The Jaffe Briefing - January 27, 2022
LAKEWOOD – Does this sound like a school board meeting or a backroom Mafia confab? Check out the plot line: The school board is planning to pay off a former school administrator, following her claims of being fired for cooperating with an FBI sting operation. No one is talking at the moment about the amount of cash in the proverbial envelope passed under the table, or the info she ratted out. Apparently, the former supervisor of Social Studies, Fine Arts and Pupil Personnel Services was whacked in 2016, after serving as a whistleblower, the Asbury Park Press reports. She admits she blabbed to the feds about some wrongdoings, the reason for her swift dismissal, as school leaders decided that this story needed to go away. A great plot. Some nice drama, and a victim. Meanwhile, Lakewood students are sitting, wondering if and when the attention will be directed back to them.
STATEWIDE – Yeah, yeah. You are tired of reading about Covid. But there’s actually good news that, hopefully, will stop us from writing pandemic stories. It looks like omicron is on its way to being defeated. Yesterday’s state tallies show another 6,023 COVID-19 cases. But the state’s seven-day average for new confirmed positive tests fell to 7,735, down 43% from a week ago. For some perspective, the highest single-day total of positive tests was 33,459 on Jan. 7, when it seemed like everyone was positive, or just couldn’t find a test to confirm it. So, let’s celebrate these small victories on the march to normalcy (again.)
TRENTON – It remains unclear if any work is actually done at City Council meetings, as name-calling appears to be the leading agenda item. The latest dispatch, courtesy of the Trentonian, focuses on America’s favorite council president, Kathy McBride. This time, the discussion was about her allegations that a local blogger referred to her with the despised c-word. This revelation arrived on the heels of another Trentonian story, in which an at-large council candidate called McBride a “nasty bitch” and a “stupid asshole.” This was all played out and discussed during Tuesday’s council meeting, likely under the agenda item of “Discussion of Inane Topics Completely Irrelevant to City Residents.”
BRIEFING BREATHER
The rights to the Terminator movie sold for $1
CAMDEN – Another disappointing day for Woodrow Wilson, who still keeps making news. TAPInto Camden reports the former president is getting his name stripped from another public building because of his “racist values.” This time, it’s a 92-year-old high school, to now be called Eastside High School, beginning in the next school year. There was some talk of calling it Camden High School East or East Camden High School, with students voting on the final decision. It seems the renaming was a lost opportunity, however. In 1930, Camden residents decided to honor a U.S. president (and former New Jersey governor) through naming the school. It would have made better sense to rename the school after an inspiring person whose legacy is now very important to the city. Rather they just selected a meaningless mark of territory, Eastside. Not exactly exciting, other than for Google Maps.
STATEWIDE – Yet even more proof that elections matter. This time, last year, Steve Sweeney was riding high as one of the most powerful Democrats in a generation of Jersey politicians. Now, he is a typical shlub like us, after his crushing loss to Sen. Ed Durr. And, in the latest indignity, it’s been decided to boot Sweeney off the commission tasked with redrawing the state’s legislative districts. Sweeney tells NJ.com that it is illegal to kick him off this prominent board; he is now exploring his legal options. Meanwhile, the former senate president is being replaced by the chair of the Pinelands Commission, the first Latina on the restricting panel, as the Democrats look to bring more diversity and perspective to the process. Knock Sweeney down now. But remember, when the phoenix rises again, memories will remain strong in the ongoing South Jersey v. North Jersey battle.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
LONDON – AAUGH! A cake! British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is running away from a story involving him and a cake. Apparently, there was a birthday party for the prime minster on June 19, 2020, during the height of COVID lockdowns, at Downing Street. Defenders are saying Johnson was “ambushed with a cake,” claiming there was no “premeditated organized party.” All these denials are going viral, the butt of late night talk shows. Now, it is being learned it was a surprise party that Johnson’s wife coordinated for about 30 people. We are also learning they sang “Happy Birthday” and the cake was a Union Jack-themed sponge cake iced in red and blue. Now #ambushedwithacake is trending like crazy, prompting one food writer to tweet “it just has to be the title of my next book!” as many others likely have been ambushed by cakes, as well as tarts, pies, donuts and muffins.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Happy Birthday to the iPad, unveiled this day in 2010 during one of Steve Jobs’ glitzy press conferences.
WORD OF THE DAY
Ziggurat – [ZIG-uh-rat] – noun
Definition: An ancient Mesopotamian temple that resembles a pyramid having successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top. The word is used figuratively for any structure having stages or steps.
Example: There’s a terrific gift shop in the ancient ziggurat.
WIT OF THE DAY
“Can’t wait for when I get to exercise my patriotic duty as an American: Complaining about how long it’s taking to vote.”
-Stephen Colbert
BIDEN BLURB
“When the Bible teaches us to feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty, the new Georgia law actually makes it illegal — think of this — I mean, it’s 2020, and now ’22, going into that election — it makes it illegal to bring your neighbors, your fellow voters food or water while they wait in line to vote. What in the hell — heck are we talking about?”
- Joe Biden
WEATHER IN A WORD
Pretty