The Jaffe Briefing - February 8, 2019

 

NOT IN STORES - Sadly, it's the "Year without SweetHearts." For the first time since 1886, those heart-shaped pastel candies with sayings like: "Be Mine" and "True Love" aren't on store shelves for Valentine's Day. Their maker, the New England Confectionery Co., went out of business last July and Ohio-based Spangler Candy Co. didn't acquire the brand in time to mass produce SweetHearts this year. So, perhaps your calorie-infused sweetie will accept delicious donuts instead. Starting today, Jersey City's Krispy Kreme outlet is selling four varieties of heart-shaped "conversation donuts" with icing inscriptions that say "Love U" and "BFF." And, Spangler promises Candystore.com that those beloved SweetHeart candies will make a triumphant return for the 2020 Valentine's Day season. Maybe, by then, you'll land a decent date.

 

PATERSON - Big-dollar donations are music to the ears of youngsters at Public School 24. The school used $83,000 in donations to buy more than 100 new flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, trumpets and trombones for its band. It also got violins, cellos and violas for its string ensemble, plus guitarrón, vihuelas and guitars for its Mariachi band. The windfall for this grades K-8 school - which houses the district's Performing Arts Academy - came from VH1 Save the Music and the Sound Start Foundation in Mountain Lakes. Band director Nancy Horowitz tells the Paterson Press her students are "devoted to music," but were tuning out because of old, used and donated instruments. "It's tremendous to see their efforts appreciated." Agreed.

 

TRENTON - Every once in a while, state lawmakers take on a truly profound issue. None more so than yesterday, when the Senate Health Committee heard testimony on the Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act. NJ Spotlight reports that, with caveats, it would allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients of sound mind with six months or less to live. Seven states already have their own versions of such legislation. Speakers for and against the measure spoke passionately. Kim Callinan, a New Jersey native and CEO of Compassion and Choices, said, "The prescription that people are asking for is, quite simply, peace of mind." But Dawn Parkot of the Climb Organization, which advocates on disability issues, said, "There is no way to assure the safeguards will be observed." The committee voted to advance the hot-button measure. Doubtless, it's one of those issues on which to proceed with caution.  Take stock at NJ Spotlight. 

 

STATEWIDE - JUUL Labs - which raked in a billion dollars in sales last year - has been all over Jersey media in recent weeks, spending a ton of cash to urge people not to smoke those old-fashioned "combustible" cigarettes. This anti-smoking campaign seems laudable at first blush, as it is dedicated to "improving the lives" of 1 billion smokers. But, like anything else you smoke, this campaign leaves you confused, a bit fuzzy and perhaps with bad breath. Juul says cigarettes are bad. Got that. But then it says its e-cigarettes are not that bad, even though they are filled with the same hazardous, addictive chemicals as cigarettes. So, don't smoke that "bad" product. But smoke our "good" product, with all the new and improved fruity flavors, which will still suck up all your pocket money and put you in the ground just as fast.