?

Read Ruben’s letter to the TLC after the jump.

[Click to continue reading the rest….]

3/28/2008:

Starting next month, Devotion Yoga is offering 8-week classes for newbies to the scene to get acclimated to a lifetime of beneficial yoga.

I’m sure I’d see great results from this class. Perhaps I’ll try the next one, once I attend a the time-management class, after I get around to signing up to the procrastination seminar.

How many of you regularly attend yoga classes? What benefits have you seen?

3/28/2008:

As an advertising medium myself, I can relate to sponsor-supported venues, even the Hoboken Reporter. Because the product is free, you tend to accept the paid promotionals as par for the course. How many websites do you pay to subscribe to? Not many, I’m sure (adult sites not included)

However, our property and living quarters are NOT advertising mediums. They’re our homes, sanctuaries and safe-havens.

When ads are forced down your throat from pushy businesses, it gets quite annoying. Here’s a few examples:

Wild Ginger is daring

For one, I almost assaulted a Wild Ginger employee last week. I had actually written an entire “angry and irrational rant” about how this man let himself into my brownstone without ringing a bell, being invited inside, or even delivering a meal! (I deleted because it was very nasty)

I was startled by my dog Oscar who barked feverishly because he KNEW there was an intruder on my floor. I grab him by the collar, and open the front door (weapon in hand) to find this Wild Ginger dude stuffing menus in each one of the (three) doors I have to my unit! In fact, he was milling around some boxes I had in the hallway (clearly not a “pathway” to an apartment) and I said “what the f*** are you doing?” All I get in response is a slow “solly, solly” as he tries to un-embed himself from the pile of crap I had spewed on the floor.

I asked how he got in, or whether he delivered anything. He had no food, and said he just walked in (thanks to my neighbor who left the door open.) But these people should be able to tell the difference between a “public” building with a lobby, or doorman, or “common” area from a private brownstone with none of the above. He was essentially trespassing. I came very close to doing something I would have regretted. Funny thing is, that I am about to review their $9.95 lunch special too. Hopefully, it doesn’t skew my perspective.

Later, I phoned the police who said they essentially couldn’t do anything. I said, what if I knocked the guy unconscious for trespassing? They didn’t understand what I was talking about.

Regardless, I think the residential & vehicle ad blitz has reached a new level recently. I’ve seen more car ads and stoop packages than ever before. I thought the economy was having issues? What gives?

Kohl’s is losing fans in Hoboken

Here’s a picture of a sign I saw on someone’s door along Washington St.

This resident is so annoyed with the Duraflame log sized bags stuffed with rain forest killing packets of crap, that they put a clear sign on the door. I happen to like Kohl’s because of the cheap pleather jacket I now adore. Thing rocks!

But I digress… How many of you have issues with the massive “a-packs” of crap you receive on your doorstep?