The Morning Briefing - April 20, 2015
CLOSTER – There are plenty of turkey at a local A&P, none of which get any media attention as they are dumped in a cart and passed through a scanner. But the Record notes there is a young male turkey living in the A&P parking lot, where shoppers have been leaving bread and blueberries, and the grocery store has noted an uptick in customers by those who want to say hi, take a pic and offer a smile – before they head inside to pick up the weekly allotment of turkey, chicken, cow, pig, etc.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Gov. Chris Christie figures if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. At least that’s his response to the latest downgrade from the credit agencies, which have shredded the state’s credit rating since the governor took office. He tells Politicker that Moody’s Investor Service “agrees with me,” an apparent close partner in the effort to correct the state’s pension mess. “From my perspective, it just backs up everything I’ve been saying,” the governor says, adding it “confirms the argument that we’ve been making across the state.” Gotta admire the chutzpah of a politician who can claim nine credit downgrades – a state record for any governor – is good news.
NEWARK - Mayor Ras Baraka found himself sitting on a dais at a town hall meeting Friday night organized by his office at the Willing Heart Community Center with more than 250 people in the audience who came to deliver one message: Don't let Saint Michael's Medical Center close. It was a discussion the mayor did not want to have and at one point, he admonished the restless crowd to stick to the meeting's intended focus. "We're having a discussion about the kind of healthcare we want to see in the City of Newark," he said. Surely the mayor must have seen how much his admonishment was dripping with irony. Before he was elected, Baraka often led the charge against Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson during public meetings with points that were solely intended to rile up the crowd. As a poet, the mayor must appreciate poetic justice.
NEW YORK – The financial world is abuzz about a “Corzine comeback,” with word our former governor and senator is thinking about starting up another hedge fund. Just four years after his $1.6 billion commodities funds went belly-up, to the despair of many unhappy investors, Jon Corzine wants to manage money again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Of course, there’s still plenty of nagging lawsuits against him and the company, MF Global, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is still figuring out a potential punishment. Corzine wouldn’t be able to do anything until it’s all settled. A Corzine spokesman says he is “gratified that others might want to invest.”
PHILADELPHIA – Gov. Chris Christie, a devout Dallas Cowboy fan, has the perfect response for all those Eagles fans who taunt him: Tim Tebow. This notoriously inaccurate quarterback, cut by the hapless Jets three years ago, has now found a home in Philadelphia, after a short-lived career as a sports analyst. Perhaps the Eagles see something the rest of the world doesn’t. Eagles fans must be relieved the team has four other quarterbacks, and probably a few ball boys who can at least keep the ball on the field.
IN THE MEDIA
PATERSON – Interesting to see how the media will deal with indicted Sen. Bob Menendez today, as the senator acts as if all is perfectly normal when he celebrates the completion of a city firehouse with Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. and local officials. Will the media be happy just to gobble up the press release and write about the dedication of another firehouse? Or will they seek a juicier story by slamming Menendez with unrelated questions, as other lawmakers awkwardly study their feet? Find out when the event goes down at noon, with the Menendez PR team fully vetting any attending media at 11:45 a.m.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The nationwide search of a woman looking for her birth mother ended up in a surprising place: – at work. WKBN-TV reports the Ohio Department of Health revealed the mom’s name, and it didn’t take long to figure out this “Francine” was the same “Francine” who works at the office – likely the old lady always nagging her to clean up her mess in the office kitchen and to wear a sweater. The two connected, with the woman also learning her sister works in the office, too – likely that annoying girl who is always trying to one-up her.
SHAKOPEE, MN – It all began when a fourth-grade girl sent birthday invites to her class, hoping for a big bash. But not one friggin’ kid replied to this 10-year-old girl, who has a genetic disorder that hampers speech and learning. Mashable reports her desperate mom went to Facebook, asking other moms to wish her daughter a happy birthday. The story quickly went viral, with one person setting up a Facebook event page and hundreds ultimately attending her birthday party in a park, with heaps of gifts. Her mom writes on Facebook: “My heart has been touched by so many stories similar to mine or just people wishing her a Happy Birthday. I will never be able to thank you all enough for your kindness.”
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was one year ago that a Chinese automaker, FAW Group, announced it was going to build the most expensive, custom-made limo in the world – the Red Flag L5. It is priced at “just” $803,000; (we assume pin-striping is extra.) Or, perhaps there’s a convenient lease of $15,000 per month.
WORD OF THE DAY
Folderol – noun
Definition: Complete nonsense
Example: Not withstanding all the folderol involved in spending $800,000 for a Chinese-made car, did you hear the Red Flag L5 is equipped with the engine of a 1988 Hyundai Excel?