Tonight at Dawn and our crew are working on the third phase of filming for The Nigerian School Project documentary. Here are some images from filming at founder of The Nigerian School Project Dena Grushkin’s home with the talented Michael Scotti and Neil Grabowsky (Jersey Nerds). Kickstarter video coming soon!
Read Cecchini’s article on PFOA and local drinking water at NorthJersey.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH JERSEY DISTRICT WATER SUPPLY COMMISSION
Text & Photos by K. Cecchini
If going down the shore is a rite of passage in New Jersey, then owning a piece of it is a dream. So how do you convince homeowners to return their seaside fantasy to Mother Nature before she sends the repo man?
Stairs separated from a boardwalk on the Jersey Shore after Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy was the most devastating storm to lick away at beach front zip codes since 1962 from the Highlands to Cape May. With its winds and rains, Sandy also brought questions about the Jersey Shore’s future. And, although many homeowners rally to rebuild, Dr. Ben Horton of Rutgers University’s Marine and Coastal Sciences Department warned that the Jersey Shore’s vulnerabilities are increasing.
In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated a global mean sea level rise of over three feet by the end of the century. This change will largely be due to the greater volume of a warming ocean and melting glaciers. However, Dr. Horton said, sea level change is not uniform and New Jersey has other factors biting at its shoreline.
For instance, most of the shore’s real estate is low-lying and Dr. Horton said that the land’s height continues to decrease because of freshwater removal below the land’s surface. This allows the sea to overtake more of the land.
On the other hand, Mr. Miller said he was pleased at how well Governor Christie implemented NJAFM’s recommendations around the Raritan and Passaic Basins.
The first recommendation? Blue Acres.
Miller calls the voluntary Blue Acres program “a restart on life”. Through federal and local fund matching, Blue Acres offers to buy property in flood zones at pre-damage value. The land is then designated as a natural buffer for their communities in future flooding. Although it can be a difficult choice for most homeowners, the program has proven to be particularly successful in river communities. In fact, Miller hailed Mayor Verango and Consultant Jeff Ward for having made Wayne Township “the champion for buyouts in New Jersey”.
After Sandy, the state successfully promoted buyouts in inland towns like Woodbridge and most recently, Manville, but the program is still virtually nonexistent in coastal communities. Why perpetuate temporary fixes like sand dunes instead of removing people from vulnerable areas? Miller said that he believed the reason the state administration avoids the coastline is because of its perceived economic value as a vacation and investment community.
However, Blue Acres‘ Communication Director Andrea Friedman said that she believes that for the last two years while some seaside homeowners are interested, their municipalities have resisted the program. Union Beach is one such town; Sandy flooded more than half of its 2,200 homes and some families have yet to return, but Blue Acreshas made no inroads.
Written by Kimberly Cecchini
(Text reposted from the Montclair Film Festival site: Sunday, May 10)
Photo: Kimberly Cecchini for the Montclair Film Festival
Thursday night’s headline for the Montclair Film Festival was a film event that fit its subject; it was larger than life and totally outside of the box. The live documentary screened at the Wellmont Theatre was a tribute to R. Buckminster Fuller, who according to a television host, had been called a “genius”, “the Benjamin Franklin of the space age” and a “crackpot”.
Writer Sam Green Photo by Kimberly Cecchini for the Montclair Film Festival
Director and producer Sam Green narrated a series of clips and stills from the late Fuller’s archive in harmony with indie band Yo La Tengo’s original live soundtrack. From the other end of the stage, the music’s tone alternated between foreboding, hopeful, eerie and Space Odyssey-esque to follow the rhythmic loop of triumphs and failures that made up Fuller’s life.
In a soft, bedtime story voice, Green took the audience on a trip of the architect, inventor and author’s life with a mixture of humor, empathy and a bit of reverence. Green also smoothly went off script and reminded the audience that it was a live performance with a “bless you” to a sneezing ticket holder.
On script, Green first marveled at the expanse of Fuller’s archives; there is a wealth of telegrams, letters, photos, blueprints and anything else that “crossed his desk”. The audience laughed as Green gestured towards an image of Fuller’s Social Security card and grinned, “I love this s**t!”
Fuller’s life began ordinarily enough; he married in 1917 and had children. However, a series of misfortunes led him to the brink of suicide. Legend says “a voice told him he couldn’t take his own life, that he had to dedicate his life to humanity instead”. And, Green added, “In some versions of his story, he even levitated”.
Dymaxion!
Whatever happened in that mythologically tinted turning point, Fuller heeded the voice. He initiated his own design revolution with the creed of today’s environmental conservationists, “do more with less”. By applying this philosophy to invention, Fuller believed that peace would be created as humanity could circumvent fights over resources.
To illustrate Fuller’s vision, Green shared a number of his sketches and prototypes. Fuller dubbed many of these ideas with a blend of the words, “dynamic, maximum and tension;”: dymaxion.
Perhaps Fuller’s own term was the most apt title for his designs. After discussing Fuller’s futuristic car and mass produced house concept (both of which “went down the drain”), Green placed his most famous invention in context, “Alexander Graham Bell got a phone, Thomas Edison, the lightbulb, with Buckminster Fuller, its the geo . . . dome– he’s the dome guy”.
Yo La Tengo Performing. Photo: Kimberly Cecchini or the Montclair Film Festival
It was his first success. In the 1950s his dome plans were used for botanical gardens, aquariums, radar stations, churches, and, of course, Fuller’s home. Green identified this success as another turning point, “he was no longer a fringe figure”. Yo La Tengo highlighted that transition with strains of hope.
“Opposite of Soundbites”
In from the fringes, the “huge egomaniac” was pictured on a 1960s Time magazine cover and became a lecture staple. When it came to lectures, though, less was not more.
Not only did Green credit Fuller as “the most impossible person to edit I’ve ever come across” because he spoke in “the opposite of soundbites,” but he also shared that one of Fuller’s lecture series was entitled “Everything I Know”.
At 42 hours, that title might actually be the opposite of hyperbole.
Was R. Buckminster Fuller a genius or a crackpot? Or perhaps a bit of both? However you slice it, Sam Green’s project is fitting for either personas.
See more information about the Montclair Film Festival and all its great events at the Montclair Film Festival page. View more photos at the MontclairFilmFest Flickr.
Photo from NJ.com, Union Beach Home after Hurricane Sandy
Text by K. Cecchini/Photo from NJ.com
Mayor Paul Smith said Hurricane Sandy was “…like a tsunami; it came in, it kicked ass and then left in 45 minutes”. He believes it flooded at least 50% of Union Beach’s 2,200 homes and the Asbury Park Press reported that as many as 85% of its homes were affected.
As part of my research on the Jersey Shore’s vulnerabilities and disaster mitigation options, I had the fortune to speak with the elated mayor after Governor Christie and ranking Army Corp of Engineer members delivered affirmative news on a shore protection project. The bedroom community has waited 20 years for implementation, and now they can expect its completion in 2020.
Hopefully the program will be the fix Union Beach needs because, as I said to the mayor, you can’t fight nature. He laughed, “(Governor Christie) mentioned that also”.
Please look for an extended piece on the Jersey Shore. In the meantime, we would love your input:
What do you think about post-Sandy efforts along the Mid-Atlantic?
What is the future of our Jersey Shore?
Text by K. Cecchini
Some people literally can’t afford to get sick. In the United States, workers are not guaranteed sick days and, therefore many workers – particularly lower wage workers – do not get paid if they are out sick or tending to an ill relative.
Grass roots organization, New Jersey Working Families, is leading the charge to change this situation for workers in Montclair. On Tuesday, November 4th, Montclair residents will have an opportunity to vote for the municipal public question to guarantee paid sick days for employees within the town.
According to Working Families, if the proposal becomes law, workers in businesses with more than 10 employees or those of any size, for the interest of public health, who serve food, work in day care and nursing can earn 5 sick days a year and workers in smaller businesses can earn 3 sick days a year.
Perhaps this is a small step towards relieving some stress for workers? What do you think?
Text & Photos by K. Cecchini @tonightatdawn
310,000 marchers strong in NYC alone, the People’s Climate March was way more than the sum of “tree-huggers” in tie-dye and Crocs. Stretching organizer’s dreams, the Marchers lined up along Central Park West for 33 city blocks and the diverse group represented nearly every corner of our nation and our world. Two hours into the parade, the back of the line had still not moved forward.
“We said it would take everyone to change everything — and everyone showed up,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.
Although the message was united, many groups brought with them their communities’ specific struggles in adapting to the new normal.
The South Bronx and Newark
South Bronx vs. FreshDirect
South Bronx residents are hospitalized at 5X’s the national average for asthmatic issues. The resident coalition, South Bronx Unite, is advocating against an additional perpetrator on their health.
They may argue the irony of their approaching nemesis’ name, FreshDirect. South Bronx Unite used the march as a forum to express their opposition to the on-line grocer’s plans to relocate its diesel truck fleet to the stressed community.
According to the coalition, the deal was created without community input and a current environmental study. Estimations indicate that FreshDirect would add more than 1,000 daily diesel truck trips through “…a residential neighborhood facing a health crisis for decades of dumping industrial and diesel truck-intensive facilities in the neighborhood”.
Additionally, South Bronx Unite says that FreshDirect would desecrate documented Native American burial grounds.
What will Bronxites get in return? Perhaps nothing positive as reportedly there are no guarantees in place that they will even gain the low wage jobs that FreshDirect would be shipping through town.
“Boycott FreshDirect”
From across the Hudson, Debra Chandler echoed similar concerns for her city in New Jersey. She had joined the march because she believes in allegiance with those she feels are most greatly affected by policy; the most impoverished and people of color. Newark’s own air is affected such things as incinerators, bus depots and brown fields.
Debra Chandler of Newark, New Jersey
Bangladesh
“Stop Climate Change”
Bangladesh Environmental Network
Farouque Zamn was out yesterday in support of the the Bangladesh Environment Network. Water is the essence of the nation’s environmental woes. Ironically, they may suffer from both a lack of water for agriculture and an inundation of sea water. Upstream Indian dams and record temperatures threaten to dry out rivers in Bangladesh while its flat geography leaves it vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Marshall Islands
Marshallese Environmental Advocate, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
“If us Marshallese lose our islands, “Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner implored, “we lose our connections to our land, we lose our connections to our culture and to our identity. A lot of the media is so far focused on where islanders will go and where we would relocate and I want people to know that we don’t want to move from our islands and we shouldn’t have to move from our islands.”
“If us Marshallese lose our islands, “Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner implored, “we lose our connections to our land, we lose our connections to our culture and to our identity.
Jetnil-Kijineris journalist and teacher raises awareness on her nation’s plight through poetry, spoken-word, journalism and as a co-founder of an environmental NGO. Not only did she eloquently speak her truths ahead of Sunday’s march, she is also in town to speak today to the hundred plus heads of state at the UN’s Climate Summit.
Certainly, the Marshall Islands is one of the poster children for global warming. With an average land height of around 2 meters above sea level, Jetnil-Kijineris’ islands are already highly vulnerable to the Pacific’s waves and storm surges. As is clear in her plea, the Marshallese are at risk to becoming environmental refugees.
What is Jetnil-Kijineris’ message to the world’s leaders? “…We need to act now, we cannot wait. We only have one atmosphere and we Marshallese have only one land we can call home.”
She thanked her fellow marchers “…for taking a stand; we need you, our islands need you and this world needs you.”
Estimations indicate that FreshDirect would add more than 1,000 daily diesel truck trips through “…a residential neighborhood facing a health crisis for decades of dumping industrial and diesel truck-intensive facilities in the neighborhood”. -South Bronx Unite
Read More: Climate Change Part 1 with Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland
Text and Images by Kimberly Cecchini
Originally published on Economydecoded.com
“Is Brooklyn in the house?!” An MC cries in the mic and the Brooklynites put their fists in the air, yelp and yell their attendance. The MC then calls for people from Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx to show their love. After New Jerseyans claim their pride, the MC checks in for anyone from Staten Island.
Audiences love when a performer pay homage to the locale; “Hey, Delhi! It’s so good to be here!” I don’t know about other areas, but when homebred New Yorkers play here, they get the crowd excited by shouting out each borough- and the “step-child” boroughs like Jersey. No matter which area we represent-and it’s reputation- we are thrilled to show our pride.
It’s an instant crowd-pleaser.
As with anywhere in the world, each of our boroughs and the neighborhoods within them has its own reputations and it’s own flavor. Each has its own taste of the good, the bad and the ugly and, no matter what, its residents are fiercely proud.
The 5 Boroughs
Manhattan-it’s what the world thinks of when they think of NYC. Although the bright lights of Times Square are iconic, most locals push through the transit hub of Midtown to get to the rest of the island. We appreciate the big museums around Central Park and delving deep into Chinatown, but we also love all the hidden gems in every neighborhood like El Museo del Barrio in historic Harlem, the hip bars, restaurants and art galleries in the Lower East Side and the free summer concerts from the South Street Seaport to Bryant Park.
Cross the picturesque Brooklyn Bridge into the quickly evolving borough that has become, for better or worse, a Mecca for everything creative and trendy-yet it still holds onto some of its grit in the shadow of the new luxury high rises. Whether it is a food festival in trendy Williamsburg, a gallery walk in DUMBO, or the annual Mermaid Parade at the end of Q train line in Coney Island, there is always something happening in Brooklyn.
Queens is often thought of as a borough for settling down, but do not be mistaken, it’s still a vibrant, bustling urban area. Although most of the boroughs are diverse, Queens is known for its strong cultural vibe; according to NewYork.com, “Among the 2.2 million people living within its 109 square miles, there are immigrants from more than 100 different countries who speak more than 138 languages.”. Ethnic options for foodies are seemingly endless and Flushing boasts a larger Chinatown than Manhattan. Queens is also home to the U.S. Open, Major League Baseball team the Mets, and two of three of New York’s international airports.
The Bronx might have the reputation for being the most dangerous, but there is much more to the borough beyond the tough streets. Those who love the most successful franchise in American baseball, flock to Yankee Stadium. The borough surprisingly has more than 40 square acres of parks and the very expansive Bronx Zoo. Lending to its diverse populous, many immigrants have historically called the borough home and today most of the new arrivals are from Latin America. The Boogie Down Bronx is also famed for being the birthplace of hip hop.
The oft forgotten about borough, Staten Island, is the most suburban of the boroughs and is connected to downtown Manhattan via the Staten Island Ferry. With a third of its residents being Italian-American, it’s easy to stumble upon an authentic meal that will rival the tourist destinations in Little Italy. The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has rolled out a plan to transform the joke of the island, the infamous Fresh Kills (garbage) Landfill, “…into a productive and beautiful cultural destination (that) will make the park a symbol of renewal and an expression of how our society can restore balance to its landscape.”.
Beyond the 5 Boroughs
A metropolis as large as New York City has a wide reach and often it’s neighbors are seen as the unofficial boroughs (like a “red-headed stepchild”); New Jersey, Connecticut and the rest of Long Island are often grouped into this category. Each one, thank you very much, wants its own recognition. Let’s take a look at the home to my alma matter.
If you’re flying to New York City, you may actually find yourself on a landing strip in its third international airport–in New Jersey. As you travel by car up the Turnpike or by Train to New York, you may see and smell what makes Jersey the butt of jokes across the nation-besides MTV’s Jersey Shore-but there’s a lot beyond the smoke stacks of Linden. One of my college roommates at Rutgers University, wrote the most succinct article in the Daily Targum (back in the day) about why the Garden State is greater than the sum of its reputations. He heralded all the wonders that can be found within a less than three hour drive in any direction within the tiny state’s borders- mountains, dense forests, beaches (“down the shore” is much more beautiful than Seaside Heights), farms, New York City, Philly and its own storied cities.
Whether you land in Queens or Newark, hopefully you see there is much more to The Big Apple than the beacon in Midtown.
Text and image by Kimberly Cecchini
If I believed in conjuring the dead, I might say that Freddie Mercury was channeled last night at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall. Adam Lambert’s flamboyant and confident stage presence was more tribute than imitation, embodying the spirit of Queen’s eclectic catalog. Of course, no one can truly take Mercury’s place, but, to answer Brian May’s question last night, I joined the audience in an energetic approval of the “new guy’s” performance.
Lambert’s performance in Killer Queen in which he coyly laid on a royal velvet couch and the way he orchestrated the crowd into a sing and repeat epitomized how he owned the frontman role.
There was a natural chemistry between Lambert and his legendary bandmates. Roger Taylor grinned as Lambert led an impromptu “Happy Birthday” and they easily played off of each other while Lambert still showed them deference.
Taylor and May played with an energy that convinced me that they still loved what they do. Dr. May did a rendition of “’39” and was joined by Taylor, Taylor’s own son, Rufus Tiger Taylor (who skillfully shared half of the percussion section), bassist Neil Fairclough and keyboardist Spike Edney on the front stage. Taylor followed it up with a heartwarming vocal solo on “These are the Days of our Lives”.
Freddie Mercury and retired bassist, John Deacon, were tastefully choreographed into parts of the show through audiovisual magic. During a couple of numbers, clips of the band in their heyday were woven into the performance via a colossal screen framed with a steel “Q”. Lambert fluidly shared “Bohemian Rhapsody” alongside Mercury in a projection of archival footage with Freddie taking the last line, “Anyway the wind blows…”.
The lights, Lambert’s costumes and the elaborate set with all it’s moving parts added to the dynamism that the band brought to the classic boardwalk theater. I would counter that all the mobile components were not a necessity because the band itself, from the birthday boy to the young singer, delivered enough energy and drama to create a rock experience fit for a Queen.
Click here for a video!
“Fat Bottomed Girls” Queen+Adam Lambert July 26, 2014
