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It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over
Red-Spotted Lantern Fly Invasion Repelled, But Not Completely
11/16 – The war against the enemy invasion in our country enters its twelfth year since they arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014,dragging into the sixth year on the New Jersey front. Though mounting evidence suggests humans are slowly repelling the seemingly ceaseless hordes of the Red Spotted Lantern Fly empirical forces (the SLF), we must not tire in our efforts to once and for all vanquish the invaders.
We have learned much about the enemy since its approach was first, uh, spotted in New York and the Garden State in 2020. For instance, their numero uno safe haven is the (suspiciously also non-native) species of tree haughtily calling itself Tree of Heaven.
They are especially destructive to grape vines and fruit crops, and there are some other 70 species of trees, shrubs, and vines that these warring creatures are known to feed upon and destroy, but it is the Tree of Heaven that is profanely the favored location for their obscene orgiastic group rituals of distance squirting that icky clear “honeydew” liquid that can ruin patio furniture and other outdoor items, and the appetites of unwary picnickers. Removing their primary base of operations is key to our ultimate victory.
Fortunately, there is some good news from the front lines. We are receiving unexpected aid from the bird and insect nations, in particular Cardinals, Jays, Stink Bugs, Praying Mantis, and Honeybees; all who seem to have acquired a taste for the lobster flesh-like insides of the enemy. (You know this is getting serious if we’re talking birds and bees.)
“It [the SLF army] is shrinking slowly. We are beginning to get there as people are now starting to treat them when they see them," said Michael Wilson, Horticultural Lab Manager at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Rockland County, NY, speaking to News12 New Jersey back in July of this year.
Mr. Wilson asserts that there has been a slight change in their total numbers but a real difference won't be clear for at least a few years.
So what else can we do in our struggle besides the strangely satisfying cracklesquish stomp when the attackers come jumping at you with their phoney Shaolin Kung Fu? Well, I’m glad you asked because there’s lots.
Before anything, though, please, please, please, do not ever include glue traps in your arsenals as they catch and kill birds, butterflies, and other backyard wildlife who are our allies and were here long before we were.
Homemade sprays of vinegar or insecticidal soaps (sold at garden stores) have been shown to be effective. Reducing the SLF habitats by pulling up the roots of preferred non-native trees and shrubs will also benefit native trees.
Traps that do not endanger birds are also very effective but have to be monitored to avoid harm to beneficial insects. Some examples include:
- - A bowl of pine-scented cleanser mixed with two teaspoons of sugar. The SLF will be attracted by the scent and drown in the bowl.
- A circle trap, commonly used for pecan weevils, are available online. Step-by-step instructions for home-made versions can also be found online, for example at extension.psu.edu. Video instructions are also available at extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-circle-trap.
- An empty, clear plastic, water bottle: Simply hold the bottle upside-down above the SLF fighter and it will instinctively jump up and into it. Replace the cap quickly (a YouTube video made by Temple University explains how).
Last and most certainly not least, with the recent arrival of cold weather we have seen the retreat of SLF and their last straggling diehards. From September through November, adult females lay egg masses—each containing up to 50 eggs—on nearly any outdoor surface: tree bark, patio furniture, siding, vehicles, and even playground equipment. They look like flat, textured grayish patches. They can be difficult to see on tree trunks, but are easily identified on vehicles, patio furniture and other surfaces .These egg masses are the source of next year’s infestation. Inspect your property from fall through early spring for the egg masses. Scrape them off and CRUSH THEM. It is now while the enemy slumbers in their nectar-drunken dreams of victory that we must strike pre-emptively and vastly reduce their number.
On a final additional note before the holiday travel season, you may not be aware that New Jersey is one of several states under quarantine rules set in place to prevent the spread of the SLF to other states and countries. As such, from fall to spring we are expected to carefully inspect any outdoor items you might be traveling with for signs of egg masses. We have bad enough reputations out there, so let’s not add SLF-enablers to the list of Jersey’s undeserved bad raps.
Courage, O Citizen! Your town and and your country need you to remain vigilant and unwavering in our righteous crusade. Together we will overcome the oppressor.
Taking Five with Jim Joustra
Hot off the heels of the release of solo EP 'Adult Art', the young maestro answers some questions.
(LW): Please tell our readers what it was like growing up as a nine-year-old trombone player on the New York/Canadian border.
(JJ): When I was in 3rd-4th grade, that was the time we could begin playing instruments. I feel like I was waiting for that moment since I entered Elementary school. Looking back, I remember the instrument and reading music coming so easy for me. I just understood the notes and the slide positions immediately. Then playing with others and making harmonies- I was in heaven. I’m an only child, so I had to make friends to play harmonies! Haha. I was the first in the wind ensemble from my class. Trombone taught me that foundation mattered and how everyone in the group leaned on everyone else to make the music come alive. That was really cool to me. I always say that true democracy exists on the stage. It’s 4 legs of a table and if one doesn’t hold up - the table falls apart.
(LW): Baseball inequities aside, Boston is a wonderful town. How much of the city itself during the time you were studying there has stayed with you and how does it come out in your music?
(JJ): Boston was my first home, away from home. And I did wear my Yankees hat every day. I’ll always remember my Dad dropping me off for my first days at Berklee and realizing “huh, I know nobody here!” It was a fun and exciting time. For the first time in my musical journey, I found that the caliber of students at Berklee came with a bit of competition. First thing that happens there is you get your audition “numbers”; the numbers tell you what ensembles you’re “ready” for. Everyone lied and said their numbers were higher, so it was just competitive from day 1. I saw a lot of great players have a tough time with the competitive nature, but for me it made me a better player. It forced me to get better. It was the kick in the butt I needed. And Berklee taught me Jazz. I entered with a bachelors in Blues and left with (what felt like) a master's in Jazz. The curriculum was and is the best in the world. They bridge reality with advanced harmonic structure. I’d go back, if I could.
(LW): You’ve had numerous brushes with greatness and been graced by the universe to make music alongside living legends, some recently passed. What was it like to play with James Cotton? Take all the time you need, I’m ‘a go grab a beer.
(JJ): There was a blues club in Brighton Center - just outside of Boston called Smokin Joes BBQ. They had the best (and some of the only) blues gigs in Boston. You could go and sit at the bar and hear legends. It was outside Boston proper I think, so the crowds weren’t too crazy or overbearing. One night James Cotton was on the bill, (the harmonica player for Muddy Waters) (among others). He played a couple sets and through me knowing some members of Susan Tedeschi’s band, I was able to sit in with James and his group on a few tunes. It was definitely a hazy night, but it was a feeling I won’t forget. At this time i was smoking cigarettes, so I was hanging outside the back area afterwards and James came out. He was quiet, but in knowing I was a big time Muddy Waters Band fan he said “you wanna know what Muddy's favorite sandwich was?” And I said “yes!” “Salami, he said.” And that was the end of story. Years later I’m riding on a Greyhound bus back to my hometown in Western New York and I grabbed Buddy Guy’s autobiography. In the book, he references to a first meeting in Muddy’s limo. Muddy asked Buddy if he was hungry. Guess what sandwich Muddy made him?!
(LW): Now do the MG’s. Please and thank you.
(JJ): Through the same channels and same venue, I was able to meet both Donald “Duck” Dunn and Matt “Guitar” Murphy. I knew them from Booker T & the MG’s but many others know them as two of the musicians in the Blues Brothers! Again, I only played a couple tunes with the guys but it immediately allowed me to understand what “groove” and “pocket” meant. It was inspiring to see such a locked-in band. Loose, but locked in. I was like “wow, THIS is what being a professional means.”
(LW): It is hard enough to make a living as a musician in general. Looking at Jersey City more narrowly and jazz music in particular, what is the occupational outlook, if you will, for working jazz musicians say in the next one to three years?
(JJ): That’s a good question. My day job is at Rudy’s Music is Soho, so that should tell you something! Although the gig and Rudy Pensa are both amazing. Rudy especially is an absolute legend. He’s been in the business for almost 50 years and understands a working musician’s needs in gear and how gear fuels inspiration.
Anyways, I feel like when guitarists and musicians begin pigeon-holing themselves into one genre, you do just that; paint yourself into a corner and sometimes you get stuck. Since ive been in the nyc area, I’ve been in a Grateful Dead cover group, a funk/blues septet, and my own trios and bands. You gotta do it all. And why wouldn’t you? Sample the cuisines of the world! I love pizza, but there’s other options out there! I also find that the interpretation of what jazz is to non-musicians doesn’t always help either. For traditional jazz - I think it’s in a museum. Miles said once it’s behind glass, it’s over. I’m not sure if it’s over per se, but it’s definitely not what it used to be. I mean, nothing ever is. And why should it? But how many more times are we gonna hear Donna Lee and Autumn Leaves? Do something new. My guys are Miles, Metheny, and Frisell. I feel like they constantly push(ed) their limits, as well as the listeners’ limits. THAT to me is what jazz IS - exploration and taking chances for both the player and the audience.
(LW): I know I said five questions, but welcome to the sixth borough. Kindly tell us the story behind ‘A Jersey City Nocturne’, the family-friendly version, if you would.
(JJ): “Jersey City Nocturne” is a composition based around the ideas of what was occurring underground in the mid-80s to the late 90’s on this side of the river, combined with what occurs above ground in the big financial and luxury buildings that tower over the city today. It’s a dirty and gritty song. The textures within that composition represent optimistic darkness; organ grinders, freak show fire breathers, crooks and vagabonds, organized and unorganized crime, etc. A far cry from what the city actually looks like today - unless you know where to look! ;)
Jim Joustra's website: Jim Joustra Guitar
Film Magic at Caven Point
Cinelease Studios Poised to Lead Industry Renaissance
The first-ever New Jersey Film Expo was a successful wrap on May 1st of this year with more than three thousand attendees converging upon the Meadowlands Arena in the Meadowlands to talk shop about movies and television production. Hosted by the Screen Alliance of New Jersey (SANJ), sponsored by the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission (NJMPTVC) and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), and shown a a lot of love from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), the one-day event showcased the state’s newly strengthened position as a leader in the film industry.
Lest we forget, the Garden State is where movie magic originated. Most New Jersey folks know it was native son Thomas Edison who helped create motion picture technology at his laboratory in West Orange and that in 1893 he built “The Black Maria”, considered to be the world’s first movie studio. The first American copyrighted film, “Fred Ott’s Sneeze”, and many of the earliest films were produced here and it was in Edison’s lab that employee William Kennedy Laurie Dickson developed the first movie camera, the ‘Kinetograph’ in the late 1880s.
The term ‘cliffhanger’ is even said to have originated from the serials filmed on the Palisade cliffs in Fort Lee, which was a prominent hub for filmmaking in the 1900’s and 1910’s and boasted multiple studios buzzing with the celebrity actors, directors, and producers of the era.
So while the film industry eventually went all the way west for the sunny weather and cheap land, as well as to bypass Mr. Edison’s stringent patent enforcement, there is no reason New Jersey can’t reclaim at least some of its rightful film history heritage.
In 2018 Governor Phil Murphy reopened tax credits and incentives specific to the industry which many professionals and insiders credit with a marked renewal of interest in New Jersey as a top contender for film and television production projects and business. New Jersey’s tax incentives are generally between 30-35%, with an additional 2-4% as diversity bonuses
Centrally located in Caven Point in Jersey City, Cinelease Studios offers filmmakers and television and video producers myriad possibilities and opportunities to make their dreams and visions a working reality. With three stages, tons of flex space and offices, an off-site facility, all the latest technology and equipment, and a top-notch team of pros and support staff, the only thing that’s missing is you and your crew.
Their website: Caven Point | Cinelease Studios
Jim Joustra Makes Music for Grown-Ups
New EP is playful, sexy, and cerebral
Natural born and Berklee-trained jazz and blues master Jim Joustra does some serious adulting on his debut solo recording, taking time away from his numerous group projects and stepping into his own with a long-awaited collection of songs that explore an early fascination with America’s original music genres and ponderous, celebratory musings of myriad guitar stylings.
The 5-song EP jumps right in with ‘(Here Comes) the Soho Momo!’, a funky, greasy, gritty, and jubilant walk through the arts district with a little change in your pocket, a chance for adventure, and the whole night ahead of you.
‘A Jersey City Nocturne’, a swift, lusty affair complete with post-coitus cigarette, evinces an adventurous (but of course doomed) summer dalliance in the sixth borough, with flirting glances at flamenco, tango, and salsa, and the distinct taste of bittersweet lament.
The solid, pensive guitar work on ‘Aimer, c’est s’aimer, Soi-Méme’ suggests a self-reckoning and a quiet resolve, with an ending that also sounds like a beginning. For, after all, To Love, is to Love Oneself.
The laid back and brief ‘An Early Rain>’, an ambient, ponderous piece coincidentally heard with a Saturday’s morning drizzle, sparked memories of an afternoon spent with old vinyl records in an attic in Portland, Oregon, and of teenage tragedies with soundtracks by Cocteau Twins and Ulrich Schnauss. The song then happily eases into ‘Petrichor’, a lush, intricate, and intimate work that marches triumphantly, if bloody-lipped, to a hard won peace, like the scent of dry earth revived by a long absent rain, the mythological blood of the gods.
The artist’s website: Jim Joustra Guitar
The full EP on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1PQ3p8odhKNgrjQOi7MtZV
A Talk About Mental Health
Experts, survivors, and residents round table in south ward.
05/22 Greenville - Last Friday at A Better Life Ministry’s church on Linden Avenue, the Jack and Ronnie McGreevey Civic Association hosted a public round table to discuss the “silent crisis” of mental health in the community. Entitled ‘Let’s Talk About It’, the forum presented to attendees a multitude of regional and state mental health experts, clinicians, and community advocates.
Former New Jersey Governor and current Jersey City mayoral candidate Jim McGreevey, who founded and named the association in honor of his parents, organized and moderated the panel talk. He was assisted by the Reverend Bolivar Flores, Vice President of the NJ Coalition of Latino Pastors and Chief of Staff at the Governor’s New Jersey Reentry Corporation on Summit Avenue in Journal Square, a program assisting formerly incarcerated offenders in their reintegration to the community.
Though naturally part and parcel of Mr. McGreevey’s mayoral campaign, even including his ticket’s pick for Ward F Pastor Gloria Watson on the panel (herself a founder of numerous related non-profits), the gathering was nonetheless significant for its noteworthy assemblage of mental health front liners and survivors, The wide array of speakers provided not only a glimpse of the Governor’s network of key figures in the stated crisis, but also a hard look at the reality of mental illness and treatment in New Jersey.
For instance, referencing the recent spotlight on the dramatic spike in police officer suicides, Daniel Regan, a well-known clinician who founded the Healing Us network of behavioral healthcare providers and recently testified before the New Jersey Assembly about the ‘Save New Jersey Mental Health’ Bill No. 3981, offered the shocking testimony that some of his law enforcement employee clients reported that they’d been told by insurers (unofficially, it can be assumed) that their families would receive more benefits from their policies if they committed suicide than if they stayed alive.
Christine Bell, a social worker who founded the 100KidsInc. mental health non-profit organization servicing youth and families in Jersey City’s south ward, said she often encounters parents who are afraid to seek treatment for fear that the state will take away their children.
An executive representative from Essex County’s C.U.R.A. (Comunidad Unida Para la Rehabilitación de Adictos) which focuses on drug addiction in the Latino community, revealed that his organization has found that Hispanics in general are largely hesitant to seek even occasional counseling because of the stigma attached to mental illness and mental health crises.
Mr. Regan and Ms. Bell added that medical misdiagnoses are also one of the main barriers to proper treatment, with Mr. Regan relating an anecdote about a client who, unrealized by anyone, had gone into diabetic shock due to a 5.02 blood/sugar level and vitamin deficiency but was diagnosed as schizophrenic during the episode by treating medical professionals.
A general consensus was reached by the participants as they agreed that every case and patient is unique and thus requires unique assessment, that there is no cookie-cutter pattern for treatment, and that there is no exact timeline or framework for treatment as every individual moves and heals at their own pace.
The full list of participants and a video of the discussion is to be posted at the civic association’s website: Home | McGreevey Civic Assn
How Will Ranked Choice Voting Work?
Twin Bills Sit Idle Before the New Jersey Legislature
04/19/25
Just over a year ago, on April 10th, the Jersey City Municipal Council nearly unanimously voted 7-0-1 to approve a Ranked Choice Voting “trigger” ordinance that would enact the ranked choice method of ballots in municipal and school board elections, contingent upon passage of authorizing state legislation in Trenton.
There was a fair amount of public support for the initiative and advocates nationwide chalked it up as a small victory for a concept still remarkably unfamiliar to the average voter. Hoboken had recently in December 2021 become the first city in New Jersey to approve RCV.
Proponents of ranked choice voting defend it as the most logical form of electoral representation, a “win-win” scenario for everyone, and democracy in its purest form. Theoretically, Republicans stand to benefit with second and third choice votes from Libertarians, disaffected Democrats, other third parties, and undecided voters. In turn, Democrats would receive votes from pragmatic Greens, less obedient Republicans, third parties, and those same undecideds. Critics have called the ranked choice system confusing and anathema to the “one citizen, one vote” doctrine.
So how will RCV work in Jersey City? The immediate answer is that it won’t. Not without you, it won’t. Without increased public support and demand, the ranked choice voting bills currently before the state legislature, A4042 in the Assembly and S1622 in the Senate, face an uncertain future, most especially in the in the current stormy political climate.
As for how RCV functions in practice, the idea is so simple one can perhaps understand how folks conditioned to only two options might get confused. In the most basic of terms, a voter is able to rank their choice of candidates as first, second, third, and so on to however many candidates are listed on a ballot. At the final tally, the votes from the least vote-getters are distributed upward to the voter’s next choice(s) in mathematical succession, an “instant run-off”, until an undisputable winner of the contest is clearly confirmed. Costly and time-consuming run-off elections are eliminated.
National organizations such as Rank the Voteand Fair Vote exist to help educate the public about RCV and provide updates on advances throughout the country. Fair Vote includes a New Jersey page. Voter Choice NJ is an organization focused on the garden state and has posted an online petition in support of the Municipal and School Board Voting Options Act, the RCV legislation primarily sponsored by state Senators Linda R. Greenstein and Andrew Zwicker, the latter a perennial champion and sponsor of RCV bills who has received bipartisan support for ranked choice voting from leading New Jersey Republicans such as Vince Polistina.
At the time Jersey City approved its ordinance, there was national attention on the proposed bill and its subsequent passing. Mayor Steve Fulop expressed support for the initiative, as did Senator Raj Mukherji, Assemblyman John Allen, and County Commissioner Bill O’Dea. Ward E Councilman and now mayoral candidate James Solomon co-sponsored the Jersey City bill and could be seen everywhere on local media espousing the merits of RCV. There were favorable op-eds in the Jersey Journal and other regional publications. At the hearing itself, there was a who’s who line-up of Hudson County notables on the speaker list in support of the legislation.
And then the waiting began. The following month, Red Bank became the third New Jersey municipality to officially endorse ranked choice voting with a borough resolution. In late August the town of Princeton also passed a reform resolution expressing support for state-level ranked choice voting legislation. On September 11th, US Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), US Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08), and US Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) reintroduced the bicameral Ranked Choice Voting Act to require RCV for all congressional primary and general elections.
A full year has passed since the Jersey City resolution. The main bill before the New Jersey Legislature floats aimlessly in legislative limbo, as did similar bills before it, all of which ultimately dissipated into the ether. For the ranked choice voting initiative to succeed in New Jersey, a monumental effort by the electorate has to take place. Only widespread support will make it happen.
At the very least, and not at all the least of it, RCV in local elections would certainly generate civic interest and activity, level the political playing field, and offer a voice to the voiceless. At the federal level, ranked choice voting disperses with election “spoiler” disputes at the dinner table and, had it been implemented in the 2024 elections, would have undoubtedly afforded the country an opportunity to avert the national catastrophe of the dumpster fire currently raging unabated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.
Overflow Crowds at Palestinian Cultural Fair
Jersey City Shows Its Love for Gaza
Downtown, 01/26/25 - This past Sunday Jersey City showed its support and concern for Gazans in the aftermath of the war with Israel, which was declared a permanent ceasefire two weeks ago.
The Palestinian Cultural Fair held at Grace Church Van Vorst was hosted by a coalition of relief organizations and student groups including New Jersey Peace Action, Ceasefire Now NJ, HCCC for Palestine, and others, with all proceeds going to Heal Palestine and PCRF.
There were cultural talks, musical performances, embroidery demonstrations, art pop-ups, and an assortment of vendors. The line for a taste of Palestinian food was so serious a second entrance had to be opened.
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