Blogfinger

New water pipes are installed on Delaware Avenue near Mt. Hermon. 1/28/22 Paul Goldfinger photo.

Paul Goldfinger, MD    Editor Blogfinger.net

a.   Because of redistricting, Ocean Grove has been moved with Neptune Twp  from the 4th Congressional District (represented by Christopher Smith (R-NJ) to the 6th, bringing it back under the representation of Frank Pallone (D-NJ). This will take place in Jan, 2023.

Pallone has represented the 6th District since 1988, and when we first moved here, Pallone was our representative in Congress.

Rep. Pallone enjoys coming to the Great Auditorium where he always takes the same seat. He seems to like classical music.

b.  The Neptune Mayor for this year is Nicholas Williams who once famously said that he would never communicate on Blogfinger, and that campaign promise he did keep.  All 5 members of the Neptune Committee are Democrats. I call them the “Neptune Comedy,”  aka governance with no representation for OG.

c. Have you been staying up late thinking about parking?

Remember that expensive CMA parking study?  It seems to have vanished in a cloud of smoke from their summer bonfire on the beach.

And the Township named its two most inexperienced members to help the Grove with this issue.

Joyce Klein, the Chairperson of the HOA’s Parking Committee told the HOA meeting that she will meet with the two Township parking liaisons:  Keith Cafferty and Tassie York.  Who are they?  Who knows?  Who cares?

And what happened to the Better Parking Alliance?  Have they gone underground? Maybe they aren’t better after all.

d. And from the AMA:

Healthcare workers warn of blood shortage:

The Hill (1/27, Rai) reports that on Thursday, health care workers “warned…that a blood shortage could jeopardize their ability to adequately care for patients.” In a “statement issued by the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association, workers said that the current ‘severity and duration’ of the blood supply shortage could ‘significantly jeopardize’ the ability of health care providers to meet the many urgent needs around the country.”

Bloomberg Law (1/27, Muller, Subscription Publication) reports the groups added, “The need for blood has increased while staffing shortages and high rates of COVID-19 in communities have diminished donations.”

And here is an interesting item from Gerald Harmon, MD, President of the AMA:

“With the nation’s blood supply at its lowest point in a decade, and the American Red Cross declaring its first-ever national blood crisis earlier this month, it is time for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do something the AMA and others have urged for years: remove its discriminatory ban that prevents many gay and bisexual men from becoming blood donors.

“The existing ban requires gay or bisexual men to abstain from sex for a minimum of three months before they can donate blood. This policy was established in April 2020, when the FDA shortened the deferral time from one year to 90 days in response to a drastic decline in blood donations as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and thousands of blood drives were canceled.  

“The current three-month deferral period singles out and bans blood donors based on their inherent attributes rather than the risk factors they present. For example, a man who has protected sex with another man in the three months prior to a blood donation cannot be a donor, but a man or woman who has unprotected sex with multiple partners of the opposite sex over the same time period remains eligible.”