DRAWING on OBSERVATIONS

Ball point pen on todays newsprint

Governor Chris Christie delivered his first State of the State Address yesterday.

Ball point pen on todays newsprint

Governor Chris Christie is betting on Atlantic City to come back, but will end the subsidies for New Jersey horse racing.

Ball point pen on todays newsprint

New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie was in South Plainfield yesterday praising start up solar company Petra Solar that grew from ten to one hundred employees in the last year.

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Tough love
Chris Christie

Ball point pen on todays newsprint

Has it been eighteen months already? Sharpe James, arrived back in Newark to a hero’s welcome yesterday aboard Greyhound Bus # 1026.

Sharpie on today’s newsprint

Faced with a bankrupt state government, New Jersey’s new governor, Chris Christie is serving up some tough love.

Happy Valentines Day!

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! It’s New Jersey Governor-Elect Chris Christie’s younger brother Todd.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

The pundits will pontificate about Obama, the economy and anti incumbancy, but in New Jersey, voters had one issue… Anyone-but-Corzine. This guy qualifies.

In New Jersey, like most places, it’s hard to get excited by our choices on election day, but I still feel it’s my patriotic duty to go to the polls and choose the lesser of two evils.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

New Jersey’s Governor Jon Corzine was slow to learn how the union-managment relationship works. He was newly elected when he took the stage at a union rally in the state’s capital to proclaim, “We will fight for a fair contract!” …The states union members must have been confused. Whom will he fight? He was management and they were there rallying against him. Fast forward to the present downturn in the economy combined with New Jersey’s balanced budget amendment and Corzine wants to have mandatory furloughs for all state employees. Unfortunately that “fair” contract may come back to haunt him.

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

When the morning paper seems an endless parade of stories about greedy CEO’s, the economic downturn, partisan bickering, bankruptcies, pink slips and layoffs, sometimes we need a display of humanity to wash the jaded taste from our mouths. Enter Camden New Jersey native, Jesse Coltrane. He had been exchanging instant messages and phone calls with a despondent California teenager. When he saw the image on his webcam of the teen, who had been talking about suicide, cutting his forearm with a razor blade, his action of calling the police may have saved the teens life.

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

New Jersey’s own Lisa Jackson received a warm reception from the US Senate at her confirmation hearing to become head of the EPA.  Jackson earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University and is a graduated summa cum laude fromTulane University’s School of Chemical Engineering. She has served as Commissioner of Environmental protection of New Jersey and Chief of staff to New Jersey’s Governor Jon Corzine.

…To the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam…

Lisa, of New Jersey, Sandy and Roz of Florida, and Lenny and Janice with their children Benjamin and Hannah of Colorado support Obama at their family gathering.

…Also, since the election is tomorrow, I wanted to thank everyone who took the time and effort to tile this drawing together, display it in your homes, schools and work places in support of Senator Obama.

If you’ve been missing my daily portrait of news makers, I will resume posting my sketches after the election. If you found your way here looking for the Obama Poster, I hope you’ll come back and visit me and my portrait of the day doodle.

NOW GO VOTE!

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Ray Petronko in ball point pen on my local paper

All politics are local….Yesterday I was listening to the Football Giants game and painting a landscape for a California wine label when my door bell rang. Local Democratic Councilmen, Ray Petronko and Joe Scrudato were going door to door asking if I had any questions about this November’s election and their positions on the issues. The news junkie that I am, of coarse I’ve been following the race, and while I’m not going to go into the local issues here on my blog, I told them they could count on my support… These are genuinely nice guys who put in long hours of service to our community. After a long day of canvassing the neighborhoods they probably wanted to go home to their families, but they were very gracious to humor me when I asked if I could take their picture so that I could draw their portraits for my blog, . Thanks guys!!

Joe Scrudadto in ball point pen on my local paper

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

I always route for the underdog. In this years US Open, the choice was obvious… Rocco Mediate only hits the ball about as far as your average Sunday golfer, and at age 45, he would have been the oldest golfer to win his first major. But Tiger Woods showed once again why he’s perhaps the greatest professional athlete in a generation. Six weeks after knee surgery and against his doctors advice, Tiger won his 14th major in a dramatic sudden death overtime.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

The Stone Pony has stood as the Mecca of the Jersey rock scene for decades. I burst with pride the first time my son Andrew and his band played there. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, Cheap Trick, Joan Jett, Jefferson Starship, Elvis Costello, Peter Frampton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Russell Crowe, and Patti Smith are just a few of the acts that have graced the same stage of the famous Jersey club. A tribute was held last night at the Stone Pony for Danny Federici … Continue Reading