Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXI, No. 32
 
Wednesday, August 8, 2007

(Photo by Emily Reeves)


REMEMBERING HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI: The Coalition for Peace Action commemorated the 62nd anniversary of the August 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki this past Sunday at Scudder Plaza at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School Public and International Affairs. The program, which included experts and authors on nuclear weapons, concluded with the floating of candles on the reflecting pool to honor the estimated 200,000 civilians who died immediately and in the aftermath of the bombings.

Front Page

Town, Builder, Hope to Iron Out Differences

Matthew Hersh

Princeton Borough Council last week entered into a closed session meeting to discuss how it can revive negotiations with the developer of the municipal redevelopment project in the heart of the Borough, and how the two parties can continue talks while addressing financial and legal obstacles that have imposed significant delays to a project first approved more than three years ago.

Princeton Symphony and Long-time Director Part Ways Over Contract

Nancy Plum

In a sudden, late summer move just weeks before the launch of its new season, Princeton Symphony Orchestra announced last week that it will open its 2007-08 season without music director Mark Laycock, who had conducted the ensemble for more than 20 years.

Whither Princeton's Service Industry? Fading Service Zones a Concern

Matthew Hersh

Nearly three years ago, Mike's Tavern, a tiny bar at the corner of Birch Avenue and Bayard Lane served up its last drink, closing the door for good on the 80-year reign of one of Princeton's many storied institutions.

The following year, another well known, locally owned business, Stefanelli's Automotive, located a block south on Bayard at the Leigh Avenue intersection, also closed shop. Along with Mike's departure, the two long-time businesses not only served the community, but also fell into the much-discussed-of-late service industry category.


Other News

Late Mayor’s Abundant Legacy to Crown Library’s Fall Book Sale

Stuart Mitchner

It is not what we have, but what we enjoy that constitutes our abundance.”

HiTOPS Receives $3,000 Award for Date-Rape Prevention Initiative

Linda Arntzenius

HiTOPS, the Princeton-based non-profit that promotes adolescent health, has received the 2007/2008 Anti-Violence Award from the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) Foundation.

Nature Paints a Wetlands Portrait, Creates Eco-Lab for PHS Students

Linda Arntzenius

Students returning to Princeton High School after the summer will find a new laboratory classroom for their science studies. This classroom has no walls, however, and one might need to don waterproof boots to enter.

Topics in Brief
A Community Bulletin


Sports

Grant Explodes for Historic Performance as Koehler Takes Summer Hoops Crown

Bill Alden

Derick Grant was a member of the supporting cast when Dana Communications won the playoffs six years ago in the Princeton Recreation Department Men's Summer Basketball League.

Local Product Morris Starred for Big Red, Feels at Home With PU Women's Lax

Bill Alden

She thought seriously about going to Stanford or Dartmouth but in the end Nellie Morris concluded there was no place like home.

Former PU Star Sowanick Using Toughness in Making Impact for MLL's Denver Outlaws

Bill Alden

Scott Sowanick will get a major dose of the real world this week when he heads to Wall Street to start working with Merrill Lynch.


More Sports…


DVD Review

Bergman and Antonioni: When Films and Life Come Together

Stuart Mitchner

Ingmar Bergman and Michaelangelo Antonioni, who died within hours of one another a little over a week ago, made motion pictures that have the power to haunt your life. One day you think, “I’ve been here before,” and you realize, “Something like this happened in Bergman.” Or maybe you find yourself staying at a third-world hotel you’re sure you’ve seen somewhere, and then you remember the sinister North African flea bag where Jack Nicholson assumes a dead man’s identity in Antonioni’s The Passenger (1975). Pictures like Bergman’s Wild Strawberries (1957) and The Magician (1958) and Antonioni’s L’Avventura (1960) invaded the minds of a generation. College students whose heads were already swimming in Dostovesky and Kafka found themselves theorizing and arguing no less passionately about Bergman’s gothic metaphysics and Antonioni’s enigmatic aesthetics.


Music/Theater

Art? Friendship? How Much Are They Worth? Who Decides? PST’s “Art” Explores Aesthetics, Identity, Relationships

Donald Gilpin

It’s a large painting: all white. About five by four. You might be able to make out three fine white diagonal lines on the white canvas. That’s it. Your best friend, who’s not rich, has just bought this work of art for about $40,000. What do you think? What do you say? How do you react? Will this surprising purchase affect your friendship?


It’s New to Us

P.T.S. Health & Fitness Center Offers Full Range of Services

Fitness is for you … and you … and you!

Alex Obe, owner of P.T.S. (Personal Training Studio) Health & Fitness Center in the Village Shopper, 1340 Route 206, is determined to bring fitness to everyone. Size, shape, age, previous experience are all part of one's individual package, but none of these should be an obstacle to a positive session at the gym.

Knitting and Needlepoint Supplies Are Highlights of Pins and Needles

Knitters and needlepointers are delighted with Pins and Needles, the popular store at 8 Chambers Street. The bright 2-story shop offers a wonderful selection of quality yarns, canvasses, and supplies, as well as a sampling of sweaters, scarves, mittens, and baby items, etc. knitted by the staff. There is also a great sense of camaraderie here, as customers gather around the large demonstration table, enjoying the opportunity to share ideas.