‘Joe Mahoney’ and Punxsutawney Paparazzi, from Morristown cartoonist Matt Keown

This week’s Mahoney:  Punxsutawney Paparazzi

Don’t forget, Mahoniacs, you can read Joe Mahoney every day at JoeMahoneyComics.com

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Joe Mahoney is about a powerful and driven CEO struggling to groom his free-spirit son to someday take over the family business. Matt believes in Mahonifest Destiny, which is the view that all literate Americans from sea to shining sea should read Joe Mahoney every week. He brings this comic to MG with hopes of converting the good citizens of Morristown into Mahoniacs.

Video: Webisode 2 of ‘Elliot Baxter,’ from Morristown High’s Zaji Zabalerio

Back in December, Zaji Zabalerio introduced us to the trials and tribulations of Elliot Baxter, a “smart but socially awkward student” played by Morristown High School junior Rob Carroll.

Elliot is back in webisode 2, which features guest appearances by Vice Principal Mike Bruchac and English teacher George LaVigne.

And once again, you can vote on where the action leads next.

Keep ‘em coming, Zaji!

MORE ON MHS FILMMAKER ZAJI ZABALERIO

Want to enter law enforcement? Check out these Morris talks

Ever fancied a career in law enforcement? You can learn more at a series of free talks presented by the Morris County Prosecutors Office, starting on Feb. 1.

The first of eight presentations deals with…presentation: How to dress for success and communicate effectively when pursuing a job.

Subsequent sessions through April 4 will cover mock crime-scene investigations, search warrants, canine explosives detection training, and more. A career development certificate will be presented to those who attend five required lectures.

All talks start at 6 pm at the Morris County Public Safety Academy on West Hanover Avenue in Parsippany. To register, call the County College of Morris at 973-328-5245.

 

New Morris County Bar Association president calls for outreach to Hispanic community

The Morris County Bar Association’s service projects this year will include outreach to the Hispanic community and help for self-represented people in family law disputes in Superior Court, announced new association President Allan J. Iskra at his installation dinner earlier this month.

The Morristown-based association also will continue its partnership with Legal Services of Northwest New Jersey, said the attorney from Parsippany. Here is the formal announcement.

FROM THE MORRIS COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION:

Morris County Bar President Announced as Year of Service

Parsippany attorney, Allan J. Iskra was installed as President of the 1100 member Morris County Bar Association at a dinner held in his honor at the Meadow Woods Manor in Randolph on January 19, 2012. Assignment Judge Thomas Weisenbeck administered the oath of office to Mr. Iskra and the other members of the Morris County Bar Association Board of Trustees.

Allan Iskra has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris County Bar Association and in every leadership position of the Board as well as having served as President of the Morris County Bar Foundation. He served as the Chair of the District X Fee Arbitration Committee 2006-2007. Mr. Iskra has served on the Board of Trustees for many non-profit organizations and is presently a Member of the Board of Trustees of Legal Services of Northwest Jersey Inc. He is an adjunct Professor at The County College of Morris and has lectured elsewhere on numerous topics. Mr. Iskra is a graduate of St Louis University School of Law and practices law in Parsippany, New Jersey at Schonwald & Iskra. He served as a Morris County Assistant Prosecutor for seven years. He had previously served as a Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor for two and a half years and a Passaic County Assistant Prosecutor for five years. He was the recipient of the Equal Justice Award, presented by Legal Aid Services and the New Jersey State Bar Association in May, 2008.

Mr. Iskra announced a year of service to his colleagues at the Installation Dinner. The year will include outreach to the Hispanic Community, service to the self represented litigants in the Family Law Division of the Morris County Superior Court and continued partnership with Legal Services of Northwest New Jersey.

The following attorneys will also serve on the Morris County Bar Association’s Board of Trustees: Mark Wechsler, President Elect; John P. Robertson, II, First-Vice President; Diana C. Manning, Second Vice-Presidentl Robin C. Bogan, Treasurer; Patrick Galligan, Secretary; and Brian J. Fruehling, Immediate Past President and Trustees, Joseph Cadicina, Christopher Garibian; Stephanie Frangos Hagan, Julian L. Hill, Kurt Krauss, Devanshu Modi, James Porfido, Patricia Roche, Jane Simpson, John Paul Velez, Jennifer McAndrew Vuotto, Linda Mainenti Walsh, Timothy Ford and Melissa Ruvolo, Young Lawyer Co-Chairs and William Krais (N.J. State Bar Trustee).

Established in 1900, the Morris County Bar Association’s membership is comprised of 1100 Morris County attorneys and judges. The objectives of the organization are to maintain the honor and dignity of the profession of law; to promote an understanding of the law and its application in society; to foster the due administration of justice; and to promote the capacity of the Bar for public service; and to support the objectives and goals of its charitable “arm,” the Morris County Bar Foundation.

 

Homeless Solutions in Morristown welcomes three new board members

Sally Muscarella, James Fleischmann and George “Buddy” Scott are the newest board members of Homeless Solutions Inc., the Morristown-based nonprofit that operates a homeless shelter and builds affordable housing in Morris County.

Congratulations to them, and to Homeless Solutions. Here are biographies of the new trustees, from the nonprofit.

FROM HOMELESS SOLUTIONS INC.:

Homeless Solutions Welcomes Three New Board Members

Sally Muscarella currently owns a consulting company, Interactive Media Associates, Inc.  She is the former CEO and owner of Imedia inc., a digital marketing agency.  Sally spent 21 years at AT&T, serving as a Planning and Product Management VP and in operations, marketing and customer service positions. She received an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from Simmons College.  Sally has served as Warden for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in and is active in a variety of community organizations.  She currently resides in Morristown and has two daughters, Anne and Nicole.

James Fleischmann is a semi-retired Financial Professional who spent his career in Portfolio Management & Investment Analysis. Jim was most recently Head of Domestic Equities for TIAA-CREF and prior to that, worked at Salomon Brothers.   He holds an MBA from Penn State, a BA from the University of Pittsburgh and served in the US Coast Guard. Jim serves on the Finance Committee of the Summit Area YMCA. Jim and his wife, Lynn Rogerson, reside in Summit.

George “Buddy” Scott is a Managing Director & Head of Strategy & Corporate Development for Prudential International Investments.  Prior to this, he was a Vice President at Deutsche Banc Alex Brown in a Private Equity Division focused on early stage venture capital investments. Buddy began his career at Ernst & Young where he provided a broad range of professional services to clients primarily in the capital markets and banking industries.  Buddy received a BS from Rutgers University and an MBA from New York University and is also a CPA.  He currently resides in Morristown with his wife Karen and their three children.

 

 

 

Generic competition hurts Pfizer’s fourth quarter revenue and its bottom line

The maker of Viagra said today that net income was $1.44 billion, or 19 cents per share, down from $2.89 billion, or 36 cents per share, a year earlier.

New program aims to help Morristown 5th graders SOAR

Sebastian, a 5th-grader from the Sussex Avenue School, dreams of being a soccer player when he grows up.  But right now he has a more urgent goal: He wants to read at the 6th-grade level.

Luckily, Sebastian has his very own reading coach.

Her name is Sarah Bechtel, one of 17 students from the College of Saint Elizabeth who are volunteering as tutors in a new program called SOAR.

For the next 12 weeks, Sarah and her classmates will spend two afternoons a week giving one-to-one tutoring in math and literacy to Morristown 5th graders, to help prepare them for middle school next year.

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SOAR stands for Student Outreach and Academic Reinforcement Tutoring, a partnership between the Morris School District and the college that was forged by Pastor Sidney Williams Jr. of Morristown’s Bethel AME Church and his wife, Teresa Williams, executive director of a new nonprofit, the Spring Street Community Development Corp.

“He’s the initiator and I’m the completer,” Teresa said with a laugh.

The tutoring will occur next to the church in a building the corporation has leased from the town of Morristown. SOAR is part of a CDC operation called the Family Success Center. On Monday evenings, the 5th graders and their parents will be required to attend a dinner where relationships and family issues crucial to education will be discussed.

“You can do all the tutoring you want. But if the family’s not involved, that’s not a good thing,” said Teresa, who expects SOAR to be a “win-win for everyone.”

Morris Schools Superintendent Thomas Ficarra attended Monday’s program kickoff and invited the Saint Elizabeth students to pursue education careers in the district. Tutoring “shows you care, and have experience with children,” he said.

The superintendent also praised Pastor Williams for putting together a program “that harkens back to the phrase, ‘It takes a village’ . . .  If the kids receive the tutoring and homework help that’s planned, this can’t help but be a success.”

Fifth graders in SOAR are kids who “need a boost,” said Andy Williams, K-5 curriculum director for the Morris district. Along with textbooks, he dispensed some guidance to the Saint Elizabeth recruits: Speak like academics to the 5th graders. No buddy stuff. No Facebook friending. Keep it formal. And talk up the college experience. Let the kids know it’s within reach.

“That’s where you want them to be,” said Andy, a native of Liverpool, England, who was the first member of his family to attend college.

Teachers from the district will stop by on a regular basis to work with the tutors, he added. These 5th graders also receive tutoring at their schools. And SOAR will offer Saturday sessions for kids who miss their weekday tutoring.

The youngsters’ progress in school will be monitored to gauge SOAR’s impact, said Pastor Williams, who doubled as a van driver on Monday to transport the tutors from their Madison campus.  SOAR has a $2,800 grant from Family to Family, an organization that promotes better communication between parents and children, said the Pastor. The church will cover any additional costs, he said.

After a round of introductions, the 5th graders randomly chose their tutors by picking numbers.

For their efforts, some of the Saint Elizabeth students will be paid through the school’s work-study program. Others are volunteering for academic credit, said Nanette Spedden, director of the Center for Volunteerism and Service Learning at college.

The young ladies come from diverse backgrounds. For Nesha Hampton, a business major, tutoring will be a new experience. “It’s scary!” she said.

Zakiya Stewart, a sophomore studying food nutrition, already has spent time helping her younger brother with his homework. “He wasn’t easy to tutor,” she said. “It taught me the virtue of patience.”

Freshman Nkiruka Ogbozor agreed that patience is the key; she learned that lesson working in summer camps.

“You can’t do this for the money. You have to be here because you like to do this,” said Njeri Johnson, a freshman who plans to major in math with a  minor in education.  She has tutored 7th- and 8th graders.

“It’s hard at first. But it gets easier,” Njeri said. “You have to set a boundary when you meet them. We’re close to their age. But we’re the tutors and they’re the students.”

As for sophomore Sarah Bechtel, she looks forward to “trying something new” and tasting life as an English teacher.

She will be tested by her very first pupil.

“At the end of this program I want to read at least a year ahead of my class,” said Sebastian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go, Jersey Giants! Super best wishes from Morristown cartoonist Paul Laud

Laudable Inkworks

Welcome to another episode from Morristown cartoonist Paul Laud.

This week: Go, NJ Giants!

Paul Laud is the author of ‘Laughing Out Laud, Tripping Over Party Lines’!

And check out our podcast with Paul.

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Video: Bedside Manner 101, doctors break bad news in Morristown

Nobody likes receiving bad news. It’s no fun delivering it, either, especially when the news involves ailing children.

Yet it’s part of the job if you’re a doctor in the field of pediatrics. Goryeb Children’s Hospital at the Morristown Medical Center has started an innovative program to help young doctors improve their bedside manner.

Breaking Bad News is a role-playing exercise involving actors from the Chatham Players. They portray parents receiving grim diagnoses about their children from doctors at the hospital.

The scenarios feel painfully real, as you can see in this video.

Sessions are videotaped and doctors’ performances are critiqued by a team led by Dr. Anthony Orsini, a neonatologist. Doctors Colin O’Reilly and Sunitha Sara John assisted him at recent sessions.

“It’s important to come across as someone who is knowledgeable about the problem, someone who knows how to help with the problem, and someone who cares,” explained Dr. Orsini.

There is no textbook approach; every situation is unique, added Dr. O’Reilly. “It’s an art form,” he said.

We watched a second-year resident, Dr. Christine Seminara, deliver stark news to parents played by actors Leslie Reagoso and Kevin Bohl.  The session was coordinated by Bleu Moon, an advertising agency from Butler.

The actors gave intense performances that made everyone in the room quickly forget that this was make-believe. Dr. Seminara held herself together better than we would have done, though she acknowledged it was not easy.

“I have to say that when I left the room, I started tearing as well,” she said. “I think it’s important for patients to have a doctor that’s in control of the situation and is empathetic, but is not fully taken away by emotions. But I can’t say that I don’t feel it just like they do.”

 

Morristown museum offers a Valentine from Thomas Nast

By Aaron Karlsruher

Thomas Nast was one of America’s most influential political cartoonists. But he had a softer side, too, and it will be on display in Morristown just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Throughout February, the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum will be offering viewers a rare chance to see Nast’s original engraving entitled St. Valentine’s-Day.  First published on the cover of the weekly Hearth and Home: For the Farm, Garden, And Fireside in 1869, Nast’s engraving depicts a little girl, modeled after Nast’s own daughter Julia, reading her Valentine’s Day cards.

Best known for his political cartoons and contributions to Harper’s Weekly during the second half of the 19th century, Thomas Nast has been credited with creating the Republican and Democratic parties’ iconic mascots, the elephant and donkey, as well as Uncle Sam, and our modern day version of Santa Claus.

Featured in more than 65 periodicals, Nast’s drawings helped bring down Boss Tweed, the corrupt New York City commissioner of public works. They also contributed to the rise of our 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, whom Nast called a close friend.

More than a century after his death, Nast remains controversial: The Star-Ledger reports that the former Morristown resident failed to make the cut for the New Jersey Hall of Fame for the third straight year.

Some politicians and Irish groups have opposed inducting Nast because of cartoons that were anti-Irish and anti-Catholic, though Nast’s defenders say his beef was with Irish supporters of New York’s Tammany Hall political machine.

Nast moved to Morristown in 1872 Nast and toured the United States as a lecturer and sketch-artist until his death in 1902.

In addition to Nast’s St. Valentine’s-Day piece, the Macculloch Hall Historical Society will be displaying The Original Thomas Nast, an exhibit showcasing rarely seen oil paintings and copper engravings by Nast. They display a side of Nast that has largely gone unrecognized until now, according to the museum.

The Macculloch Hall Historical Museum is in Morristown’s National Historic District at 45 Macculloch Ave. and is open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.  Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for Seniors and Students, $4 for children 6-12, and free for Members and children under 5.  For more details call 973-538-2404 or visit maccullochhall.org.

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