The Jaffe Briefing - January 27, 2021
STATEWIDE – So, imagine Super Bowl Sunday, with New Jersey’s bars and restaurants open late for the big game. Sounds great, right? But, alas, no. Sen. Anthony M. Bucco called on Gov. Phil Murphy to call a one-day audible on the 10 p.m. curfew, with the lawmaker calling it one of the “most important days of the year for bars and restaurants and all of their workers,” the Daily Record reports. The senator argued it didn’t seem fair to kick out patrons while the game is ongoing, and the governor should take a quick break on the “arbitrary” curfew. The governor punted on that one, as the virus likely doesn’t care if Tom Brady happens to be driving the ball when the clock strikes 10.
STATEWIDE – So, how many New Jerseyans can get vaccinated with an extra $216 million? We shall soon find out, as FEMA announced it is dashing off a check to the state to pay for more administration of vaccines through six mega-sites that are currently overwhelmed with people. So far, for those keeping count, New Jersey has been able to vaccinate about 600,000 people, which is remarkably consistent with another number: the 600,000 people who have tested positive here since this disaster surfaced last winter. The big question: Will throwing gobs of money at the problem through April 30 spur a quicker vaccination rate, or just cause more wheels to spin? We shall soon find out.
NEWARK - Something good happened in Washington, and that is certainly news. As New Jersey has been desperate for the Gateway Tunnel that would ensure a bright future for our regional economy - yet the project has been killed by Chris Christie and Donald Trump over the past 10 years - there is a light at the end of this, um, tunnel. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., (D-Newark) has been named chair of the House subcommittee tasked with overseeing the nation’s railways. And on the top of the pressing pile: the Gateway Project. Meanwhile, four members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation — Reps. Payne, Albio Sires (D-West New York), Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) and Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) — hold seats on the Transportation Committee. Maybe, just maybe, the Gateway Project will get the green light.
BRIEFING BREATHER
Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
STATEWIDE – There’s a lot of logic in the latest CDC report about safety in schools. The discovery: schools that take masks and social distancing seriously are finding scant transmissions of the virus, but indoor athletics lead to infections, the Washington Post reports. Zero surprise with any of this, as schools are part of society like anything else. The official recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control? Keep wearing masks and social distance. But, unfortunately, school districts need to really look at their winter athletic programs; the study reports a Florida wrestling tourney at which 30% of participants tested positive.
STATEWIDE – Remember “Dumbo”? Well, according to Disney, that movie is now bad. And “Peter Pan,” “Swiss Family Robinson” and “The Aristocats”? All bad. Very bad, indeed, as all of these classic feel-good films are now being pulled from the Disney Plus offerings for kiddies under the age of seven, NJ.com reports. While we all didn’t pay much attention to racial overtones of these films from generations ago, they are now deemed woefully obsolete. You’ve got racist cats in “The Aristocats,” you’ve got white people in black face in “Dumbo” and don’t get us started on how Native people are depicted in “Peter Pan.” Adults can still view these films, but with a warning from your now-inclusive pals at Disney.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BOSTON – Wow, an artifact that is 21 years old. How amazing that Tom Brady’s rookie card lasted for more than two decades without disintegrating into dust. More amazing that a trading card newer than most necktie collections was just sold for a staggering $555,988. The bidding ended on this “virtually perfect” card on eBay on Monday, showing a pic of a very young, untested quarterback barely on the New England Patriots. “Furthermore, one of the most difficult aspects of this card, the autograph, is seemingly pristine and brilliantly penned in black ink,” the description gushes. But before Patriot fans thump their chests some more, kindly note a Mickey Mantle rookie card sold earlier this month for $5.2 million. So, stick it.
COOPERSTOWN, NY – All-Stars hoping to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame this year have struck out, after the baseball writers could not muster enough support for anyone to be enshrined this year. Retired players need 75% of the baseball writers to vote “Yes.” The closest anyone got this year is Curt Schilling, with 71% of the vote. But most of America considers this guy to be a wee bit outspoken, likening radical Muslims to Nazis and having a real problem with transgender people. So, while Schilling was a great pitcher, he may need to sneak through a back door. The other glaring issue is the steroid scandal, with superstars like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens believed to be too close to the juice to be awarded a spot in the Hall. But, there will still be a grand induction in July, as last year’s ceremony was cancelled. And that class included Derek Jeter – a no-conflict shoo-in.
BAR GRAMMAR
A verb walks into a bar, sees a beautiful noun, and suggests they conjugate. The noun declines.
WORD OF THE DAY
Obeisance – [oh-BEE-sunss] – noun
Definition: A movement of the body made in token of respect or submission; a bow
Example: My breathless obeisance is typically reserved for Taylor Swift.
WIT OF THE DAY
“Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves.”
-D.H. Lawrence
BIDEN BLURB
“We've never fully lived up to the founding principles of this nation, to state the obvious, that all people are created equal and have a right to be treated equally throughout their lives.”
-Joe Biden
WEATHER IN A WORD
Yawn