Lifestyle
Opinion: Remembering our colleague and friend, Ina Jaffe
I think Ina Jaffe would want me to remember today that the first time I saw her, she was onstage and unclad. It was the 1970s, and she was in a science fiction production called “Warp! My Battlefield My Body” at the Organic Theater in Chicago. Ina was an early member of the company, along with her husband, Lenny Kleinfeld.
The next time I saw Jaffe, a few years later, she was smartly dressed and had a portfolio under her arm, like artists carry. It was full of clips from a scrappy local weekly, on theater, local politics — which, of course, can also be theater in Chicago — and heart-stopping crimes and colorful characters. The more I read through Jaffe’s clips, the more I thought: Of course they’d be in an artist’s portfolio. She had an artist’s eye for detail, and a performer’s ear for the ring and rhyme of human speech.
Jaffe became part of the group who began NPR’s Chicago Bureau, planting an outpost in Mid-America when the network wasn’t quite yet mainstream. We all saw each other through long election nights, trials, loves, losses, Cubs games, and a full hug of all the complexities of life in a great city.
Primary election night for Chicago mayor, February 1983. I rushed over to meet Jaffe at Harold Washington’s campaign headquarters. The crush was so great, she couldn’t get through the crowd to put up her mic. So Harold Washington supporters lifted her up and passed her along over their heads, to reach the stage just in time to record a moment of history.
“Now that’s an entrance,” she said.
We both came to Washington. Jaffe was the first editor of Weekend Edition. In many ways this program grew out of our Chicago Bureau, and the style of reporting we tried to practice there. “Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em cry, make ‘em come back for more,” Jaffe used to tell us. I hope you hear that in this show to this day.
Jaffe went on to our Culver City studios, where she created her own beat to cover the challenge and complexities of growing old in America. She made people who can be easily overlooked and lumped together as “seniors,” vivid, unique, and compelling. Jaffe used her skills and stagecraft to bring us stories that will play on in our hearts.
Jaffe died this week, at the age of 75. Thinking about her today will make us laugh, cry, and wish she could come back for more.
Lifestyle
Want to get in touch with your inner child? Start with some new drip
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Astrid Kayembe is a writer from South-Central Los Angeles covering style, food, art and L.A. culture. She was a 2022-23 reporting fellow at the Los Angeles Times. Her work has appeared in USA Today, ABC7, L.A. TACO, The Memphis Commercial Appeal and Refinery29.
Lifestyle
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Lifestyle
CatCon Arrives at Pasadena Convention Center Without J.D. Vance
California’s furry felines will be out in force all weekend at CatCon — but one person who probably won’t be making a cameo is J.D. Vance!
As you know, Donald Trump‘s Republican VP pick put his foot in his mouth in a recently resurfaced 2021 interview with then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson in which he referred to Kamala Harris and other U.S. leaders as “childless cat ladies,” mainly on the Democratic side.
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Of course, Vance’s statement didn’t sit well with Kamala — the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — and other liberals who have blasted the Ohio senator ever since the clip started circulating again.
Just that alone should be enough to dissuade J.D. from making a pit stop on the campaign trail at CatCon so he can avoid all the catty people attending the event.
It all kicks off Saturday morning at the Pasadena Convention Center and extends through Sunday afternoon.
CatCon president Susan Michals says she’s trying to build a community for cat enthusiasts and, for the most part, she has succeeded.
Over the past 9 years since CatCon has been a thing, cat lovers from all 50 states and 24 countries have shown up at the conventions — and last year’s get-together was sold out. Meow!
Back to J.D. … Michals told a local news outlet that her ultimate goal is to debunk the “cat lady myth” while promoting a positive and more modern image of those who adore the little kitties.
Don’t expect J.D. to be on board with any of that. He’s just not the cat lady type.
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