Friday, May 12
6:30 to 8 p.m.: Damsel Duo, an indie-neo-folk group featuring Beth Meyers and Monica Mugan, presents a Mother’s Day concert with acoustic-based duo Helen and Molly. Molly Trueman of Helen and Molly is Mugan’s daughter; Hinds Plaza.
Saturday, May 13
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center hosts its annual Bike Safety Rodeo and Safe Kids Day. Children ages 3-12 and their families are invited to learn about safety and prevention when participating in sports and other recreational activities. Children will receive free bike helmets, have their bikes inspected, and ride a safety course. RSVP by emailing bikerodeo@slrc.org. more
By Donald Gilpin
West College, a prominent central campus building at Princeton University, will be named for emeritus faculty member and Nobel Prize-wining novelist Toni Morrison, and the major auditorium in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs will be named for Arthur Lewis, Nobel laureate in economics and a member of the school’s faculty from 1963 to 1983. more
Photography by Robert Manella, Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty
The First in an Occasional Series
by Anne Levin
Back in the late eighteenth century when the Rev. John Witherspoon was the sixth president of Princeton University, he was known to end his work day at Nassau Hall when he saw a light in a front window of Tusculum, his country house and tenant farm located just a mile to the north. According to a local legend, one of Witherspoon’s daughters would light a candle in that window, letting her father know it was time to close up shop and head home. more
Photo Credit: @CristinaMittermeier | @natgeo
In honor of Earth Day on April 22, shop these green gifts, which are globally-minded in perspective.
by Donald Gilpin
All things Trump have increasingly dominated the media since the election campaign last year, and especially in the wild first months of the Trump Presidency. A casual observer from another planet might well assume that the White House and President Trump, with an occasional nod to Capitol Hill or the Supreme Court, is the true seat of power in the United States—that the lives of U.S. citizens are shaped and determined by policies and directives from Washington. more
by Wendy Plump
It turns out that surfers and philosophers have a lot in common. To be any good at what they do, they have to be hard-core realists. Good surf or bad, decent people or vile, the approach is the same: if you don’t want to be mullered, then deal effectively with conditions as you find them. As both a surfer and a philosopher, this is practically Peter Singer’s calling card. more
20 acclaimed films with filmmakers and other speakers presented over seven days.
The 2017 Princeton Environmental Film Festival opens Monday, March 27, and runs through Sunday, April 2. Now in its 11th year, the award-winning festival features a lineup of 20 acclaimed films with filmmakers and other speakers presented over seven days. Films and additional programs are scheduled both during the day and in the evening at the library, on the Princeton University campus and at the Princeton Garden Theatre. more
By Taylor Smith
Thanks to Audible’s Donald Katz, the general population now has more time than ever to consume and enjoy books by creating a digital library on their mobile devices. A membership allows users access to more than 325,000 downloadable audiobooks, audio editions of periodicals and other programs. New members are also given complimentary subscriptions to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, making the inevitable commute or time spent at the gym, not only easier, but that much more enlightening. Below, Mr. Katz discusses his pre-Audible career as a journalist, love for Newark, and the company’s growing a-list collection of inspiring celebrity performances. more
By Anne Levin
Photographs Courtesy of Princeton in Africa
fter the deadliest flooding ever recorded in Malawi, a group of recent college graduates were on hand to help with emergency response efforts. In rural Togo, another corner of Africa, some of their colleagues wrote grants to help an organization called Mothers2Mothers in their fight against pediatric AIDS. Still others from the group taught English, math, science, and history to secondary school students in Botswana. more
Navigating the sometimes troubled, always exciting waters of family, finance, and politics.
By Donald Gilpin
Portrait by Andrew Wilkinson
To say that Tom and Barbara Byrne thrive on difficult challenges would be an understatement. With all four children launched—this is the first year since 2006 they haven’t had a son or daughter at Princeton University—the 62-year-old Hun Road couple, whose groundbreaking resumes place them at the top of their professions, might be expected to be looking forward to retirement.
But no. They have other plans. more
By Anne Levin
If you attended a charity auction to benefit McCarter Theatre, Trinity Counseling Service, Princeton Charter School, or any number of other organizations in town last spring, you probably encountered Sebastian Clarke. He’s the lanky, personable guy who runs the show, rattling off the numbers and “filler words” to coax bidders higher and higher—but always with a light touch. more
The Immigration Act of 1917 | One Hundred Years Later
By Katie Duggan
Immigration is a foundation of the American experience, and an integral part of American life today. It has been frequent topic of discussion for politicians and social activists alike, especially in last year’s presidential election, leading to many divisive conversations on what the future holds for immigrants. But questions of who should be allowed entry into the United States are not unique to today’s political climate nor to the nation’s past. February 2017 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the passage of the Immigration Act of 1917, which was at the time the country’s most sweeping piece of immigration legislation. It was passed under President Woodrow Wilson, and required that immigrants entering the country first pass a literacy test. more
By Anne Levin
A cluster of young women in semi-formal dresses is standing in the back of a candlelit auditorium at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart. Teetering a bit on their high heels, they whisper quietly while awaiting their turn to take part in an annual tradition known as the Junior Ring Ceremony. more
Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber and 47 other American college and university presidents today sent a letter to President Trump urging him to “rectify or rescind the recent executive order closing our country‘s borders to immigrants and others from seven majority-Muslim countries and to refugees from throughout the world.” “If left in place,” the letter says, “the order threatens both American higher education and the defining principles of our country.“
The letter was initially drafted by Eisgruber and University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann.
The text of the letter follows:
Lucian Msamati and Southbank Sinfonia in National Theatre Live’s Amadeus
Friday, February 3
11 a.m.: Free, Tiger Tales for children ages 3-5 at Cotsen Children’s Library (repeats weekly).
11 a.m.: Homeschool Week at the Princeton University Art Museum. The day’s theme is “Africa” and includes interactive tours followed by related art projects. All ages are welcome. No tickets or reservations required.
6 p.m.: Princeton University women’s ice hockey vs. Yale.
7 p.m.: Princeton University women’s basketball vs. Dartmouth. more
From SSNs to security questions, Anurag Sharma of Withum’s Cyber & Info Security Group keeps us safe from phishing and scams
Were you affected by the recent Netflix scam? If your personal information went untouched this go around, it’s only a matter of time until it is targeted by another cyber attack. Fortunately, there are ways to thwart these scams with a little know-how and online savvy. Here, Anurag Sharma, Principal of Princeton’s Withum’s Cyber & Information Security Services Group, shares his tips on cyber security for 2017. more
Photos courtesy of Cranford Millburn Camera Club
Send us your best shots of NJ by January 20, 2017 for the chance to be in the next issue of Urban Agenda Magazine!
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
You might have photographed your favorite Jersey diner. Perhaps you’ve snapped a picture of a secret trail in the Garden State. Maybe, you’ve taken an image of a historical location in NJ, or better yet, a historic moment in your life. If you’ve shot a picture of New Jersey that represents your personal vision of the state, we want to see it! more
Photo Credit: Rise Power Yoga
You’re not the only one suffering from weight-gain season.
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
New Year’s resolutions might be cliché, but after three months of nonstop cookies, booze, and candies galore, we’re ready to jump onto the bandwagon. Stat.
Luckily, area gyms and studios are easing us into our “new year, new you” status with promotional offers and events for the start of 2017. Armed with these deals, you’ll be achieving all your fitness and financial goals in no time. Take that 2016!
