Christie is no 'Gunfighter'

In Union Beach, 27 small American flags are a makeshift memorial to the first-graders and adults cut down at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

You won't see Governor Christie identified as one of "The Gunfighters" on the cover of the Jan. 28 edition of Time, the same news rag that anointed him as "The Boss" in an airbrushed cover photo in the issue dated Jan. 21.

As The Record reported on Friday, instead of taking decisive steps to end gun violence, the GOP bully named a study team, and called critics of his approach "simpletons."

"It's complicated," Christie says of gun control, presumably the same reason he's done nothing about the obesity epidemic and continues to eat everything in sight.

Peering into the dark

The photo on the front page of The Record on Friday was a dud. Readers couldn't tell if it was intentionally dark or was another production error by Editor Liz Houlton.

The photo caption should have said the photo was taken inside the Colorado theater where 12 died in a shooting rampage in July.

Good Hackensack news

Hackensack readers got some good news on Friday's Local front, the departure of city zoning board attorney Richard Malagiere, who parlayed political connections into more than $1 million in legal fees in recent years.

But some readers are wondering why the story carries the byline of Stephanie Akin, the former Hackensack reporter.

Holding her tongue

Friday's Better Living tab informed readers that Elisa Ung's restaurant reviews "will return this summer."

It's not known whether she is on maternity leave again or just going in for bariatric surgery after consuming hundreds of fattening desserts in the line of doodie.

Friday's lukewarm, 2-star review of Dos Cubanos in Paramus is by Bob Probert, who recommends only one purely Cuban dish, but there is plenty of back story about the chef and the building, a former Fuddruckers.

Mini reviews of other Cuban and Latin restaurants ignore the best choice in Bergen County, Habana Casual Cafe, a BYO on Main Street in Hackensack.

More corrections

In today's paper, the editors publish a second correction of an article that appeared on Page R-1 of last Sunday's Real Estate section.

The first correction told readers the big photo didn't show the building under discussion -- another embarrassing snafu by Houlton's production wizards.

Rothman, unions

A letter to the editor reveals that outgoing Democratic Rep. Steve Rothman sold out to corporate donors and betrayed taxpayers for as little as $1,000 (A-13).

Don't miss the editorial praising unions on the occasion of the death of Ralph Gozio, 103, believed to be the last person with memories of the Paterson silk strikes (A-13).

The Borgs fought tooth and nail against any attempt to unionize workers at the daily paper, and were able to preserve substandard pay, pension benefits and even severance, ensuring bigger profits for the publishing family.

More accident news

Gee-whiz photo coverage of non-fatal automobile accidents returns to the Local section front today, in what apparently is the most important local news gathered by head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and her minions.

On L-2 today, another story on a fire in a multifamily building in Paterson stops short of reporting who are the owners of all of the ramshackle rental housing in Silk City and how do they get away with exploiting tenants?

Time magazine gives Christie a makeover

Even more apartments for shopaholics are being built, left, behind those nearing completion on the former site of the Best Western Oritani Hotel off Hackensack Avenue in Hackensack. The Shops at Riverside parking garage also can be seen.

Four days ago, a photo in The Record showed a mobidly obese Governor Christie doing a good imitation of a beached whale.

Now, the so-called journalists at Time magazine have worked their air-brush magic to give the GOP bully a slimmer face in the cover photo of the Jan. 11 edition (see the cover on A-4 and A-11 of today's paper).

The badly needed makeover is in keeping with all of the rah-rah stories in the media about how Christie is leading the recovery from Superstorm Sandy.

Many disasters

"Chris Christie is the master of disaster," the Time cover declares.

The news magazine probably didn't intend any double meaning or reference to all of Christie's disastrous policies in New Jersey -- from taxes to job creation to mass transit to medical care for the poor. 

Familiar face

On Page 1 today, a woman in the photo from Belmar is doing an excellent imitation of Danielle Richards, one of The Record photographers who left during the 2008 downsizing. 

Also on A-1, how long has sports writer Bob Klapisch been using the same column photo -- 15 years? 

Flees from problems

With all of the traffic and commuting problems on this side of the Hudson, why in the world is Road Warrior John Cichowski writing a column about confusing parking regulations in Manhattan (L-1)?

This is the latest column to show the flaw in the lazy reporter constantly looking to readers for his column ideas.

His last column -- on motorcycles -- prompted another e-mail to management from a Hackensack reader alarmed with all of the inaccuracies in Cichowski's work:

Once again, the Road Warrior displays an inability in his Jan. 9 column to understand N.J. statutes, comprehend N.J. state reports, perform simple math calculations and provide correct key information that is paramount to the column's topic about motorcycle safety. 

The Road Warrior also seems to be negligent in NOT reporting that N.J. MVC Web site NEVER mentions anything about recently enacted, 2-tier radical change to N.J. licensing for motorcyclists based on engine size that he so diligently presents for his readers.

What is the point of the Road Warrior reporting if not to bring any offending mistakes by the N.J. MVC to his readers' attention?

A further highlight of Road Warrior mistaken reporting that should be addressed or corrected for readers is noted below.

1.  Confusing clueless statement - "Is this the beginning of a trend [reduced motorcyclist deaths based on only 70 in 2012]? Or just an anomaly?"

CORRECT FACTS - It seems like a trend since motorcyclist deaths in 2009, 2010, & 2012 were 67, 71, & 70 as per the Road Warrior's frequently referenced N.J. State Police crashes report.  Perhaps, the anomaly was the Road Warrior's inability to spot this trend.

2.  Misleading false statement - Can this trend [reduction in motorcyclist deaths from 92 in 2011 to only 70 in 2012] be maintained? Demographics suggest it won't be easy.

CORRECT FACTS - A trend of reduced motorcyclist deaths already seems to be maintained, as noted in Item 1, even though motorcycle licenses jumped more than 15% from 2008 to 2012, as reported by the Road Warrior.  I guess it WILL be easy to maintain with the demographics.

3.  Misleading false statement - "But such increases have consequences. Motorcycle deaths in 1997 amounted to 44 – nearly 37 percent fewer than last year.

CORRECT FACTS - Such increases do NOT necessarily have consequences.  Motorcycle registrations/licenses dramatically increased from 2006 to 2012.  Yet, motorcyclist deaths dramatically decreased more than 29% from 99 in 2006.

4.  Misleading false statement - "Despite the demographic trends, road safety advocates think fatalities can be reduced."

CORRECT FACTS - Despite the unsubstantiated, false reporting by the Road Warrior, road safety experts and advocates already KNOW that fatalities HAVE been dramatically reduced in spite of the demographic trends.  See items 1 & 3.

5.  Misleading false statement - "Starting Jan. 1, nearly everyone who passes an MVC road test on a scooter or motorcycle with less than 231cc engine displacement will receive a license that allows them only to ride a motorcycle with less than 500cc."

CORRECT FACTS - Everyone, who has not passed an MVC approved basic rider course, that passes an MVC road test on a scooter or motorcycle with less than 231cc will allow them only to ride a motorcycle with 500cc or less.

Everyone, who has passed an MVC approved basic rider course, will be issued a motorcycle license without restriction to any size engine displacement.

6.  Faulty predictions and reporting - "Like the meteorologist who makes a lousy weather forecast, no one can accurately predict fatality rates.  But It doesn't take a graduate degree to recognize that training – over time – can reduce an unnecessarily [increasing] deadly trend."

CORRECT FACTS - Like the astrologist, lady with crystal ball, and the Road Warrior, you can cherry pick and distort the facts to your preconceived faulty predictions. But it doesn't take a graduate degree, just common sense and the facts that the "unnecessarily deadly trend" is just a FIGMENT of the Road Warrior's faulty imagination.

7.  Misleading Statement - "Research suggests that 25 percent of all motorcycle fatalities involve riders who never took the trouble to get a motorcycle license."

CORRECT FACTS - N.J. State highway crash data provides the facts, which documents this statistic.  There is NO research needed.

See previous post on unsuccessful suit against "Eye on The Record"