Slim pickings for lilliputian readers

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There is absolutely nothing like the original.

Is there anything in The Record today for us mere mortals -- the vast majority of readers who care nothing about the heroic Giants and their chances of winning another Super Toilet Bowl?


For us Lilliputians, pungent locker-room odors and male bonding demote inspiring coverage of Martin Luther King Jr. to the bottom of Page 1 -- thanks to interim Editor Douglas Clancy.


Why does every project at Hackensack University Medical Center -- even a new "wellness" center that's more than a year away from actually opening -- land on the front-page?


Does it have anything to do with all the years Vice President Jennifer A. Borg sat on the its board while North Jersey Media Group collected tens of thousands of dollars in ad revenue from the medical center, still one of the paper's biggest advertisers?


News holiday


Another A-1 story -- reporting a drop in traffic after tolls went up 53% on the New Jersey Turnpike and 50% on the Garden State Parkway on Jan. 1 -- doesn't account for the roads being less busy due in part to observance of New Year's Day on Jan. 2.



Governor Christie's pivotal role in forcing higher tolls is buried on the continuation page, A-8.


On the Local front, head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes devotes most of the front to a drunken celebration of the Giants' victory by patrons of North Jersey taverns (L-1).


Second look


Travel Editor Jill Schensul makes a rare appearance in the daily paper today with a sidebar on cruise ship safety (A-6) -- three days after the Costa Concordia ran aground and tipped over off the coast of Italy, killing at least five.


On Sunday, Schensul wrung her hands endlessly in the Travel section cover story over "the homogenization of unique travel experiences."


The jaded editor never explains why the magnificent, original Eiffel Tower in Paris no longer has any value, compared to all of the mere imitations around the world.


In a section on food, she seems to disapprove of the spread of good food served at restaurants carrying the names of celebrity chefs -- while many travelers rejoice at how those places have become alternatives to the crappy fare at McDonald's. 


And she doesn't mention that the spread of fast food hasn't affected all the choices adventurous eaters have wherever they are, especially in Italy and other countries where seasonal food is taken seriously.