By Donald Gilpin
Sustainable Princeton Executive Director Molly Jones, in a speech at the Universalist Unitarian Church Monday night, described the challenges of climate change, outlined Princeton’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), and explained how citizens can most effectively get involved.
In the presentation hosted by Indivisible Princeton, Jones emphasized, “Climate change is not a silver bullet problem. It’s a silver buckshot problem. There are many small things we can do.” more
By Anne Levin
Since the December 27 fire at the Griggs Farm complex that took the life of one resident and displaced 35 others, the local community has responded with food, clothing, and funds. But the needs of the residents, who will be out of their homes for a period estimated at 10 months to a year, continue.
Ed Truscelli, executive director of Princeton Community Housing Development Corporation, which owns and manages the affordable housing section of Griggs Farm, reported to Princeton Council at its Monday, January 22 meeting that while the community’s response has been “overwhelming,” lodging is still needed for those who are still in an extended stay hotel on U.S. 1. more
By Anne Levin
At the front end of what is now the parking lot of Morven Museum & Garden, a small glass building once stood. Commodore Robert F. Stockton’s 19th-century greenhouse was filled with lemon trees, japonicas, cacti, azaleas, and other varieties, according to account books and inventories from the time. more
By William Uhl
Two Princeton University freshmen are venturing into the uncharted frontier of cryptocurrency finance. As they weather finals week, Hunter Sporn and Kevin Zheng are also part of a small team hard at work on their startup, Everest Capital. Using algorithms to monitor multiple factors, including price data, consumer sentiment, and social media analytics, they hope to offer cryptocurrency investment forecasts, mitigating risk in a market with immense volatility.
Cryptocurrencies — digital, decentralized currencies not under the control of any government or organization — have gone from theory to global phenomena in the past eight years. Bitcoin, the first and most prevalent cryptocurrency, has skyrocketed in value, worth pennies per bitcoin in 2010 and now over $10,000 per bitcoin at the time of writing. more
By Donald Gilpin
Imagine a school where children don’t want to go home at the day’s end.
Eliza Hammer and Mary Robinson teach in the classrooms of Princeton Montessori School during the day, then carry their enthusiasms and the Montessori philosophy into the after-school program they run from 2:30 to 6 p.m.
“We bring our passions into the classroom,” said Robinson. more
By Stuart Mitchner
According to Susan Cheever’s biography of E.E. Cummings (1894-1962), his working title for The Enormous Room (Liveright 1922) was The Great War Seen from the Windows of Nowhere. Planning to write about World War I on the 100th anniversary of the Armistice year, I’ve been reading both book and biography along with Princeton University faculty member Susan Stewart’s Cinder: New and Collected Poems (Graywolf, paper, $18). Although a collection of contemporary poetry may seem an unlikely match, I found a window to the Great War in Stewart’s “Kingfisher Carol,” which comes with a prefatory note explaining that “the seven days following the shortest day of the year” is when “the halcyon, or kingfisher, builds her nest on the water and that in spite of the violent weather prevalent at this time, the gods grant a respite from all storms while she hatches and rears her young.” more
By Jean Stratton
After two successful years at 830 State Road, Princeton Rug Gallery remains THE place for high quality Oriental rugs. Owners Jalil Fatollahi and Maryam Mohammadi are delighted that customers have discovered the superior workmanship and beauty of these special carpets.
“We are proud to be doing well when other businesses are closing in such numbers,” says Maryam Mohammadi. “Customers know they can count on our service, quality product, and our knowledge. While we are relatively new to Princeton, we are not new to rugs! We have 40 years experience in the rug business.” more
The Gallery at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) will showcase the talents of high school art teachers and their students in “Passing the Palette: Arts Educators and Students.” This multi-generational exhibit will be on display through Thursday, March 8. The community is invited to an opening reception on Wednesday, January 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. more
On Tuesday, January 30 at 4 p.m., the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO’s) “BRAVO! Listen Up!” exhibition featuring student artwork and writing created in response to Erwin Schulhoff’s Concerto for String Quartet and Winds opens at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP). Participating middle school students will be on hand to discuss their works and their interaction with PSO’s guest ensemble, the Lark Quartet, who performed the concerto with the orchestra on October 29. more
By Donald H. Sanborn III
Stones in His Pockets is playing at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre. Written by Belfast-based playwright and performer Marie Jones, whose acting credits include the films In the Name of the Father and Closing the Ring, this 1996 tragicomedy examines a subject that obviously is topical now: abuse of power in the entertainment industry. From its actors the play requires great versatility, which here is delivered in full by Garrett Lombard and Aaron Monaghan. more
By Nancy Plum
At first glance, the title of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s concert this past Friday night would seem to have little connection to the pieces performed. As it turned out, the works by Bohuslav Martinu°, Maurice Ravel, and Sergei Rachmaninoff were all linked to “America, Inspiring,” with each piece rooted in the composer’s association with the United States. Led by guest conductor Andrew Constantine, the orchestra’s performance at Richardson Auditorium showed a little-known side of how America in the first half of the 20th century affected European composers from all regions. more
By Kam Williams
A few days after the 9/11 attack, President George W. Bush visited Ground Zero where he delivered an iconic speech while standing on a pile of rubble. He assured the rescue workers and the rest of America that those responsible for the senseless slaughter would soon be held accountable.
Less than a month later, the first contingent of soldiers was sent to Afghanistan. Their top secret operation, code named Task Force Dagger, called for them to be dropped behind enemy lines and rendezvous with a local militia led by General Rashid Dostum (Navid Negahban).
The American Special Forces unit, composed of a dozen elite soldiers, was led by Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth). He was not only confident that the mission would be successful, but made the bold guarantee that no one under his command would perish in battle. more
By Bill Alden
Hans Brase was a constant presence for the Princeton University men’s basketball team last winter as it rolled to the Ivy League title and made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2011.
But due to a right knee injury suffered in the fifth game of the season, senior center Brase’s role became limited to providing support from the sidelines. more
By Bill Alden
Chloe Ayres started running competitively in the third grade, but harbored a desire to take up a new athletic pursuit by the time she got to middle school.
With her father, Chris Ayres, having served as the head coach of the Princeton University wrestling team since 2006, Ayres had spent a lot of time around the sport and decided to get on the mat. more
By Bill Alden
Trailing Morristown-Beard 7-1 entering the third period last Friday, the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team could have gone through the motions over the last 15 minutes of the contest.
Instead, PDS produced a spirited display, skating hard and getting a goal from Ellie Schofield on the way to a 9-2 loss.
Panther head coach Lorna Cook was proud of the way her team fought to the final buzzer as it moved to 5-8-1. more
By Bill Alden
Bey-Shana Clark displayed the growth in her game as the Stuart Country Day School basketball team hosted Kent Place last Saturday.
The junior forward employed some deft inside moves, hit mid-range jumpers, and drained six free throws on the way to a team-high 14 points as Stuart pulled away to a 52-33 win over the Dragons. more
By Donald Gilpin
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert is taking a close look at a plan to counteract the loss of state and local tax deductions due to the tax bill passed by Congress last month.
Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-5) and new Governor Phil Murphy have offered a tax cut plan for New Jersey that has the potential to restore the value of state and local tax (SALT) deductions by providing a tax credit for taxpayers who make charitable contributions to their state or local governments. Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-9) and the mayors of Fair Lawn, Paramus, and Park Ridge have also expressed support for the plan and the desire to implement it, with state support, in their communities. more
By Donald Gilpin
Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber and Microsoft President Bradford L. Smith have teamed up to send letters to top leaders and other members of Congress urging them to act quickly to provide long-term protection, including a path to citizenship, for DREAMers.
“The time has come for immediate and urgent action by Congress,” wrote Eisgruber and Smith, as the future of DREAMers hangs in the balance against a backdrop of ongoing negotiations on Capitol Hill and President Trump’s Sunday tweet that “DACA is probably dead because the Democrats don’t really want it.” more
By Donald Gilpin
The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) celebrated the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday with a day of live music, interactive workshops, and discussions culminating in an evening multifaith service at First Baptist Church at Paul Robeson Place and John Street.
Speakers at a community breakfast at ACP included Princess Hoagland of Not in Our Town: Princeton, an interfaith, interracial group dedicated to racial justice; Monique Jones, parent education and community outreach coordinator for Princeton Public Schools; and James Fields, director of undergraduate ministry for the Christian Union at Princeton University. more
FARM TO SCHOOL: It is programs like this one, which brought Stacey Moore, center, from Terhune Orchards to Johnson Park Elementary School last October, that have won Princeton School Gardens Cooperative coveted “Top Tomato” status from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. This picture was taken last October, when Moore brought Empire and Cortland apples from the orchard for students to sample. The kids also got a chance to season the apples to their own taste.
By Anne Levin
When it comes to the subject of food literacy, Princeton — specifically, the Princeton School Gardens Cooperative — earns high marks. The 12-year-old nonprofit was recently awarded “Top Tomato” status by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture for its work familiarizing local school children with locally-grown produce. more
By Anne Levin
Since graduating from Princeton University in 2005, Julia Ioffe has earned a reputation as a highly respected journalist in her field. Specializing in Russian politics, she covers national security and foreign policy topics for The Atlantic, and lists Politico, The New Yorker, and The New Republic on her resume.
On January 23, Ioffe will return to campus for a discussion, open to the public, from 4:30-6 p.m. in McCosh 50. Trading thoughts with her on Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Russia will be fellow international journalist Deborah Amos, a visiting Ferris Professor of Journalism and lecturer in the Humanities Council at the University. more
By Nancy Plum
Students at Princeton University have an incredibly diverse range of choices for musical experiences on campus. One of the most challenging this year was the opera class Music 219, in which music majors and non-majors joined together to explore a single theme or production. As described by Humanities Council Visiting Lecture Thomas Guthrie, co-teacher of Music 219, this year’s class was “all about exploring what it’s like to be in an opera.” The 30 students who participated in the class performed the resulting operatic project this past weekend at Richardson Auditorium. Guthrie and University Director of Choral Activities Gabriel Crouch (also co-teacher of Music 219) led the students through a staged production in Italian (with English super-titles) of what is considered the first fully-developed opera — Claudio Monteverdi’s 1607 L’Orfeo. Friday night’s performance (the opera was repeated Saturday night) showed both the depth of the class and how even those who are not studying music extensively can rise to a challenge. more
By Stuart Mitchner
In his 1915-1936 prime, Charlie Chaplin, who died 40 years ago this past Christmas, wasn’t just the most celebrated film personality of his time, he was an international icon. With his derby, his mustache, his baggy pants, and his cane, the Tramp became a secular deity; the sainted spirit of laughter; comedy and humanity incarnate. He was also exposed to a tabloid-driven version of the Hollywood dynamic of sex and power that surfaced last fall with the Harvey Weinstein revelations. more
