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| The integration of Englewood's Dwight Morrow High School continues. |
Two stories in The Record today give readers a glimpse into Bergen County's racial past and raise unanswered questions about the paper's role in bringing about change.
On Page 1, the obituary of James Payne -- a black Englewood man who built a house in overwhelmingly white Teaneck in 1951 -- balances the story of racial integration with terrific crime reporting on his death, the arrest of a suspect and a possible motive.
On the Local front, the big photo of white politicians mourning former Englewood City Manager Jack Drakeford, who was African-American, speaks volumes about that city's sordid racial history (L-1).
It's a white world
Both stories raise questions about Englewood's inability to fully integrate its schools, its neighborhoods or its government, and the role the wealthy Borg publishing family played in maintaining the status quo.
Chairman Malcolm A. "Mac" Borg has lived on Englewood's East Hill for decades.
Still, public schools weren't good enough for his precious offspring, Publisher Stephen A. Borg and Vice President/ General Counsel Jennifer A. Borg.
Still, public schools weren't good enough for his precious offspring, Publisher Stephen A. Borg and Vice President/ General Counsel Jennifer A. Borg.
The first paragraph of the Drakeford funeral story hails him as "a civil rights hero," but he never was allowed to hold the policy making office of mayor nor did he have much impact on the schools, which today are almost completely filled with blacks and Hispanics.
Lesbian athletes?
Are some of the female Olympic athletes lesbians?
Have the media, including The Record, ever discussed the issue or do they just run photos like the one on the front page of soccer player Carli Lloyd having her breasts squeezed by a teammate?
A-1 also carries the fifth story in seven days about the growing legal and financial problems of Assemblyman Robert Schroeder, R-Washington Township.
And the geniuses who run the Editorial Page finally get around to asking Schroeder to explain publicly how he plans to do his job in the Assembly while defending himself against criminal charges and at least 15 lawsuits (A-20).
F.U. to commuters
As commuting in North Jersey becomes more nightmarish by the day, Road Warrior John Cichowski continues to search for the most obscure and irrelevant topics for his column (L-1).
Today's entire column discusses sun glare on Route 3. Let's see, there are 10 other highways with sun glare, so that means at least 10 more columns on the subject.
The news copy editor who wrote the caption on an L-2 photo leaves the impression the child injured while riding a bicycle was hit by a Ridgewood police car.
Head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and her deputy, Dan Sforza, couldn't find room for any Hackensack news today.
More clunky captions
In Better Living, the copy editor who wrote the captions for the food photos with today's restaurant review has "come" and "butt" on his or her mind.
Instead of saying meats "are" expertly seasoned, the caption tells readers the meats "come" expertly seasoned.
On the salad photo next to that, the caption says the shepherd salad "comes" with greens and tomatoes.
The big photo of the restaurant clearly shows outdoor seating is literally on the Hudson River, but the caption describes a "patio abutting the river."
Elisa Ung's favorable review is of another boring Turkish restaurant, this one with high prices (BL 18-19). I saw the word "Turkish" and turned the page.
Low-quality review
Freelancer Jeff Page will put anything into his mouth for an Eating Out on $50 review (BL-20).
There's no discussion of the beef that goes into burger he ate, just his description of how it was "juicy" and full of "rich beefy flavor," presumably from animal antibiotics, growth hormones and other nasty additives.
Bon appetit.
Bon appetit.
Jeffrey Page's piece on East Coast Burger is nothing short of idiotic. It would be fairly impossible for 2 people to eat for anywhere near $50 at this place. My wife and sister-in-law as well as another friend of mine have tried the place and all agreed that it is nothing special. The fact that a rich brat son of a local real estate mogul is the one in charge of this dump makes it even less appealing.
ReplyDeleteThe whole Eating Out on $50 column is a joke.
ReplyDeleteI did it for a year or so when I was at The Record, but I was asked to review restaurants where FOUR people could dine out for $50, including tax and tip, not just TWO people. Readers don't need a column to tell them where two people can eat out for $50 -- there are hundreds of places in North Jersey where that is possible.
Today, there still are places where four people can have dinner for $50, such as Korean soft-tofu restaurants or Japanese ramen restaurants. If you want a great burger from naturally raised meat, there is no better place than Tast in Fort Lee, formerly called Tasteatery.
Jeff Page spent many years on The Record's staff. He was the original Road Warrior, and he can write the shit out of a news story or an opinion piece.
Unfortunately, Page is a dysfunctional eater, and he was obese in all the years I knew him. He simply shouldn't be reviewing restaurants, and certainly not recommending burgers filled with animal antibiotics and growth hormones.