Every now and then certain cliches become not only useful but indispensable. That’s what makes them cliches, after all. In the period since November 8, and to a lesser extent during the presidential campaign itself, “skating on thin ice” has said it best for me. The idea also describes how it is to look for Shakespeare in his play Pericles, the first two acts of which are thought to be the work of a hack named George Wilkins. Then there’s Jacques Rivette (1928-2016) and his first full-length film Paris Belongs to Us (Paris nous appartient), which puts thin ice under your feet even before it begins with an epigraph from Charles Péguy that says “Paris belongs to no one.”

As it happens, the “thin ice” sensation in both works gives them a disturbing relevance to any real-life crisis or turn of events, regardless of time, place, or context.

The greatness of Shakespeare is that he’s always with us, forever pertinent, there to be shaped or tempered or all too often twisted to flow with the currents of the time, even when the work in question is as damaged as Pericles. How “topical” is Pericles? An article by Cynthia Zarin from the New Yorker’s online Culture Desk mentions “the Middle East, refugees, perilous sea crossings, and sex trafficking.” That was in March 2016 when Trevor Nunn’s production of Pericles was playing in Brooklyn and the Republican presidental nomination had yet to be decided. In January 2017 you could add to the list the scene where Pericles solves a riddle that reveals a tyrannical king’s secret sexual malfeasance.  more

Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association will host a screening of the 2015 documentary Racing Extinction on Sunday, August 7 at 1 p.m. as part of their First Sunday Film Environmental Series. Films are shown free of charge at the Watershed Center for Environmental Advocacy, Science, and Education, located at 31 Titus Mill Road in Pennington. more

Charles Mingus and his music gave the impression of howling assurance and terrifying emotions. His bass echoed like a giant’s threat, to be soothed by his balmy melodies…He was dogmatic, pensive, demagogoic, irreverent, furious, nostalgic…He is the best example we have of disciplined turmoil.

—Gary Giddins, from Visions of Jazz

On midwest radio nights around the middle of the previous century teenagers up past their bedtime could pull in clear-channel stations like CKLW in Toronto, WLS in Chicago, and WLW in Cincinnati which, legend had it, beamed a signal so powerful it could be picked up on backyard fences and, some said, on the fillings in your teeth.  more

Terhune Orchards will host its annual Wassailing Party on Sunday January 24, 2016 from 1-4 p.m. Participants will gather among the 100 year-old trees In Terhune’s orchard to sing, chant, and make lots of noise under the bare tree branches to frighten away winter’s evil spirits so the apple trees will flourish in the spring.

This follows a long tradition from England in which many villages relied on the apple harvest. Knowing that the spring buds are on the trees in the winter, it was thought that creating a racket in winter would scare away bad spirits and ensure an excellent harvest in autumn. Molly dancers, dressed in traditional garb of black costumes, and Morris dancers, in white tunics adorned with bells and colorful ribbons, play an important role in the festivities each year. more

It took two days and two trips from Hopewell Township to Lancaster County, Pa. to load all of the pumpkins that will be transformed during the Hopewell Valley Arts Council’s “aMAZing Pumpkin Carve” at Howell Living History Farm next weekend. This is a project that requires pumpkins of a generous diameter, and Lancaster County was the place to find them. more

To the Editor:

Not in Our Town Princeton (NIOT) — an interfaith, interracial social justice organization — is supporting the YWCA’s annual Stand Against Racism with a poster that emphasizes the need for anti-racism efforts. The poster states “We are standing against racism today and every day.” Owners, managers, and employees from 99 establishments display this slogan in the ad on pages 4 and 5, publicly demonstrating their philosophy of treating all customers fairly and with respect.

Commercial Princeton has made great strides from the days when African Americans were not served in Nassau Street restaurants or allowed to make purchases in the shops. In the 1940s, as described in Notes from a Native Son, James Baldwin tells how a Princeton restaurant refused him service. Shirley Satterfield, Not in Our Town board member and acknowledged historian of the Princeton African American community, has described the resulting vibrant commercial life that developed in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, to serve African Americans where they lived. More recently, in the 1990s, an African American woman, who grew up in Princeton and, after her retirement from the Department of State, wanted to buy a house in the community, was told that houses listed for sale were no longer available. That should have been prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, the Fair Housing Act. Realtors say that no longer happens here.

NIOT volunteers were not able to reach every business, and some of them are prevented by their national headquarters from displaying the Stand Against Racism poster. But we strongly encourage the public to support those pictured in the ad, which was paid for by an anonymous donor. These firms help make Princeton a town where a friendly helping hand is offered to all.

Linda Oppenheim, Larry Spruill

Co-chairs, Not in Our Town

To the Editor:

Jo Butler should be re-elected to Town Council because she has served Princeton well. She has worked tirelessly for the success of consolidation and has sought to ensure that it delivers on its core promise of maintaining services while reducing costs. Her training and experience in business administration combined with her in-depth knowledge of consolidation as a work in progress will continue to provide needed leadership.

Jo understands the connection between the stability of Princeton’s tax rates and our sustainability as a diverse community. During her two years on the former Borough Council, she was a co-founder of the first Citizen Finance Advisory Task Force and served as its first chair. Both years, the Council delivered budgets with no new tax increases. With Jo’s help, the new Town Council has improved on that record, shrinking the budget and delivering a reduced municipal tax rate in the first year.

Jo believes in the ideals of good government — not the least of which are openness and accountability — and she has proved that she can stand up for these ideals even when it is easier to remain silent.

As a member of Council, Jo has worked hard between meetings, done her homework, and engaged fully in the process of governance, as she believes her constituents expect. She has stood up for expanding the items listed for separate public discussion at Council meetings; for Council access to monthly police reports; for greater clarity and public access to meeting minutes; for close scrutiny of proposed professional contracts and related spending; for creation of a formal conflicts-of-interest policy for Council; and for more frequent meetings of Council, to improve opportunities for public comment. Process issues generally fly below the public’s radar, but it is good government which favors openness and accountability of the kind Jo advocates.

Town Council has done a commendable job in its first two years. Jo Butler has made an invaluable contribution to its accomplishments. Please join me in supporting her re-election.

Walter Bliss

Moore Street

To the Editor:

I am proud to be the honorary chairperson of the 2012 Princeton Half Marathon which will benefit HiTOPS. I know that the race will be a tremendous success, and everyone involved in organizing it is excited that on our first try we were able to reach our registration goal of 1,000 runners so quickly. There’s a lot of work to do between now and November 4, the day of the race, particularly for those, like me, who registered to run the 13.1 mile course and now have to train!

I’d like to thank Town Topics for their coverage of the lead up to the race, but I’d like to correct the record in one important respect. This year’s Princeton Half Marathon is not the “first ever” for our municipality. I can remember as a young boy coming down with my family from our home in Morris County to run the Princeton Half Marathon in the late 1970s. I’ve attached, by way of proof, a picture of my father, Warren Koontz, looking strong as he approaches the Nassau Street finish of the 1979 Princeton Half Marathon. Look closely and you can see that he is wearing the shirt for the 1978 Princeton Half Marathon!

As a runner in that long ago race, I was immensely pleased that HiTOPS set a goal to bring the Half Marathon BACK to Princeton! Best of luck to all of the runners, and we’ll see you at the finish line!

Andrew Koontz

Spruce Street

Editor’s Note: the writer is a Mercer County Freeholder and a member of the HiTOPS Board of Directors.