There’s plenty to do in Monmouth County this weekend after door knocking and canvasing for your favorite candidate. Greg Kelly @ Monmouth County Life did the leg work for you.
The MoreMonmouthMusings best bet for this weekend is the Highlands Business Partnership’s Oktoberfest in Veterans Park for 2PM-10PM. Great German food from Bahrs , the best beers from Shore Point Distributors, and fabulous family entertainment.
Middletown was one of dozens of municipalities and businesses victimized
By Art Gallagher
Federal and state authorities from NY and PA arrested over 80 “money mules,” primarily eastern Europeans ages 19-25 visiting the United States on student visas, who facilitated hackers using the “Zeus Trojan” virus to empty the bank accounts of dozens of municipalities and small businesses throughout the nation.
As reported by MMM on September 20 , Middletown was hit for over $370,000 over the Labor Day weekend. Thanks to prompt action by the township’s finance staff and police department, all but $13,400 was quickly recovered.
According to the complaints unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, the cyber-attacks began in Eastern Europe, and included the use of a malware known as the “Zeus Trojan,” which was typically sent as an apparently-benign email to computers at small businesses and municipalities in the United States. Once the email was opened, the malware embedded itself in the victims’ computers, and recorded their keystrokes – including their account numbers, passwords, and other vital security codes – as they logged into their bank accounts online. The hackers responsible for the malware then used the stolen account information to take over the victims’ bank accounts, and made unauthorized transfers of thousands of dollars at a time to receiving accounts controlled by the co-conspirators.
These receiving accounts were set up by a “money mule organization” responsible for retrieving the proceeds of the malware attacks and transporting or transferring the stolen money overseas. To carry out the scheme, the money mule organization recruited individuals who had entered the United States on student visas, providing them with fake foreign passports, and instructing them to open false-name accounts at U.S. banks. Once these false-name accounts were successfully opened and received the stolen funds from the accounts compromised by the malware attacks, the “mules” were instructed to transfer the proceeds to other accounts, most of which were overseas, or to withdraw the proceeds and transport them overseas as smuggled bulk cash.
“We have been forced to implement this work stoppage due to the Legislature’s failure to approve a routine bond transaction for the fifth and final year of a transportation program that was approved under the previous Administration,” Commissioner Simpson said. “Because of the Legislature’s failure to act, thousands of engineers, planners, designers and construction workers will be put out of work and project schedules will be disrupted.”
The Transportation Trust Fund Authority transaction involving the sale of up to $1.25 billion in bonds and the refinancing of up to $500 million in existing debt was anticipated to occur before the end of September to carry projects forward into the spring of 2011.
On September 27, the House of Representatives passed a bill introduced by Rush Holt to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his developing the concept of microcredit, or the extension of small loans to the poor. Due to the vision of Dr. Yunus, the World Bank estimates that microfinance institutions now serve 160 million people in developing countries.These loans have enabled impoverished people in developing countries to start businesses, achieve independence, hire employees, bring new products and technologies to remote markets, foster accountability and give borrowers the pride of running a business. For this, Dr. Yunus is deserving of praise.
Well, Rush Holt doesn’t have to go all the way to Bangladesh to find lenders willing to risk their capital to spur economic development. Despite the monstrously vindictive 2,000 page financial reform bill that Holt voted for but didn’t read, hundreds of Holt’s constituents do the same thing everyday. One of these constituents is responsible for extending loans to hundreds of local businesses through his interests in the Bank of Princeton. Loans extended by the Bank of Princeton have enabled entrepreneurs to open businesses and existing businesses to continue to meet payroll despite being under vicious assault by Holt.
If Rush Holt finds it fitting to honor a man whose vision has spurred lending in almost every place outside of New Jersey’s 12th Congressional district, then the application of logic requires Holt to honor one of his own constituents who is risking his own capital when making loans to spur economic development in central New Jersey.
The local resident that Holt should honor is Scott Sipprelle. If Holt declines to honor Sipprelle, then Holt will prove his hypocrisy.
(HIGHLANDS, October 1) – Republican congressional challenger Anna Little – continuing to highlight the vote by her opponent, 22-year incumbent Washington fixture Frank Pallone, to adjourn Congress and return home to campaign without first holding a vote to extend the current tax rates – today pointed out that for the average family in the 6th Congressional District, that translates to a $1,862 per year tax hike.
“Frank Pallone seems to think the average family in our congressional district can afford a $1,862 per year tax hike,” said Little. “Maybe that’s what he gets for staying in Washington so long. After 22 years living the high life with the lobbyists, it’s clear he’s forgotten his roots.
“These aren’t numbers someone is making up out of thin air. According to the Tax Foundation, failure to extend the current tax rates would mean the average family in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District would see its federal tax liability rise from $6,768 per year to $8,630 per year – that’s a hike of $1,862 per year, and represents a 27.5 percent increase,” continued Little.
“Two days ago, Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies like Frank Pallone decided they’d be better off campaigning without first taking a vote to increase taxes on America’s job creators,” continued Little. “So they just decided to leave town without doing their jobs. In doing so, they effectively chose to vote for a tax increase – because everyone knows they’re far less likely to feel constrained after the election, in a lame duck session, than they would have BEFORE the election, when voters could have punished them for voting for a tax increase.
“In other words, getting out of town now translates to higher taxes later.
“But there’s a way to stop it – and that’s for the American electorate to rise up and say, ‘Enough!'”
“When I get to Congress, I’m determined to fight with everything in my power to see to it that NO American taxpayer faces a tax hike – and especially not when we’ve still got an economy teetering on the brink of a double-dip recession.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – you cannot change Washington without changing the PEOPLE in Washington.
“The good news is, there’s an election in 33 days!”
(HIGHLANDS, October 1) – Jim Martin, chairman of the 60 Plus Association, will present Republican congressional challenger Anna Little with the association’s “Honorary Guardian of Seniors’ Rights” award at a press event to be held MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 at 4:30 PM at the Keansburg Senior Center at the Bayshore Senior Day Center. The event is open press.
The 60 Plus Association, which calls on more than 5.5 million seniors for support, is considered “the conservative alternative to the AARP.”
WHO: Congressional Candidate Anna Little
60 Plus Association Chairman Jim Martin
WHAT: Presentation of 60 Plus Association “Honorary Guardian of Seniors’ Rights” award
WHERE: Keansburg Senior Center
Bayshore Senior Day Center
100 Main Street
Keansburg, NJ 07734-1725
WHEN: Monday, October 4
4:30 PM
Posted: October 1st, 2010 | Author:Art Gallagher | Filed under:Anna Little | Tags:Anna Little | Comments Off on Little To Receive Seniors’ Award in Keansburg
Governor Chris Christie was joined by Geoffrey Canada, President of the Harlem Chrildren’s Zone during an Education Town Hall meeting yesterday afternoon at the Elysian Charter Schoolin Hoboken as Christie continued to introduce his Education Reform Agenda to the public.
Christie’s message: Education is the civil rights issue of today. Failure is no longer an option in New Jersey’s school’s—any of them.
Canada’s message: Educational excellence is possible through accountability, innovation and empowering good teachers. He’s doing it and has been for decades. Canada and his schools are the inspiration for the movie Waiting for “Superman” which opens today at these theaters throughout the country.
Video of Christie’s and Canada’s presentation can be viewed in four segments here.
The following two videos are clips of each gentleman’s remarks:
Canada Preview:
Christie preview:
After the town hall meeting I ran into Hoboken School Board member Maureen Sullivan who introduced me to her daughter Julia, a parochial school student who attended the town hall. Julia said about Christie, “He talks gooood, real good.”
Phoney Palloney Is At It Again, Asbury Park Press Falls For It (Willingly?) Again
By Art Gallagher
The United States Department of Justice announced their Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants on Thursday. They awarded $298 million to fund the hiring and retaining of 1,388 state, local and tribal law enforcement officers by 379 police and sheriffs departments in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The funding will be administered by the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and is being awarded under the COPS Hiring Program.
Phoney Palloney told the Asbury Park Press about the grant and they wrote a storythat made it sound like Pallone had something to do with Neptune getting the grant.
New Brunswick, also in Pallone’s 6th congressional district, got almost $1.6 million in COPS funds. That amount wasn’t mentioned in the APP article, nor did Gannett’s outlet that covers New Brunswick, mycentraljersey.com mention it. Pallone must have polling data that tells him he needs free press support in Monmouth, but not in Middlesex.
Just as we saw with the coverage of Pallone’s Fish Tales , his $400 million fish counting stimulus that will never be passed by congress, the Asbury Park Press is in the tank for Frank Pallone. They’re not fair and biased. They’re just biased, pretending not to be. They’re unfair and biased.
