Easter

Giotto di Bondone

Resurrection (Noli me tangere)
Scenes from the Life of Christ, 1304-1306
Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy

April Recycling Dates

The recycling dates in Princeton Landing for April are the 8th and the 22nd. There is also a link to these dates in the right-hand column under Popular Posts.

Good Friday

Giotto di Bondone

Lamentation

Scenes from the Life of Christ, 1304–1306

Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy

Sea-Fever

by John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted         knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Photo: Ehsan Khakbaz

Palm Sunday

Giotto di Bondone

Entry into Jerusalem
Scenes from the Life of Christ, 1304-1306
Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy

Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe

1930 – 2013

This is what I try to tell my students: this is one great thing that literature can do — it can make us identify with situations and people far away. If it does that, it's a miracle. I tell my students, it's not difficult to identify with somebody like yourself, somebody next door who looks like you. What's more difficult is to identify with someone you don't see, who's very far away, who's a different color, who eats a different kind of food. When you begin to do that then literature is really performing its wonders.

— from an interview in The Atlantic, August 2, 2000

Photo: Craig Ruttle/AP

Sign of Spring

When Superstorm Sandy came through Princeton last October, a tree that local Bald Eagles had used for nesting for several years blew down. PLNews reader Renee alerted us to another large nest and sure enough a female Bald Eagle is nesting there now—a sure sign of spring in our area.

Call the Midwife Update

All six episodes from Season 1 of Call the Midwife are now posted on the PBS website. Season 2 premieres Sunday, March 31, 2013—so if you want to catch up, there's still plenty of time.

Photo: Neal Street Productions/PBS

Hillary Clinton Endorses Same-Sex Marriage

Former Secretary of State and potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her support for same-sex marriage in a video posted today by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group. In the video she says, "L.G.B.T. Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones, and they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citzenship. That includes marriage."

Hillary Clinton was a strong supporter of gay rights during her tenure at the State Department. Under her watch, the US government made it official policy to promote gay rights around the world.

Saint Patrick's Day

Photos: Juergen Mangelsdorf

Monasterboice is a monastic site north of Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was founded in the late 5th century by Saint Buithe, a follower of Saint Patrick, and became an important center of religion and learning in the 10th century. The impressive ruins of Monasterboice include a large cemetery that was one of the longest working burial grounds in the world, two  10th century churches and one of the tallest round towers in Ireland. But it is best known for its three 10th century High Crosses, two of which are considered to be the finest High Crosses in Ireland.

The beautiful High Crosses are an example of Celtic art that brought the Bible to life for those who could not read. The crosses—created for education, not for decoration—taught the people about the Bible through their carvings depicting stories from the Old and New Testament. Muiredach's Cross (also known as South Cross) is regarded as the finest High Cross in all of Ireland. It is named for an abbot mentioned in the inscription on the base. The West Cross (also known as Tall Cross) is the tallest High Cross in Ireland. The North Cross is much simpler and has only a few carvings.

The photos in the slideshow above are by photographer Juergen Mangelsdorf. They show the historic ruins of Monasterboice including details of Muiredach's Cross and the West Cross, the cemetery, church ruins and the round tower. (To replay the slideshow, click the arrow once and wait for it to load.)

Call the Midwife

Have you gotten hooked on Call the Midwife? This BBC period drama series is written by Heidi Thomas and based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth (who had been involved in writing the script and selecting the actresses but sadly died of cancer just days before filming began). Call the Midwife premiered in the UK in January 2012 and  in the US on PBS  last September to wide critical acclaim. 

The story is set in London's East End in the 1950s and follows a community of delightful and exceptional midwives and nursing nuns. The heartfelt—often heartbreaking—plots follow nurse and newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee and other midwives and nuns of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent that copes with medical problems in a poor neighborhood called Poplar. The show stars (left to right above) Laura Main, Helen George, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Jenny Agutter and Bryony Hannah—with narrator Vanessa Redgrave as the voice of the mature Jenny.

PBS has a website where you can find information about the show and watch the first 3 episodes of the first season for a limited time. Season 2 will premiere on PBS on Sunday, March 31. Here's a preview.

Photo: BBC

Happy Birthday, Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein

March 14, 1879   Ulm, Germany

April 18, 1955     Princeton, NJ

                                                                                                  Photo: Sophie Delar

Smoke and Mirrors

Black smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel Tuesday night, signaling that the College of Cardinals did not elect a new pope on the first day of the conclave.

Closer to home, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (Republican–Wisconsin) made a slip of the tongue while railing against President Obama's health care law during the unveiling of his new budget proposal today.

Spring Ahead

Remember to move your clocks ahead one hour tonight. Daylight saving time begins at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 10.

Celebrate Pi Day — Eat Pie!

Click here for more information about this event or call McCaffrey's at 609-683-1600. No advance registration is required. Contestants should arrive by 10:15 am and report to the second floor inside McCaffrey's. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, or 3.14, the numerical equivalent of Pi. Princeton celebrates this coincidence with Pi Day events all around town. For more about Pi Day 2013, visit the Pi Day Princeton website.

President Signs Violence Against Women Act

Today President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act during a ceremony in Washington.

Photo:  AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta

March Recycling Dates

The recycling dates in Princeton Landing for March are the 11th and the 25th. There is also a link to these dates in the right-hand column under Popular Posts.