Some drivers seem to treat road rules less as rules and more as suggestions, whether that means double-parking “for five minutes,” using the shoulder to skip traffic, blocking a bike lane, cutting across a turn-only lane, making an illegal U-turn, or stopping wherever their hazard lights happen to be flashing.

New Jersey-based criminal defense firm Brett Rosen Law surveyed 3,056 motorists across major U.S. cities to identify America’s Most Entitled Drivers, revealing where drivers are most willing to bend or ignore everyday traffic laws when those laws become inconvenient.

The top 5 in New Jersey were as follows:

#1. Jersey City
In Jersey City, the “quick stop” is one of the most common ways drivers bend the rules. The city’s dense neighborhoods and shopping streets sit beside major routes to the Holland Tunnel and the Hudson waterfront, creating a constant mix of local traffic, commuters and vehicles heading into Manhattan. Double-parking or blocking a bike lane may seem harmless if the driver expects to be gone in a minute. For the people behind them, it means braking, waiting or changing course. The rule is clear. The driver just decided it could wait.

#2. Newark
Where an airport, major highways and a busy city center share one road network, Newark drivers have plenty of chances to break the rules, and some take them. The city connects to I-78 and the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), and local streets also carry traffic to Newark Liberty International Airport and downtown. A late lane change or a cut into line can quickly set off a chain of braking. On surface streets, it’s double-parking or stopping in a live lane with the flashers on. Whatever the road, the driver assumes the traffic around them will work around it.

#3. Trenton
New Jersey’s capital is an important crossroads, and some of its drivers treat the rules there as optional. U.S. 1 and Route 29 carry traffic through and around Trenton, while local streets handle commuters, government workers and neighborhood trips. An illegal U-turn or a quick stop in a travel lane can seem like a minor shortcut when the legal alternative takes longer. But the time one driver saves usually comes out of someone else’s. It’s routine rule-bending, and it adds up.

#4. Paterson
Busy main roads, dense neighborhoods and highway access make rule-bending easy to spot in Paterson. I-80 runs through the city, while Route 19 and other local roads carry traffic between neighborhoods and nearby towns. A driver who squeezes into a line at the last moment, or makes an illegal maneuver rather than going on to the next legal option, may see it as practical. But it only works if other road users slow down or make room. Handing the inconvenience to someone else is what turns impatience into entitlement.

#5. Elizabeth
Traffic around Elizabeth is about much more than local trips, and the pressure brings out drivers who ignore the rules. The New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) runs through the eastern part of the city, while roads serving Newark Liberty International Airport, Port Newark and surrounding industrial areas add cars, trucks and through-traffic. In that mix, some drivers force into a line or cut across lanes to recover a missed turn. It feels like a small adjustment to the driver, but it’s still breaking the law, and the trucks and cars around them have to deal with it.

Infographic: America’s Most Entitled Drivers

When annoyance gets a response
The survey asked motorists how they had reacted when another driver annoyed or angered them. Repeated honking was the most common answer (22%), followed by an angry gesture and shouting from the vehicle (17% each).

The post If You Live in These Cities You May Find this Very Interesting-Study Names and Shames New Jersey’s ‘Most Entitled’ Drivers. first appeared on River View Observer.

Monday, December 7 – Saturday, December 12, 2009

 Monday, December 14 – Saturday, December 19, 2009

 Feeling that pinch, from lack of funds? In mid-December, the Jersey City Free Public Library will offer a break in the form of Fine Amnesty to all Library users.   

For only two weeks – Monday, December 7^th through Saturday, December 12^th AND Monday, December 14^th through Saturday, December 19^th  – all fees and fines will be forgiven when the library system receives all library books, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and other library materials.

            “We recognize the money squeeze everyone is feeling these days, so we’ve created this two-week amnesty period for our loyal patrons to get some relief,” said Assistant Library Director Sonia Araujo, who is coordinating this effort. “Offering Fine Amnesty first is the best solution we know, in the face of needing to raise fees because of budget cuts.”

Valid Jersey City library card users can take their library materials to all departments at the Main Library, and any of the 11 branches and the Bookmobile the weeks of December 7^th and December 14^th without being charged the appropriate fees and fines during Fine Amnesty weeks. After those two amnesty weeks,

the following Fines/Fees will be in effect on Monday, January 4, 2010:

 

Books/Late Fees         CHANGE       FROM              TO

Overdue books                                                 $0.10              $0.20

 

Videos                         CHANGE       FROM              TO

 To rent                                                            $1.50              $2.00

 Late Fees stay the same                                             $1.00

 Educational videos stay the same                     Free

 

Copy Machines           CHANGE       FROM               TO

Copies                                                 $0.10              $0.20

The post Library Gives Patrons 2 Weeks in December for Fine Amnesty first appeared on River View Observer.

Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band Draws Large Crowd at “Right to Rock” Fundraising Event at B.B. King Blues Club New York

Pictured with Clarence  Clemons is Jersey City student, Jade Adams of P.S. 29, recently performed with legendary E Street Band member Clarence Clemons at a fundraiser held by Little Kids Rock on Oct. 22 at B.B King Blues Club in New York City. The “Right to Rock” benefit raised over $160,000 to restore and revitalize music education in public schools nationwide.  
Adams, 12, performed Jailhouse Rock with Clarence Clemons and a student band from the Bronx. She also performed her original song, Change, with the student band, whom she met that evening. Adams’ song was selected as a grand prize winner in the 2009 Little Kids Rock songwriting contest.
Little Kids Rock currently reaches nearly 2500 underserved students in Jersey City and Newark, and over 42,000 nationwide. Here is a high-reolution photograph of Jade and Clarence at the event:

MONTCLAIR, N.J., Nov. 1, 2009 – Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit music organization that provides free instruments and instruction to underfunded public schools, today announced the results of its “Right to Rock” fundraiser, held on Oct. 22 at B.B King Blues Club in New York City. The legendary Clarence Clemons found time between touring with Bruce
Springsteen and promoting his new book to help Little Kids Rock raise over $160,000 to restore and revitalize music education in public schools nationwide. Since its inception in 2002, the organization has grown to reach over 1,100 schools in 21 different cities as of the beginning of the 2009 school year.

“The great turnout at the Right to Rock event sent a message that was heard loud and clear: our kids matter, music matters and we are a growing community of friends and family who are stepping up to fulfill this generation’s obligation to the next generation,” said Dave Wish, executive director of Little Kids Rock. “Seeing a musician as iconic as Clarence Clemens share the stage with our students is something that I’ll never forget, and I am incredibly grateful for his support and the support of all of the guests that were honored last week.”
Little Kids Rock presented Clemons with the inaugural “Big Man of the Year Award” for his philanthropic efforts. Clemons performed an unrehearsed rendition of Jailhouse Rock with inner-city public school students from the New York City metro area, as well as Garden of Little Kids Rock Raises over $160,000 to Put Music Education Back in Public Schools 2 of 3
Memories with famed producer, John Colby. Additional guests honored at the event include Bill Mendello, CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Betsy McLaughlin, CEO of Hot Topic, and Mary Luehrsen, Executive Director of NAMM, for their continued support of music
education.
“More than 50 percent of kids who play an instrument go on to college, yet music education programs at the inner city public schools who need them most continue to be hit hard with budget cuts,” said Clarence Clemons. “Little Kids Rock has responded to this problem in a really big way and made a positive impact on the lives of literally thousands of low-income
students who wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity. I strongly encourage those who are in a position to do so to support their cause and spread the word about this inspirational program.”
The event featured music performed by NYC HitSquad, a group whose members have played with Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and the Saturday Night Live Band. 12-year old Jade Adams of P.S. 29 in Jersey City
performed her original song, “Change,” with a student band from P.S. 83 in the Bronx, whom she met that evening. Guitars signed by Eric Clapton, Slash, Bon Jovi and Paul Simon were also auctioned to benefit the program.
High-resolution photographs are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36973804@N06/sets/72157622717341470/
About Little Kids Rock Little Kids Rock is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that transforms children’s lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in underfunded public schools. Little Kids Rock was
founded in San Francisco in 2002 by David Wish, an elementary school teacher who had grown frustrated with the lack of music education funding at his school. Today, Little Kids Rock is one of the leading nonprofit providers of free lessons and instruments to low-income children in US public schools, and has served more than 85,000 students at over 1,100 schools in 20 cities nationwide. Little Kids Rock Honorary Board Members include Bonnie Raitt, Slash, Paul Simon, B.B. King, Ziggy Marley, and other famous friends in the music industry. More information can be found at: www.littlekidsrock.org and www.littlekidsrock.tv.

About Clarence Clemons Clarence Clemons, affectionately known worldwide as The Big Man, has captivated audiences for over forty years with his distinguished ability for making his saxophone speak a universal
Little Kids Rock Raises over $160,000 to Put Music Education Back in Public Schools 3 of 3 language. For more than three decades Mr. Clemons has lofted Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band to become, as some have deemed it, the greatest rock and roll band in the world. In addition to an ever-lengthening roster of live concert performances and recording projects, his credits include a growing portfolio of dramatic and comedic appearances, for both film and television.
On October 21, Mr. Clemons releases his book, co-authored by his friend, Don Reo, Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales. This is the first book written by a member of the E Street Band, telling true, unknown stories about the band as well as capturing Mr. Clemons’ larger-thanlife storyteller persona in a series of hybrid fact-and-fiction stories called “Legends.”

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Happenings A long the Campaign Trial

[From A Governorâ€s Journey] Governor Jon Corzine goes for three points while visiting a street festival in Newark. Governor Corzine attended Taylorville High School, where he was the captain of his basketball team. He went on to earn his bachelorâ€s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana, where he also played basketball. “I was a walk-on in college,” he remembers. “They gave me some minutes on the freshman squad, but my varsity career was at the far end of the bench. Thereâ€s wasnâ€t much need for a 6â€2” forward at a Big Ten school.” By the way – he made the basket.

The post Govenor Corzine Takes a Jump Shot first appeared on River View Observer.

CSI: NY Actor and Author Hill Harper to Deliver Keynote Address

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Hudson County Community College President Dr. Glen Gabert announced that the College will hold its 31st annual Commencement Ceremonies on Wednesday, May 20 in Prudential Hall at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ. The College expects to confer Associate degrees to more than 700 students from the Journal Square and North Hudson Center campuses that evening.

Hill Harper, one of the actors from the popular TV drama CSI: NY, will present the keynote speech. Mr. Harper earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Brown University (where he graduated magna cum laude), his Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and his Juris Doctor degree (cum laude) from Harvard Law School, where he was a classmate of President Barack Obama. The Iowa City, Iowa native is the author of two books aimed at inspiring young people to set and accomplish high goals – Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny and Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny. Mr. Harper is the recipient of two 2007 NAACP Image Awards for his literary endeavors. He is also a Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer.

The post Hudson County Community College to Hold Graduation May 20th first appeared on River View Observer.