The Morning Briefing - August 23, 2016
** The Morning Briefing goes on vacation beginning Thursday, August 25, returning Tuesday, September 6 **
ATLANTIC CITY – While writing about the death spiral of Atlantic City would certainly sell more subscriptions – if we sold subscriptions – there is a very different story coming out of New Jersey’s gaming resort. Apparently – get this – the eight remaining casinos are doing darn well in 2016. In fact, reports the Press of AC, the casinos have seen more than a 21 percent increase in their operating profits for the first half of the year. Yeah, seriously. We are talking a combined second-quarter profit of $259 million, compared to $213 million in 2015. That’s the highest since 2010. Say…Trump may want to buy back some of his casinos.
STATEWIDE – OK, this is a new one. Apparently, people hooked on drugs have found a new way to get high, just by visiting one of the countless CVS or Walgreens likely located within seconds of wherever you may be in New Jersey. NJ 101.5 reports these addicts are after Imodium, the anti-diarrhea medication, because it contains Loperamide, which can give you a high, apparently, if taken in large doses. An added plus: you apparently don’t need to go to the bathroom again, until, say 2023.
PALISADES PARK – The Korean community is posing an interesting question tonight to the town council, asking why a language interpreter can’t be at council meetings so that people who only know Korean can follow along, the Record reports. It raises a great point, as our melting pot continues, to, er, melt, with English no longer the primary language in some communities. The only question is the slippery slope. Translators aren’t cheap, and it seems someone, somewhere, would be immediately insulted if there was no translator onsite for whatever language they may be speaking. That’s why it is good to have a universal language. Still, the Korean-Americans who comprise half the population of Palisades Park have a point. Perhaps there’s an app that can solve all this. Call Google.
NEWARK – There’s hasn’t been much reported lately about Gov. Chris Christie’s ridiculous “Fairness Formula,” in which he would strip school funding to the poorest towns in the state and heap the savings on the wealthier towns. You may remember this proposal, in which every kid in New Jersey would get the same state aid – $6,599 per year – no matter if mom drives a Range Rover or rides a bus. NJ.com asked Newark Schools Superintendent Chris Cerf what he thought of this plan to steal from the poor to give to the rich, prompting this reply: “I don't mind saying explicitly that a reduction in our budget of 60 percent would be catastrophic." The quote is particularly interesting because, after all, Christie hired Cerf for the job. But what else could any logical person say?
SAYREVILLE - A local cop showed, once again, what it means to protect and serve. Patrolman Brian Gay said he was among the first responders to a house fire yesterday, when a young girl told him the family was trapped inside. He stood outside, catching two young girls as they jumped out a second floor window. He then caught a baby boy from a woman, who was then able to climb out of the burning house using a ladder. All landed safely, thanks to the patrolman.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
LONDON – Forget about sneaking a file into a cake, there’s a new way to get contraband into prison. London cops yesterday said they recovered two drones carrying mobile phones and drugs near Pentonville prison. They’ve set up a super-jazzy task force – “Operation Airborne” - to catch people trying to fly stuff over the prison walls. British media say this is nothing new, noting there were more than 30 incidents last year in which drones were found in or around prisons. But now they are serious because their “Operation” has an official name. Watch out!
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1968 that Ringo Starr quit the Beatles over some stupid argument. He was a smart man to return; Starr is now worth $250 million or so.
WORD OF THE DAY
Namby-Pamby [NAM-bee-PAM-bee] – adjective
Definition: Lacking in character or substance
Example: Sure, my pals mock me for going to some namby-pamby salon for a haircut, but, boy, don’t my cuticles look spectacular?
WEATHER IN A WORD
Be-u-tiful.