More on Governor Krispy Kreme

I still loosely follow New Jersey politics since moving to Boston. NJ’s Governor is a man named Chris Christie; however, I call him Governor Krispy Kreme. Governor Kreme has been the Governor of NJ for approximately one year. I truly do hate this fat sack of shit! Here are some of the many reasons why Krispy is a fuckface and just a bad Governor! (Click on links for actual news stories)

1) He failed to secure federal education dollars: The federal government sponsored a “Race to the Top” in which States were able to apply for federal education dollars based on innovative ideas in education. Krispy’s appointed Education Commissioner improperly filled out the form, and poof, 418 million dollars in educational aide from the fed was gone. Krispy blamed “government bureaucracy” because the evaluator of the applications didn’t tell him that NJ forgot to fill out a section of the application. Hey Krispy, it’s called a *competitive* grant, meaning, an evaluator scores your application. If you don’t fill out a section, the evaluator can not give your State an unfair advantage by assisting NJ to get more points on the application. Despite not securing these funds he bitches about teachers salaries every 2 minutes, and that really is every two minutes, no exaggeration.
2) He cancelled a tunnel that would connect NJ to NY: Not only was it bad enough that Krispy cancelled a construction project that would have created many jobs in a bad economy, and would have helped to ease congestion between NJ and NY, he was apparently unaware that he would have to pay back the federal dollars that he took for this project. So, poof, good bye to another 271 million in federal funding for the project.
3) Created a ton of new advisor positions in the Office of the Governor : This is not a big deal in the abstract, but coming from a guy whose whole platform is the government spends too much, adding bull shit positions for your wife’s friends seems to be hippo-critical. (get it, Hippo?)
4) Complains about excessive government spending every two minutes, but stayed illegally at five star hotels when he was a federal prosecutor. Not much to say about this, but his excuse for staying at five star hotels while staying in Boston and D.C is that he was “not familiar with the area.” It’s called Google, Krispy!
5) Bitches about the Union for spending too much but wants tax breaks for corporations: This is a personal hatred, but I hate it when rich fucks complain about spending, and then want tax breaks for themselves.
6) He appointed a woman as Commissioner to the Department of Children and Families who advocated for sex with children: Granted this is an oversimplification, but Christie ousted a Commissioner who had great statistical success with the Department in favor of a new Commissioner, not knowing that some of her research including the impact of adults having sex with children, and finding that the impacts were not that detrimental to children. Not someone who you want having as your Commissioner in a Department charged with protecting abused and neglected children.

I could give more specific examples, but the overall reason I hate this guy is he’s such a blowhard. Tony Soprano had a great line to someone when he described the aggressive nature of someone of the phone as a “telephone tough guy.” To me, this describes Krispy perfectly. An example of this is he rightfully objected to NJ contributing to costs for the Tappen Zee Bridge construction, but then, has to make statements like “I’m telling NY to stop messing with us!” Calm down tough guy. In addition, he’s on TV and in the newspapers everyday talking about superintendent salaries; meanwhile he makes twice as much as most of them. He’s such a grandstander. I would love to get him alone so I could punch him in his fat face!

Old School Nintendo Games

I have a Nintendo Wii, and with it I have several new fancy games that would be inconceivable back in 1986 or so. I have enjoyed these games. Then, I found I could purchase old Nintendo games for the original NES and download them directly to the Wii for $5 each. I purchased several of my old favorites, and they were all fun as well. Two games, however, have proven to be the two that I come back to often, and I don't know why.

One is Bubble Bobble. You are a dragon or something, and you have to go through levels killing enemies by encasing them in a bubble and running into them. The levels get faster, have harder bad guys, and give you less time to complete them.

The other is the original Nintendo Baseball (with came out 27 years ago, amazingly). This is the most primitive of sports home video games, and yet I find it so addictive. I play against the computer, and while I beat it more often than not, I don't feel that I've mastered it to the level I did when I was first playing it.

I've been wondering what it is specifically that is making me so hooked on these two games as opposed to all the other games I have, both old and new.

Governor Chris Christie and the NJEA

Our governor, Chris Christie, gives a good example of politicans "saying one thing and doing another". Pretty remarkable.

Here is a "open letter" that he wrote when he was campaigning against Jon Corzine, obtained from this website.


I am the proud product of our state’s public education system. In fact, my late mother was a dues-paying member of the NJEA. I know firsthand that one of the main reasons many of our schools rank among the best in America is because of our dedicated teachers and educational professionals who work hard every day to give our children the learning experience they deserve.

Like you, I am fully committed to supporting New Jersey’s kids, teachers and parents to make sure our children receive a first-class education so they can pursue limitless opportunities once they graduate. Our state’s teachers are charged with one of the greatest responsibilities one can have, and they deliver each and every day for our kids.

But lately, there has been some misinformation circulated falsely, by supporters of Governor Corzine, suggesting I would attempt to diminish or take away teachers’ pensions and benefits. Let me be clear - nothing could be further from the truth. The claim that any harm would come to your pension should I be elected Governor is absolutely untrue. It is a 100% lie. Your pension will be protected when I am elected Governor.

Right now, the Trenton-based leaders of the teachers' union are literally spending millions of dollars of your union dues to falsely attack me on television and through slick mailers. This is nothing but an attempt to poison me in your eyes so that you will vote for four more years of Jon Corzine and his failed policies. Just so I am clear, what they are saying about my intentions to hurt pensions or lay off teachers is absolutely, 100% untrue.

Here are the facts:
I will be a strong ally for teachers in the classroom. When elected, I will make education funding a top priority and I believe we must ensure those dollars reach our children and the classroom, not the educational bureaucracy. In these tough economic times, we must ensure that the proper resources get to you, the teachers in the classroom. Despite what is said by my opponents, I would accept federal education stimulus dollars to help fund our children's educations. Education is a priority and this money is critical to ensuring we are able to continue giving our children the education they deserve. We must also make sure that education dollars are always a priority and come from stable sources. Too often these grants or stimulus dollars are accepted for programs with no plan on how to pay for them after the money runs dry. It is time for a new era of responsibility in Trenton, and I will work to secure a steady source of funding for all education programs.
I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor. In fact, in order to ensure your retirement savings are safe, I believe we must prioritize the protection of pension fund dollars and investigate the cause of Jon Corzine's large investment losses to our pension system. Currently there is a $34 billion deficit in the State's pension fund, which threatens the retirement and lifeline of so many teachers. We must do better for our teachers, future teachers and retirees. As Governor, I will work to close unfunded liabilities and make sure our state lives up to its promises, unlike Jon Corzine. I will not raid your pension fund to cover budgetary shortfalls like previous governors of both parties have done. One of the changes I will bring to Trenton is responsible management, investment, and oversight of state pension dollars.
I will not end collective bargaining and will safeguard protections for ALL public employees, including teachers. Collective bargaining is an important safeguard for public employees and is a part of a long American tradition of self government. We must make sure that the voice of every worker is represented in contract negotiations. I will demand open, honest, and fair deliberations.
It’s true that times are tough. But the truth is that Jon Corzine has handed the NJEA and every student a ticking time bomb in this year's budget. He has funded the new school aid formula with $1 billion in one-shot revenue that will disappear next year. Every school budget and academic, athletic, and extra-curricular program for our kids is at risk because of the Governor’s reckless, short-sighted policy. Governor Corzine has refused to make the tough decisions required to make sure we make education funding a priority for recurring revenue and to avoid the ticking time bomb.

We may disagree on some issues, but I know we agree on what’s most important – delivering the best education we can for our kids. Giving New Jersey's children a quality education is critical to their future and I know we wouldn't be able to do that without the dedication and tireless commitment of teachers like you. I appreciate you allowing me to clear up some of the misinformation being circulated about my plans to support our state's teachers.

Thank you for your service, and best wishes on a great school year.

Toilet Bowl 2010

I don’t think I could ever top the masterpiece written several years ago regarding the magic of the annual Toilet Bowl Game in Teaneck, so I won’t even try. I’ll just provide a summary of this year’s Toilet Bowl 2010 from my perspective…

I arrived at BF North (or is it South?) at around 1:30 pm and a familiar face was waiting in his car, Daffy. Despite the snow beginning to fall and no one else present, I suggested that we make our way over to the field to warm up. Daffy had an arsenal of equipment including: official cones, measuring tape, a football, and a bag with god knows what else.

Then, the ever reliable Chuck Jerry arrived and we began to toss the ball around. Jerry and I were standing on the field, and we saw who we thought was John Strauss approaching the field. No, wait, we pulled an Andy B., as it was the younger Strauss brother, David. After BPG, Hollywood, and Rick arrived we had all the players who would attend this years’ annual Toilet Bowl!

After standing in a circle and drinking beers, we discussed the usual topics of conversation. Anybody who did not come, was of course a bitch for selling out despite their circumstances, everybody playing is out of shape, blah blah blah… play ball! But wait, only Daffy and I were in attendance for non 96ers so we had to make an automatic QB, David, and spilt up teams, Hollywood, Daffy and I vs. Rick, Chuck, and BPG.

The snow began to fall and we played for a good hour or so. Ok, maybe it was only like 20 minutes, but it felt like damn near an hour. We took another break for a beer and Rick wandered off. Speculation occurred as to if Rick was vomiting (which has become a habit for Rick in recent years) but Rick did not vomit, and returned from the trees with a drink, which I think was like a Pellegrino or some sparkling water. We all joked that Rick must have stored the drink in the woods last year and was now retrieving it. Thinking about it… Why did Rick have to go to the woods to get a drink? Also, how did the drink get there? Since when did Pellegrino become a sports drink?

Anyway, we played for about another hour or so and headed to Vinny’s. We drank beers, ate food, and chatted. The real excitement for me at Vinny's was winning a door prize, which consisted of a Yuengling shirt, key chain, and my very own Vinny O’s cup holder. With the snow really coming down, and the Giants getting their asses pounded against Green Bay to all but close their playoff hopes, I left at half time to stay ahead of the weather. It was another great year! The only down side was barely being about to walk for a few days because of soreness, but that’s a small price to pay to be a part of the glory of the annual Toilet Bowl!

Happy New Year! / Evanston Sports Report

Happy New Year to our plethora of readers!

For your viewing pleasure, here is the most recent (and first) episode of "Evanston Sports Report", on which two relatives of yours truly and Beer-on-the-Girl who live in the Chicago area discuss the Bulls and Knicks rivalry. There are references made to the last twenty years or so of said rivalry during which Michael Jordan got the best of our beloved Knicks.

It remains to be seen who will have a more successful decade.

Anyway, enjoy.

New Jersey - Ethnic Minorities

This map is from the latest NJEA (New Jersey Educator's Association) magazine showing the counties of our great Garden State by ethnic minority percentage. Surprising numbers.

Welcome Back!

We are the New York Knicks! We are the New York Knicks! Say “Go New York, Go New York, Go!” “Go New York, Go New York, Go!”

Ok, enough of that song, but what a difference a year makes. I feel bad about bashing the Knicks all pre-season and stating that I was going to leave them. This may be presumptuous, especially with the Celtics and Heat coming to town, but it looks like the Knicks have turned things around. The Knicks are currently 16-9 and have won 13 out of their last 14 and are on an eight game winning streak. The Knicks are currently tied for 5th place in the eastern conference. Granted, the Knicks have had the easiest strength of schedule in the league thus far, but it’s still an accomplishment. So, all former Knick fans that have been in hidings the past 10 years, it’s safe to return. Let’s examine why the Knicks are finally a basketball team again and all the pleasant surprises thus far.

Amare Stoudamire! Need I say more? Ok, I will. For those who haven’t noticed, he’s had eight 30 plus point games which breaks a franchise record. Before coming to the Knicks I thought Amare was a one dimensional player. A great finisher and not much else. I didn’t know if he was a max-contract guy. I really didn’t know Amare was so versatile, but he really can create his own shot. I don’t know if Amare was always this good, or if he has matured. The main thing Amare gives the Knicks is leadership. The Knicks finally have a likeable vocal leader for the team and he’s the real deal. He really is worth all the hype.

They have a real point guard. I didn’t know much about Raymond Felton at the start of the season. I figured he was a mediocre point guard. But, Felton is good. Felton can break down defenses and controls the pace of the game. Felton is averaging 18.4 points 8.7 assists and 2 steals per night.

Also, Wilson Chandler is showing healthy development and proving to be legit scorer averaging 17.3 per game. He also grabs 6 rebounds a night. He has increased his scoring every year in the league. Chandler is way ahead of most of his peers in his development being in his 3rd year.

But, the biggest surprise has been Landry Fields. You don’t normally expect much out of a mid second-round rookie, especially in a mediocre draft class, but Fields is proving the teams that passed him over wrong. He is a great rebounder from the 2 position and is leading the league in that department at 7.6 per night. Also, since Amare has been starting at center, it helps to have a 2 that can rebound. Plus, he can score, averaging 10.2. Fields does the little things that help you win games. I would feel comfortable saying he will be on the all-rookie team.

Now, we should point out the not so positives. Gallinari has been solid, but has not shown mass improvement since last season. Sure, he is getting to the line more and making more foul shots, but he really has not found his role yet. Also, Anthony Randolph has not been integrated into the team at all. Mozgov has not proven to be a diamond in the rough yet, but he still has plenty of time.

But, all the negatives aside, Knicks fans can smile again. I don’t think any Knicks fans can say that they are competing for a title yet, but the foundation is there. Also, Melo recently stated that he will only sign a contract extension with NY. Imagine this same team plus Melo. In addition to all these positives, Eddy “Sandman” Curry is finally coming off the books at the end of the season. Thank god! The future looks bright after ten years wandering around a dark tunnel. So, if any Knicks fans see Isiah Thomas hanging around the Garden, run him out of town. Walsh and D’Antoni have assembled a respectable team, and for many, you can turn on MSG again and not get sick to your stomach watching basketball.

Can I Have My Vote Back?

In case you’re living under a rock and haven’t heard, Obama sold out again! Obama is agreeing to the Bush-tax-cuts for the wealthy. In essence, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell just bent Obama like he was Marcellus Wallace and they were the two hicks in the basement of that music store. In related news, right now, Obama’s doing a re-enactment of that scene in Animal House when Kevin Bacon is being paddled and asking, “Thank you sir, may I have another?”

I know some Democrats are going to say, “Well this was the only way to extend middle class tax cuts, and unemployment benefits.” If that is your position, need I remind of Obama’s 2008 platform? Obama used the sound bite, “The bush’s tax cuts only benefit the top 1% of Americans” one million times. I agreed with Obama that the tax cuts were ridiculous but even I got sick of hearing it over and over. Not only was Obama opposed to tax cuts for the wealthy, but it was his entire platform to get into office. Now, he extended those cuts, for two more years!

I really can’t get over this. I guess since Obama has been in office he is trying to win over some Republicans. Well Mr. President, if that is your position let me let you on a secret; the Republicans are never going to accept you. No matter your position on an issue, they will take the opposite side. We know Obama doesn’t support their position on this issue, as he admitted that he “regretfully agrees” to this. He caves on his beliefs like always to a side that will never accept him. If this was Bush and Cheney, and they had Obama’s beliefs, you can bet your ass they would never have agreed to this tax plan.

Obama has to be the worst negotiator in history. He starts with a position; let’s say for example, a single payer option for health care. He meets with the other side and they say things that are completely ridiculous like, “You’re going to create death panels.” You know, shit they pull right out of their ass. Obama then asks them what they want. Obama then gives into the most reasonable position on their side. Then, when there is backlash, they blame Obama for the plan and he accepts the criticism. You know that in 2012, the Republicans are going to blame Obama for having a bad tax plan, despite that plan being theirs and he will take the “L” on it.

Like Chris Rock said about Michael Jackson “I’m handing in my glove!” I hope the Dems put up somebody decent in 2012 to vote for, because this is it. This is the straw that broke my back. Oh Howard Dean, where art thou?

The Amazing Flying Rat

I hate birds! And for those who know me, you know I hate the pigeon more than any other bird. This hatred stems from a traumatic childhood experience, and to this day I have a hatred and fear of pigeons, which extends to all birds. I don’t see any difference between the pigeon and the rat; expect the pigeon can fly, making them worse than rats. Now that I’ve stated my bias, I have to throw this thought out there. I can not fathom why anybody feeds wild pigeons!

I have seen many people in Boston, New York, and other areas feeding wild pigeons on the street. I see people typically feeding bread crumbs, but in some instances other food, to pigeons. I’m trying to understand why someone would buy food and feed it to a wild animal, especially an animal that is dirty and carries disease. I see the activity of buying bread, standing outside, and throwing the food around equivalent to buying a bag of chips, and then standing in my alley and throwing them towards are a group of rats. If I fed rats, most people would call me crazy because I would be supporting a population of a dirty, disease carrying pest. So, why do people view the act of feeding pigeons differently?

Pigeons are dirty, smell bad, and carry disease. If you don’t believe me, read this. Plus, no one can dispute that pigeons shit all over the place.

So why would anyone want to encourage and support a population of disease ridden, shit taking, disgusting animals? What does one gain by standing outside and throwing bread crumbs or food to pigeons? This action of feeding the birds causes the birds to flock to where the food is thrown, fight over the food, and then fly overhead, at which time you run the risk of one of them shitting on you. The best case scenario of feeding a pigeon is you don’t get shit on. The worst case, a pigeon flies on you, you get a terrible disease and die.

Unless you’re crazy, you should not feed pigeons. If someone is genuinely crazy it may be understandable that they would feed pigeons, if they are not able to reason. But, if you are not crazy, and have the ability to reason, there is no rational justification one can provide to feeding pigeons. If you’re not concerned about the disease the birds carry, think about the rest of us who are concerned.

I’m employing all of you who read this blog to spread the word… Stop feeding the fucking pigeons!

I Can’t Figure Them Out!

The Giants crushed The Redskins last night 31-7. The G-Men now stand at 8-4 tied with the Eagles for the best record in the NFC East. The season has been strange for the G-Men. The Giants have ridden a roller coaster this season, and I can’t figure out if this team is for real.

The expectation prior to the start of this season was not great. Most power ranking had the Giants at the middle of the pack and most people predicted the G-Men finishing around 8-8. I agreed with that prediction. The season started out bad. After two losses in the second and third week the Giants feel to 1-2. Many were calling for Coughlin’s head and questions began about who would be in the Giants locker-room at the end of the season. Jacobs got so frustrated during a game that he threw his helmet in the stands!

Then, the Giants figured things out. They rattled off five straight wins. Analysts and announcers were hailing the Giants as the best in the NFC and perhaps the best in the NFL. Ahmad Bradshaw was emerging as a premiere running back in the league. But, I think it was the Giants D, particularly the pass rush that was so great during this winning streak. The Giants were knocking out Quarterbacks like Mike Tyson at the beginning of his career. Two great knockouts were when the Giants knocked out Cutler, and then took out Romo for the season. Simply stated, the Giants D seemed scary.

But, then came two bad Divisional losses. The first loss was terrible! The Giants got pounded by a 1-7 Cowboys team after a coaching change. Then, the Giants lost another close Divisional game to the Eagles. Bradshaw seemed to be fumbling the ball every other play and looked like Tiki Barber early is his career. The defensive was not imposing and the Giants looked like they were exposed as frauds. The Giants were 6-4.

Now, the past two weeks the Giants look great again. The Giants beat the Jaguars and trounced the Redskins.

It’s been a strange season in that there don’t appear to be any dominant teams, especially in the NFC. The Eagles looks tough but certainly beatable. The Falcons have the NFC’s best record but most are not sold on them. The Bears are 9-3 but have looked bad at various points in the season. The Saints look good but great. At this time last season the Saints and Colts were both on the verge of undefeated seasons. The Saints were easily the class of the NFC and the Colts the AFC. This season, who knows? Because of the uncertainty of who’s top dog, I would not be surprised about anything that happens for the remainder of the season. I could see the G-Men getting housed coming down the stretch of the season and not making the playoffs. I could just as easily see the G-Men making a magical run to the Super Bowl. I hope it’s the latter.