MARCH 29, 1998

Full News Archive

• Headline: Titanic Film Boosts Cruise Bookings. Impact: The success of the Titanic film led to cruise ships being packed with tourists who unknowingly invited their own iceberg encounters—just without the dramatic soundtrack. Modern-day cruise lines now have to add 'iceberg avoidance' to their safety videos. Fact: Fun fact: The Titanic was originally supposed to be called 'The Unsinkable.' Guess they weren't great at naming things.
• Headline: New Jersey's Pharmaceutical Industry Spotlight. Impact: The rise of New Jersey's pharmaceutical industry paved the way for the modern drug wars—except now, they’re just fought in boardrooms instead of on the streets. Who knew that 60,000 employees could lead to the creation of so many questionable medications?. Fact: New Jersey is home to more pharmaceutical companies than actual residents who can pronounce 'pharmaceutical' correctly.
• Headline: Ancient Troy Meets Modern Troubles In a Poet's Drama. Impact: Seamus Heaney's adaptation of Sophocles may have inadvertently set off a wave of modern adaptations of ancient tragedies, leading to a new trend of 'Shakespeare in Outer Space' or 'Hamlet in a High School.' Truly, the future of theater is bleak. Fact: The original tale of Troy involved a giant wooden horse. Who knew that a gift from a stranger would become the ultimate lesson in why you don't accept deliveries after dark?.
• Headline: VIEWPOINT; A Corporate Future Built With New Blocks. Impact: The idea of companies forgetting their rivals led to the infamous corporate trend of 'collaborative competition,' where businesses now hold hands and sing Kumbaya while slowly running each other out of business. It's heartwarming and terrifying. Fact: In the corporate world, forgetting your rivals is like forgetting your password—you might be fine until you really need it.
• Headline: Appetite for Talent, Fed With Flexibility. Impact: The struggle to find talent with technical skills has led companies to offer increasingly bizarre benefits, like nap pods and unlimited avocado toast, forever changing the landscape of what it means to 'work hard, play hard.'. Fact: In Connecticut, offering flexible workspaces is as common as offering free coffee. It’s basically the corporate equivalent of a participation trophy.
• Headline: The View From/Stevenson Dam; How to Fix or Replace an Aging Bridge Over the Housatonic?. Impact: The debate over the Stevenson Dam Bridge led to a series of delays that caused a ripple effect in transportation planning, resulting in many a detour and the birth of the phrase 'we'll get there when we get there.'. Fact: Bridges are often referred to as the 'lifeline' of communities. However, when they fall apart, they become the 'great excuse' for being late.
• Headline: The World; Democracy in China: Fear, Loathing, Halting Steps. Impact: The limited elections in China served to create a perplexing cultural phenomenon where people became experts in political science—without any actual power, of course—leading to a rise in armchair activists worldwide. Fact: Elections in China are like a game of Monopoly where only the banker gets to play. Fun for him, but not so much for the rest.
• Headline: Down by the Bay. Impact: The introduction of the Baymen's Heritage license plate sparked a trend in special plates, leading to the absurdity of personalized plates like 'I Heart My Dog' or 'Bumper Sticker Enthusiast'—because nothing says 'I love my state' like a custom plate. Fact: License plates in New Jersey are like the state’s version of Facebook: everyone wants to show off their unique identity, even if it's just a series of numbers and letters.