Short Notice — Free Film TONITE

I didn't see until this afternoon an email alert received last nite after I had left my computer about a documentary film being shown tonite:

On this Saturday, August 22nd at 7PM there will be a showing of the movie "The Flow." It will show at Dominion Building on the corner of James and Burnet (53 Burnet Street). There will be free popcorn, drinks and other snacks. There is no charge for attendance. This is a first run movie which will serve to highlight critical issues that we face right here in our City of Newark relating to the privatization of Newark's water. Please attend and become even better informed regarding this very sensitive and critical issue facing our community. Bill Chappel has been working with the Newark Water Group and he will be present to give an overview of some of the imminent challenges facing our city and to answer pertinent questions following the movie's viewing. Metro Christian Ministries will host the event.

B. Wilks

The email contains this description of the documentary:

FLOW: For Love Of Water

Don’t miss this opportunity to see this award-winning film!

It’s like taking a trip around the world ... and it offers a short course about water resources on earth.

While this film shows corporate efforts across the globe to privatize water resources, it more importantly shows peoples’ successful efforts to retain public control of their water. Water is a human right[.] It is too precious to turn into a commodity, bought and sold like used cars. Come see FLOW and learn about water issues facing our own community.

Mayor Booker has temporarily withdrawn the proposal to create a privatized Municipal Utility Authority to replace the Department of Water & Sewer Utilities, which is controlled by the City government. He can reintroduce that odious and absurd proposal at any time, and Newarkers must, consequently, be prepared to jump to the defense of the people's water, at reasonable cost, at any moment.

There are people willing to run against Mayor Booker next year, and they are starting their campaigning early with the opening of a campaign headquarters on Irvine Turner Boulevard next Saturday. Campaigns take so long nowadays.

SENATOR RONALD RICE, FREEHOLDER PRESIDENT BLONNIE WATSON, FREEHOLDER RUFUS JOHNSON, FORMER COUNCIL PRESIDENT DONALD BRADLEY, THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT CLIFF MAYOR AND HIS TEAM FOR 2010 AND FORMER COUNCILWOMAN BESSIE WALKER WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO THE GRAND OPENING OF THE CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS LOCATED AT 24 IRVINE TURNER BLVD.


WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU COME OUT MEET AND GREET CLIFF AND HIS TEAM. CLIFF HAS A GREAT TEAM THAT WILL FIGHT FOR THE RESIDENTS. THERE TEAM MOTTO IS "TOGETHER WE CAN" BECAUSE THEY ARE FROM NEWARK AND LOVE NEWARK THAT THEY BELIEVE WE DESERVE BETTER. THE TEAM OF CLIFF MINOR, CAROLE GRAVES, JOHN SHARPE JAMES, DAVID BLOUNT, AND RAS BARAKA WILL BRING STABILITY, INTEGRITY, LEADERSHIP, CARING AND COMPASSION TO OUR RESIDENTS. PLEASE JOIN US AND BRING A FRIEND ON:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2009
24 IRVINE TURNER BLVD.

(BETWEEN CITY NATIONAL BANK AND QUEEN OF ANGELS)
12:00PM UNTIL 2:00PM

MEET CLIFF AND HIS TEAM. LITE REFRESHMENTS AND HOT DOGS WILL BE SERVED.

I'm not sure I'm ready to vote against Booker in 2010. I did in 2006, largely because he was threatening to stop the construction of the Newark Arena (now Prudential Center). But he later admitted he was mistaken about that, and understands that the Arena was a great idea, even if it should take a while to make money. Jeffrey Bennett, webmaster of the Newarkology website, found a June 28, 2009 NYTimes article by Charles V. Bagli that says that Prudential Center is currently losing money.

So far, Prudential Center has not been a success. The Devils invested $155 million in the arena, while Newark put up $220 million and spent another $85 million on related projects. The team is supposed to pay a minimum of $2 million a year in rent, far less than the city’s $12.6 million annual debt service for the arena. But the Devils are disputing their rent bill and have yet to pay a dime.

Mr. Vanderbeek, who declined comment, touched off a political firestorm this month when he told The Record of Hackensack that the state needed to tear down the Izod Center. That, he told the paper’s editorial board, would boost the bottom line of the Prudential Center and the Devils by at least $10 million annually.

His comments brought a quick rebuke from Governor Corzine [remember that, Newarkers, in November] and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which runs the Izod Center. Whether the Nets stay or go, the authority still needs to generate revenue to pay the bonds on the state-owned building.

The premise is wrong. "So far, Prudential Center has not been a success" should be rephrased by inserting the word "financial" before "success". In every other way, it has been a HUGE success. It has changed perceptions of Newark in the minds of millions of people, including hundreds of thousands of suburbanites who have been brought into the city where they had a great time. They went home and told everyone they know that they had a great time, nothing went wrong, they weren't victims of crime, nobody hassled them, the Arena is beautiful, the city is beautiful, and they recommend that whenever a concert comes up that their friends and neighbors in the 'burbs might like to see, they should have absolutely no hesitancy to take the train to Newark to see it. The Prudential Center has brought the American Idols, Britney Spears, the Eagles, 'Hannah Montana', and a whole bunch of other big-name entertainers to Newark who would never have come here otherwise. And they had a fine time before friendly, enthusiastic audiences. Not one single adverse incident occurred in any of those big-name concerts, and you can bet your bottom dollar that when the name "Newark" comes up in conversation, those celebrities will have good things to say. The suburbs have reconnected with Newark, the city's reputation has been burnished — after years of being tarnished instead — and both Newarkers and outsiders have started to think of Newark as a place for fun, not fear. That is a HUGE success, and we should regard any financial losses until the Arena can be made to pay as economic-development money, advertising expense in building a currently nonexistent tourist industry. You've got to spend money to make money.