The Morning Briefing - February 27, 2015
UNION TOWNSHIP – The admissions process at Kean University took a hit this week when 3,000 high school students received acceptance emails – some of whom didn’t even apply. It took 30 minutes for the admissions office to recant the emails with a red-faced follow-up note admitting error, NorthJersey.com reports. “How did I get an acceptance letter to Kean and I didn’t even finish my application?,” one student mused on Twitter. This story isn’t unique – just a few weeks ago, Carnegie Mellon mistakenly sent acceptance emails to 800 applicants for its prestigious graduate program in computer science. Perhaps its newest class of computer experts can figure out how colleges can send correct admissions emails.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Before national Republicans can decide if Gov. Chris Christie is right on policy, they must decide if they can deal with his unique, um, personality. Yesterday, Christie was back on the campaign circuit. And he is still trying to explain who he is, especially to these skeptical Midwesterners who use “Sir” and “Ma’am” in virtually every human exchange. Christie told a group yesterday he takes unscripted questions from voters, prompting all those classic YouTube moments, while he is giving up on the media elite, like The New York Times, who “just want to kill” him. The governor vows he is not explosive or short-tempered, just a really passionate guy. You decide. Visit YouTube; type “Chris Christie yells” and enjoy.
TRENTON - Moody's Investor Service remains unimpressed with New Jersey's financial follies - the latest is a judge's ruling that the state must contribute $1.6 billion to the state pension fund. The ability of the sitting governor to raid the state pension system has been "a tool essential" to balancing the budget, the credit agency says. Restraining the governor creates a "credit negative" and a "potential challenge to the state's liquidity," it added. The state's credit rating has already been downgraded eight times under Gov. Chris Christie, so, at this point, whatever.
SCOTCH PLAINS – We may never know how extensive Assemblywoman Linda Stender’s involvement was in her husband’s efforts to use Habitat for Humanity to rebuild their beach house damaged by Superstorm Sandy. But, at this point, it really doesn’t matter, as Stender has announced she won’t be seeking re-election to a safe legislative seat where she could have sat for decades. Stender announced she is backing off an hour after Union County Democratic Chairman Jerry Green decided to no longer support her, ending what will be a 13-year run in the Assembly. Now she can build whatever the heck she wants.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
JOHANNESBURG - Some residents of Luderitz are wondering why so many want to change the name of their town to one that can’t even be pronounced. People are calling for a name change to “!Nami#nus,” which includes some click-like sounds of the Nama ethnic group. Sure, this is a great way for Luderitz to return to its roots, after Germany colonized the area in the 1800s and slapped a German name on the town. But folks are rightfully concerned that no one would be able to find !Nami#nus through GPS or websites. And how do you ask for directions to a town you can’t even pronounce?
PITTSBURGH – “I don’t get it,” seems to be the common thinking about a new piece of art in a downtown public square. So far, nervous viewers of "A Winter Landscape Cradling Bits of Sparkle" have generated two calls to the fire department by those not knowing about the fog machine that is part of the “art,” the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports. The winter landscape includes mulched trees and a boardwalk path, with the fog machine belching every 10 minutes to show clouds. The Office of Public Art is now suggesting, perhaps, the fog bursts should be toned down a bit.
TRENDING – What the heck is the color of this dress? That has been the big question on Tumblr, as some say the thing is white and gold, others argue it is blue and black. The question is consuming America. Discuss.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1970 that The New York Times falsely reported the U.S. Army has ended domestic surveillance. Surprising that all those Army spies in the newsroom didn’t red line the copy before it went on press.