Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wherever it takes place, the experience of hands-on browsing in a bookstore is physically, emotionally, and spiritually transformational.
There is something magical about a bookstore. It doesn't matter if it is a mom-and-pop shop bulging with gently read volumes and located on a two-lane country highway or a large chain store featuring New York Times best-sellers in its window in the middle of a busy urban mall. It is irrelevant whether the proprietor gives a customer change from coins and bills secured in a worn cigar box or if employees use the latest technology at the checkout counter. Wherever it takes place, the experience of hands-on browsing in a bookstore is physically, emotionally, and spiritually transformational. It is as if we lose track of time and enter an alternate universe alive with the efforts of fellow humans to make sense of history, biology, culture, and…
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Instead of making a moral judgment about the person involved, talk about how the brain responds to even the smallest amount of alcohol with diminished ability to self-correct mistakes.
Imagine driving in a heavy rainstorm and seeing a sign that the road ahead is dangerously flooded. Would you heed the warning, turn around, and find another route? "Of course," you say. "Who wouldn't?" Sadly, this answer and your behavior are likely to be different if you have consumed a few drinks. Despite rationally knowing the potential consequences of ignoring the flood alert, you will probably continue driving forward at the same speed while mumbling that such signs always exaggerate conditions. Perhaps soon you get stuck in high water, and a good samaritan is able to push your car to dry ground. Does this brush with danger convince you to change your route or rate of speed? As long as you have alcohol in your body, the answer is …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Depending upon where we were on September 11, 2001, each of us connects that day with specific sights, sounds, and smells. Every traumatic event leaves an indelible scar on both soul and psyche.
Every traumatic event leaves an indelible scar on both the soul and psyche. We humans fear being caught off guard and hate the helpless feeling of not having prevented a damaging circumstance. This is true whether one is involved in a fender-bender, criminally assaulted, fired from a job, served with divorce papers, or rocked by an earthquake. When a sudden harmful event happens to an individual, it is normal to want to be better prepared for the next similar situation. We may buy a safer car, take karate lessons, choose self-employment, swear off marriage, or retro-fit our home with quake-proof features. It's not as easy when the trauma is national in scope. The Day Innocence Died On September 11, 2001, a small group of al-Qaeda …
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Jason's death was a shock to his family, friends, and the South Brunswick community. No one thought that this intelligent, industrious, family-oriented young man would ever be one to abuse illegal drugs.
On December 17, 2003, South Brunswick residents Linda and Mark Surks' phone rang with the news every parent dreads. It was St. Michael's Medical Center, saying their 19-year-old son Jason had been brought into the emergency room very ill and that they needed to come immediately. When they arrived, the hospital staff had a grim update. Jason had passed away from an accidental overdose of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, a medication his parents knew he had never been legally prescribed. It has been eight years since that day and Linda's memory remains vivid. "We drove to Newark in silence, each deep in our own thoughts of what we could be facing. That day was the first time I became aware of Jason's drug use." Linda and Mark later learned …
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I'm watching baseball the way it should be played. Budding talent, focus and intensity, sportsmanship, and fun all rolled into a package not often seen in the major or minor leagues.
Despite the gagging humidity and flood-making storms, August is my favorite month. I am a shameless Little League World Series junkie, and ESPN is feeding my craving by televising all the playoff games that lead to a Little League champion being crowned in Williamsport, Pa., later this month. I'm staying up later than normal and spending too many hours in front of my television, but it is totally worth it. I'm watching baseball the way it should be played. Budding talent, focus and intensity, sportsmanship, and fun all rolled into a package not often seen in the major or minor leagues. This combination of factors generates a legal and natural "high" for participants and spectators alike. From the excitement of the announcers to the …
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Good matches between parenting styles and a child's personality lead to half as many depression and anxiety symptoms in school-aged youth. Mismatches lead to twice as many symptoms.
As parents, we quickly learn that each of our children has a distinctive personality. One may easily adapt to changing circumstances while another tests every limit and uses the word "no" long after the "terrible twos" are chronologically over. A third may be a ball of physical energy and constantly on the go, while his or her sibling prefers to read or play quietly. Some children are capable of a great deal of self-regulation with regard to school, home, and social tasks. They are able to easily decide on goals and select strategies for achieving them with a minimum of adult intervention. Other youngsters need continuous adult supervision, guidance, and monitoring in order to successfully complete an activity. They may be dreamers, …
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Max is one of many shelter cats and dogs who are "difficult to place," but will come out of their shell in the right home environment and with a lot of loving patience.
They say cats have nine lives. If so, Max is on his third. His first was spent roaming the streets outside of Princeton. Animal Control found him at an apartment complex foraging for food and took him to a local no-kill shelter when he was only twelve weeks. His next "life" lasted a full year and was spent in a cage with limited freedom to wander the small room that housed male cats. The shelter named him "Venice." Max never forgot the outside world, and his favorite perching spot was atop the stacked cages where he could see the surrounding woods through a small window. He even managed to open one ceiling panel, climb into the crawl space, and fall through another ceiling, landing on the desk of a very surprised receptionist. …
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
As a society, we have abandoned physical mail for electronic communication. The Internet, smartphones, and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter make it easy to pay bills and have brief contacts with friends and cohorts.
When I moved into South Brunswick in 1975, the first person I met was Mr. Keller, the letter carrier for my block. Although he had no mail for us that day, he stopped to chat and welcome us to the community. Over the years, he would arrive like clockwork at 10:45 a.m. and cheerfully pick up outgoing mail, answer questions about how best to send a package, and/or chat about the weather. He never complained about the number of thick department-store Christmas catalogs he had to carry or the mountain of college bulletins that arrived when my kids grew older. Our part of town doesn't have curbside mail posts. This means carriers must walk from house to house and sometimes up steep driveways, even when the sidewalk is slippery with ice or the …
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Contrary to popular belief, a significant number of young people both value and incorporate parental values into decisions regarding sexual health issues.
There is good news from Canada for parents of teens. Contrary to popular belief, a significant number of young people both value and incorporate parental values into decisions regarding sexual health issues. A recent study revealed that nearly one of every two students ages 14 to 17 identified their parents as their most important role model in this area. The influence of friends came in second, and the power of celebrities was a distant third. Too bad we parents aren't aware of this high regard! Mothers who responded to the same survey seriously underestimated their own importance as guides. When asked which role model for relationship and sexual issues their teen would choose, 78 percent believed it would be friends. This finding …
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Crime levels are lowest in neighborhoods in which there is a sense of community or mutual trust among neighbors, combined with a willingness to get involved in achieving a common good.
South Brunswick is a relatively safe place to live, but it is not crime-free. In the past month, this newspaper has reported two different shootings (one with a regular gun, and the other with a pellet gun), two attempted home break-ins (by the same person), theft of checks from a family, and a robbery at a local 7-Eleven. In addition, two arrests were made with regard to a string of car burglaries that took place in the township during April and May. Our police force is excellent, but their numbers are limited. Partnership with the community is essential in maintaining community security. Studies have shown that crime levels are lowest in neighborhoods in which there is a sense of community or mutual trust among neighbors, combined …
Judy Shepps Battle
11:18 pm on Thursday, September 22, 2011
Kim, thank you so much for sharing your story. I think there are a lot of us who love books and are sharing that love to our kids and grandkids. And it's great that you are passing on the books so other kids and adults can get inexpensive paper books to read. I also know how important it is for kids to meet the actual writers who pen their favorite books. That these authors are real people really… more ›