Van Vleck Goes Through a Phase

BY  |  Friday, Feb 17, 2012 1:39pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

The gardens at the historic Van Vleck House are getting a facelift. The second phase of a $2.2 million improvement project called “Pathways to the Future” began in January, when construction workers removed part of the fence running along North Mountain Ave. and began clearing some of the trees in the southeast part of the property.

Fran Wong, the “Pathways to the Future” Capital Campaign Manager for Van Vleck, tells us that the work is part of a master plan created by Rodney Robinson Associates, a Delaware-based landscape architectural firm that specializes in public gardens and conservatories.

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Baristaville’s Filmmakers Need Your Help

BY  |  Friday, Feb 17, 2012 12:10pm  |  COMMENTS (3)

Baristaville has long attracted artists, so it’s no surprise to discover that there are several filmmakers in our midst.

Trina Paulus may not be a filmmaker per se, but the Montclair resident’s award-winning 1972 book, “Hope for the Flowers,” may soon be turned into an animated film, with a little help from donors.

Though Paulus has fielded offers in the past to turn her well-known book into a movie, she has said she didn’t want to do it in “the usual top-down Hollywood approach.” Instead, she has paired up with Yves Dalbiez, the French illustrator for the animated film short, “RIBA.”

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Hungry for Some BBQ? Head to West Orange

BY  |  Friday, Feb 17, 2012 10:30am  |  COMMENTS (8)

Perhaps a barbeque joint is not the best place for a meal for someone who doesn’t eat red meat. But when Debbie Galant invited me and fellow Baristanet writer-editor Carolyn Maynard-Parisi to SuzyQue’s in West Orange, how could I resist?

SuzyQue’s is the brainchild of Susan Hoffberg (the “Suzy” in SuzyQue), an exile from Corporate America, who ditched the fast-paced world of finance and decided to devote herself to slow-smoked meats.

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Whitney Houston Laid to Rest This Weekend

BY  |  Friday, Feb 17, 2012 9:00am  |  COMMENTS (0)

Fans of Whitney Houston, who died on Feb. 11 at age 48, may not be able to attend the late pop singer’s funeral tomorrow, but they can watch it elsewhere. The funeral, which is being held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark at noon, is expected to be broadcast on television and on the Internet, news outlets such as CNN and the Washington Post are reporting.

Houston’s family had reportedly considered a public funeral at the Prudential Center in Newark but ultimately decided on keeping the event private. The funeral is an invitation-only event.

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Raisa Nosova’s Unique Art

BY  |  Friday, Feb 10, 2012 1:34pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

Watch the video of Raisa Nosova’s iPad animation below and tell me you are not mesmerized.

Nosova, a classically trained painter who grew up in Russia, has been showing her work in her first solo exhibition (recently extended to March 4) at Gallery 51. Most of her work is traditional painting, but recently she began experimenting with iPad Brushes software and came up with these unique computer-generated paintings.

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Glen Ridge Shade Tree Commission Seeking Donations

BY  |  Friday, Feb 10, 2012 12:00pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

The Glen Ridge Shade Tree Commission wants you to plant a tree. Or at least help purchase one.

The Commission launched the 600 Tree Campaign in early 2011 in an effort to help restore some of the borough’s lost trees. The response to the launching was positive and in November, the Commission was able to purchase and install 41 oaks, gingkos, zelkovias, maackias and disease-resistant elms throughout Glen Ridge.

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How About the “New Jersey Giants”?

BY  |  Friday, Feb 03, 2012 1:30pm  |  COMMENTS (21)

Not everyone in New Jersey may agree with Gov. Chris Christie’s stance on gay marriage (and lots of other issues), but chances are we would all agree with his recent statement on “Meet the Press” that the New York Giants are actually a New Jersey team.

“The only thing New York about the Giants is the ‘NY’ on their helmets. They train in New Jersey, they play in New Jersey and most of their players live in New Jersey,” Christie said in the Jan. 22 interview.

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Komen Restores Funding to Planned Parenthood

BY  |  Friday, Feb 03, 2012 12:35pm  |  COMMENTS (3)

After a week long public relations nightmare, Susan G. Komen for the Cure reversed its decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, saying today it would continue the funding.

The controversy arose earlier this week when Komen said it would stop giving Planned Parenthood $600,000 to screen low-income women for cancer. Critics cried foul, accusing Komen of caving to anti-abortion activists who have long abhored Planned Parenthood for its abortion practices, and a national outrage ensued.

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Mountainside Hospital to Hold Free Sports Health Seminar

BY  |  Friday, Feb 03, 2012 10:30am  |  COMMENTS (0)

As a pre-Superbowl “pep rally,” Mountainside Hospital’s School of Nursing will be holding a free sports health seminar tomorrow for those who have put their “health on the sidelines.”

The event, which takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., will be in the form of a tailgate party, with a BBQ of healthy food options (guests are encouraged to bring folding lawn chairs). There will also be informative sessions on strengthening your core, heart health, concussions, prostate cancer prevention and treatment, when to go to the ER for a sports injury, and a robotic surgery demonstration with the DaVinci Robot.

CBS Correspondent Jim Axelrod, a Montclair resident and the author of “In the Long Run,” will be making a guest appearance to discuss his recent coverage of the primary elections as well as share a humorous account of his experience in Mountainside’s ER.

The event will include screenings for Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference, Baseline Concussion Exams & Prostate (PSA). To read more about the event and to RSVP, click here.

The Problem of Other People’s Driving

BY  |  Friday, Feb 03, 2012 9:00am  |  COMMENTS (71)

We all have our pet peeves when it comes to driving–or rather, when it comes to other people’s driving. For me, it’s those drivers who park on the side of the road and exit their car by swinging their door wide open without bothering to see if there is any oncoming traffic. I have lived in four states, and driven in many more, and this seems to be a driving (or parking) trait that is unique to New Jerseyans. It drives me bonkers, and I have narrowly missed taking off a car door several times because of it.

Then there was the school bus that my husband and I saw speeding up the quiet, narrow street where my son’s preschool is located. We chased it in our Honda–our then-4-year-old strapped in the back seat–trying to get a name, a license plate, anything. But because we stuck to the speed limit–and the school bus didn’t–we never caught up.

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Featured Comment

I would love to see Santorum get the nod. Maybe then the politically comatose members of society will wake up.
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jerseygurl

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