Sunday, January 29, 2012
New Jerseyans and lawmakers debate the governor's handling of the political hot potato
The Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act advanced this week in Trenton, when the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-4 in favor of it. Though it was an encouraging sign for supporters of the bill, Gov. Christie has vowed to veto any marriage equality bill that reaches his desk. Instead this week he suggested putting the issue on the ballot and settling the matter by public referendum. Not surprisingly, there has been some outcry to Christie’s proposed handling of the controversial issue, which many people liken to tossing the political hot potato into the hands of the people. “I find it extremely offensive that Christie suggests the matter should be open to public referendum,” stated Bloomfield attorney CJ Griffin, …
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Special exhibit celebrates 50 years of the studio glass movement.
Glass making has been part of human history for a long time, perhaps as early as 3,500 B.C. But what is known as the studio glass movement—glass made in an artist’s studio as an autonomous work of art—happened much more recently, sometime around the middle of the last century. The Newark Museum has been collecting studio glass since the outset. It is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the movement with, “Studio Glass: 1962-2012,” an outstanding exhibit on display now in its Contemporary Craft Gallery. The spotlight is on selections from the museum’s permanent collection that are recent gifts or purchases; many have not been shown before. Ulysses Grant Dietz, senior curator and curator of decorative arts, talked about the exhibit, “This …
Friday, January 27, 2012
Audience finds a lot to laugh about with madcap '60s theatrical romp.
In keeping with the current cultural fascination with sex in the ‘60s, The Paper Mill Playhouse brings theatergoers Boeing Boeing, which captures both the innocence of an era when all the sex was insinuated and the wild slapstick and spit takes of a madcap romance. The beginning of first act, while the plot is set up, is a little slow, but toward the end of the first act and during the second, the audience laughed uproariously as the obvious unfolded. Bernard (played by Matt Walton), is engaged to three women from different countries all of whom work as air-hostesses (known today as flight attendants) for different airlines. They all have different schedules, and, as far as Bernard’s concerned, it works out perfectly. Until it doesn’t. …
Advice for a parent of a child with newly diagnosed food allergies, from a mom who's been there.
A friend referred a mom of a child newly diagnosed with food allergies to me. The mom was understandably scared and confused with the news of her child's diagnosis, and my friend thought I might be able to answer some questions about how to cope. My heart went out to this woman, as I so clearly remember being in her shoes almost six years ago. Sitting numb in the allergist's exam room with my 12-month-old son, as the nurse propped open a portable DVD player and played an instructional video on the proper use of an epi-pen, I longed to go back just one hour when, as far as I knew, my son had no food allergies. I wanted to hug this woman. I told her that the overwhelming fear that everything in your pantry and fridge holds the potential …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
New Year's resolution of Juice Reboot yields gratifying results
One year, I abandoned a New Year's resolution in 13 minutes. True story. So my track record with resolutions, glass being half-full, was suspect entering 2012. But this time, this year, needed to be different. And it was. As a writer, I ask and expect full disclosure from my interview subjects. In that vein, here is why I started a 10-day Juice Reboot based off the movie “Fat Sick & Nearly Dead” on Jan. 3: I loathed everything about how I looked, how I felt, who I became. At 228 pounds, I neared my all-time high in weight (topped only by a 2007 beer/fried food/pizza binge after my dad died of diabetic complications that ballooned me to 233 pounds) and needed to rescue myself from myself. With a mix of surprising support and expected …
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Major exhibit at Montclair Art Museum explores spectrum of American abstract art from 19th to 21st centuries.
Since its December opening, the Montclair Art Museum’s exhibit, “Patterns, Systems, Structures: Abstraction in American Art” has been attracting a steady stream of viewers. The exhibit – which came from the museum’s vast collection of permanent holdings – is a big show of surprises. The result is a show that bedazzles, intrigues and educates. The show also appeals to a variety of art fans – from a preschooler who saw Edna Andrade’s big op art work and exclaimed, “I love this one” to a more mature group making observations about Robert Motherwell’s 1965 piece “Sea of Biarritz.” Montclair-based artist Elizabeth Seaton, who teaches at the museum’s Yard School of Art, enjoyed “Deliverence Disco” a 1987 work by George J. McNeil, while visiting …
Evaluating the new winter shows
I'm probably not the wisest choice in the world to critique the new winter television schedule. Especially since the last show I really liked was "My Mother The Car." Still, new programs are popping up all over, including a sitcom created by comedienne Chelsea Handler. Which, if you know your Old Testament, is the final sign that heralds the end of the world. In any case, here's my take on what is currently on the tube. Or (cue scary music) what's to come! I have watched bits of Reality Television over the years. As far as their comic possibilities go? I'm certain I'd laugh louder if the doctor just told me I had Lou Gehrig's Disease. But the other night I checked out "Celebrity Wife Swap" in the hope of enjoying the premise, or at …
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Looking for the root cause of a shift in attitude.
I'm frustrated. It goes hand-in-hand with parenting, some would say, but right now I'm particularly frustrated.
Over dinner my oldest casually mentioned she'd been called into guidance again because a teacher was worried she wasn't acting herself. My husband and I exchanged a worried look and then launched a barrage of questions. What? What do you mean not acting yourself? What's going on? And what's this again business? Of course rapid-fire questioning is not a way to get a tween to talk, but in our panicky and concerned state it was all we could think to do. The child looked, in turn, miserable and then angry as she blurted out, "I hate school okay! I just hate it!" I know it's not unusual for children to claim they hate school but my…
Saturday, December 31, 2011
See which teams and players topped the list
It wouldn't be a normal year in Millburn if tennis and distance runners didn't top this list. However, this past year saw baseball and lacrosse return to relevance, while there was also a big improvement made by the girl's golf team and some noise made by the Miller wrestlers. Here are the top sports 10 moments of the year in Millburn: 1. 10/26 - Millburn girls tennis is number one: The Millburn girls tennis team wins Tournament of Champions with a 4-1 victory over Red Bank Catholic capping a perfect 28-0 season, one of the best in the school's history. Maddie Stearns, Alex Stone, Jane Bary, Jenna Berkenkamp and Stephanie Chen Schmidt, along with Lauren Cohen and Pat Chau will go down as one of Millburn's legendary teams years from now. 2…
Memorable photos of Millburn-Short Hills.
It was a year marked by destruction downtown when flooding ravaged Millburn. The hurricane, along with an earthquake and snow storms made this year like no other. But along with those scenes, our best photos of 2011 also captured the essence of Millburn and Short Hills -- a high school football game, senior prom, an auto show, and behind the scenes at the Paper Mill Playhouse.
Occidentalist
1:59 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012
What about those who don't have a religion? What about those who can't afford the "donation" fee many churches charge for marriage services? The government is there, for instance a town mayor, to perform marriage services to those who don't belong to religions or who are discriminated against by religion. The reason the government needs to perform this function is because marriage is a legally … more ›