The Morning Briefing - April 13, 2015
ATLANTIC CITY – Not only does the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority have to figure out ways to attract tourists to the struggling city, it also has to deal with the ISIS terrorist group. The Press of Atlantic City reports the site was hacked yesterday morning, with a black screen and a message that reads, in part, “I am Muslin and I love jihad I love isis.” No clue why ISIS would attack the CRDA website, but tourism officials probably appreciated the spike in web traffic.
NEW BRUNSWICK – Don’t you dare drink a beer at a fraternity house, but feel free to dance for 30 straight hours at the Rutgers University Dance Marathon, which mercifully completed yesterday, after raising $692,000 for the Embrace Kids Foundation. University officials suggest participants celebrate with a nice chocolate malted.
ELSEWHERE – The media has finally been successful in wrangling some numbers out of the governor’s office for all his out-of-state travel, disclosing all that touring around the country cost $1.2 million in state-funded security last year, the Record reports. If Gov. Chris Christie finally decides to run for President, that number should balloon nicely in 2015. The governor’s office defends the expense, saying Christie has the same security detail as his predecessors. Yes, but had his predecessors spent most of their time in other states, campaigning for themselves and others? Meanwhile, Christie will be in New Hampshire for four days this week, as the meter keeps running.
ONLINE – PolitickerNJ, always eager for getting to the heart of the matter, is running a poll in breathless anticipation of upcoming indictments stemming from Bridgegate. PolitickerNJ is asking its readers this morning who they think will get indicted, with former Port Authority Chairman David Samson, who recently retired from his law firm, currently the top vote-getter, at nearly 52 percent of the vote. Sampson is trailed far behind by former Christie aide Bridget Kelly, only at 17 percent. But polls are still open. Click here.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
MADISON, Wis. – One must question the academic rigors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where students careening toward finals are using their precious free time to cook up what they hope will be the world’s largest Rice Krispies treat, weighing more than 5-1/2 tons. Reuters reports it began as a dorm room dare that somehow blossomed into an 11,327-pound gob, nearly seven feet tall. Ingredients, all donated, include 9,000 pounds of marshmallows, 5,500 pounds of Rice Krispies and 900 pounds of butter.
WALLY WORLD – You will never see a movie review on this page. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t cringing with word that Chevy Chase will release another Griswold sequel on July 31. We admit there is an impressive cast, with Ed Helms as Rusty and Christina Applegate as his wife. But Chevy Chase hasn’t been funny since he pointed out Big Ben and Parliament.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1992 that test marketing begins on a “revolutionary” soft drink called “Crystal Pepsi” in Rhode Island, Colorado and Texas. It was likely the last time Pepsi asked for these people’s opinions on anything, as this clear color was discontinued one year after its national launch, following an odd Super Bowl commercial from Van Halen. And, of course, here it is:
WORD OF THE DAY
Fartlek – noun
Definition: A system of training for distance runners in which you run really quickly, and then run slowly, or walk, to eliminate boredom and enhance the psychological aspects of conditioning.
Example: “I decided to go with some fartlek training yesterday, when I joined in the NJ Sharing Network’s 5K Celebration of Life at Bergen Community College.”