Calder Jewlery

On Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful exhibition of jewelry designed and crafted by renowned American sculptor Alexander Calder. This exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Museum dramatic new Perelman Building is a "must see."

Recognized as one of America’s most innovative modern artists, Alexander Calder (1898–1976) redefined sculpture through his iconic mobiles, stabiles, and the popular Cirque Calder. Calder’s work in metal jewelry, however, is one form of his artistic output that is less known. Throughout his life, the artist produced more than 1,800 jewelry works of art, each made entirely by hand. This is the first exhibition devoted exclusively to his unique body of jewelry work, and consists of approximately one hundred objects, including necklaces, bracelets, brooches, earrings, and tiaras.
Calder’s love of abstraction was incorporated into all of his sculptural work, and his jewelry was no exception—it is this abstraction that sets the jewelry apart.

Calder created personalized pieces of jewelry for family, friends, and acquaintances by incorporating monograms or shaping names into decorative patterns. He also displayed and sold his jewelry through trunk shows and gallery exhibits. His well-designed jewelry, made of nonprecious materials, was reasonably priced; however, Calder’s distinctive jewelry was not conventional adornment for the average woman.

This is a huge and varied exhibition of some of the most unusual jewelry you will ever see. But hurry, the exhibition closes on November 2.

Invade Pakistan?

A debate observation from an ever-perceptive friend:
This whole thing is sooooo utterly ridiculous -- that Obama is strong on defense because he wants to go after terrorists in Pakistan!
Ridiculous!
He's calling for an invasion of Pakistan.
You cannot attack a soverign country on any grounds -- the international and diplomatic implications are insane.
But the media don't care because of a tacit understanding that it is just something Obama is saying and has no intention of doing -- and they are probably right. This is Obama's way of trying to court the people who cling "to religion and guns."
And the press is giving him a pass on it! The media essentially are in on it and are just the mouthpiece of the Obama campaign. No questions asked!
If McCain has said this the headline would be "McCain Calls for Invasion of Pakistan"

Brokaw: Disaster

Tom Brokaw was a disaster last night.
A disaster.
Look, this is a rule none of us should forget: Know when to move on. In your career, in your life, in everything you undertake you must never overstay your welcome. If you do, you run the very real risk of becoming stale and out of touch.
As time goes on you become a not-very-kind charicature of yourself.
Brokaw, a former NBC anchorman, needs to move on. He should not be moderating presidential debates. He was awkward, wooden and unable to control the flow of discussion.
For now, Brokaw should stick to writing books.
As for the audience, they were not much better. Audience members sat there like a bunch of deer in headlights.
The setting was uninspired and the questions were dumb.
The whole thing was stilted and the evening was b-o-r-i-n-g.
If you missed it, consider yourself lucky.

McC Help In Michigan

The battle for Michigan’s 17 electoral votes in the presidential race is far from over, as an aggressive new effort to defeat the Obama/Biden campaign in the Great Lake State has been announced.
The Our Country Deserves Better Committee (www.OurCountryDeservesBetter.com), a registered federal political action committee, is launching a $500,000+ effort against Obama’s Michigan campaign. The effort will combine a statewide television advertising campaign with a “Stop Obama” tour across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas that will include pro-McCain/Palin and anti-Obama/Biden rallies in 8 Michigan cities including: Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Alpena, Sault Ste. Marie, Marquette and Iron Mountain.
The Our Country Deserves Better PAC is launching efforts against the Obama/Biden campaign in support of the McCain/Palin campaign in several key swing states including: Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. But Michigan has become the committee’s #1-priority.
“Senator Obama doesn’t represent change at all for Michigan. His high-tax, anti-business policies have already been implemented by the failed regime of Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm, and we don’t need any more of that,” said Howard Kaloogian, Chairman of the Our Country Deserves Better Committee.
“Is it any wonder that the person who advised the Obama/Biden ticket on how to sell the same failed liberal policies in their debate prep was none other than the Tax Queen herself, Gov. Granholm? To think Obama and Biden had Granholm playing the role of Gov. Sarah Palin in their mock debates, when Palin is a popular governor who has overseen economic growth, tax cuts, and prosperity for the people of Alaska, while Gov. Granholm has presided over a exodus of people, businesses and jobs from the state of Michigan,” said Kaloogian
“We’ve seen the disaster that Michigan’s Democrat Governor, Democrat Lieutenant Governor, two Democrat U.S. Senators, and corrupt Democrat Mayor of Detroit have brought to the state. The tax-and-spend, anti-business policies have helped to create a one-state depression, which we cannot allow to be turned into a national depression under the same policies supported by Barack Obama,” Kaloogian said.

Fight Is On!

It was inevitable.
Even before you begin to criticize Obama he cries "Smear!"
And he's been doing it for a long time.
Obama wails like a baby whenever you try to ask about Ayers or Rezko or Pfleger or Wright or Walsh or any of the many questionable characters and activities in Obama's past.
He doesn't answer. He doesn't explain.
He simply name calls and cries "Foul!"
It's preemptive, calculated, sneaky and hypocritical.
Here's my message to Obama & Co: All's fair in love and war. And politics ain't love.
When you question John McCain's stability and his health; when you mock his success; when you demean his accomplishments and belittle his Democrat friends; when you go after his wife and his home and you question his intelligence and lampoon his age, you better be ready to answer a few questions yourself.
Because you've already been in the mud yourself.
So, get used to it.
This fight is on.

Con Brio!

For the second time in as many weeks we dined at Brio Tuscan Grille at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill this weekend. In Italian brio (freely translated) means gusto or liveliness. To "do it with brio" (con brio) means to do it with spirit.

On a Saturday night Brio was lively and crowded. But our reservation was honored promptly and we were seated at a cozy booth along the far wall. This is a classy restaurant but the prices remain competitive and the service is excellent.

The atmosphere is old-world but updated. You won't find many red sauce dishes on Brio's eclectic menu.

And the most important part - the food - was simply wonderful in every respect: wedge and chopped salads, rich lasagna, shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta, and roasted salmon - all superb. Portions were significant without being overwhelming. And every part of the service was nicely timed and paced.

'Attention Whore'

Bruce Springsteen is a self-proclaimed "attention whore."
Yesterday he performed at a Big Political Rally in Philadelphia and I don't think I have to tell you which candidate he's backing.
The multi-zillionaire Springsteen specializes in a very thin, one-note repertoire of music focusing on faux-blue collar woes, class warfare and nostalgia for a time and place that (thank God) never really existed.
Springsteen has made a fortune off of the sorry state of others.
How he ever became "The Boss" of anything is beyond me. He's a beat up old rocker whose glory days are clearly behind him.
Message to the Springsteen devotees: look forward, grow up, get out of high school, face life and accept responsibility.

Love, Laughter and Light!

Over the weekend we attended a gala fund raiser for the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation held at the beautiful Tavistock Country Club in the tiny community of Tavistock adjacent to historic Haddonfield.
Tavistock's spectacular view and leafy setting makes it one of the most appealing spots in the region and the Lauran Rose Albert Foundation dedicates itself to helping less fortunate young women who need a hand in completing their educations. The Foundation also reaches out to single mothers through its generous and caring Mothers Matter campaign.
Our dear fiends Susan and Stuart Rose have been the guiding forces behind the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation which was established in memory of their daughter.
Lauren grew up in Woodmere, N.Y. and Cherry Hill, N.J. with her parents and her younger sisters Jackie, Amy and Elizabeth. She was the wife of Dr. Todd Albert and the mother of Stuart, Elliot and Emily.
On February 18, 1999 Lauren was a passenger in a vehicle that tumbled down a hillside in Morocco, killing her. She was only 40.
For her parents, sisters, friends and colleagues – and for her own family – Lauren was an inspiration. She had integrity, self-discipline and strength of character; she always spoke up and stood up for what she believed was right. And she fought for her beliefs with determination and dignity.
These are the qualities that inspire the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation.
Established in 2000, this private, not-for-profit organization offers women’s community service and educational programs that reflect the credo that Mothers Matter – a tribute to a mother’s love – helping needy women and their children; a cause close to Lauren’s heart.
It was such a joy to share an evening with Susan, Stuart, other family members and all those who remember Lauren with their love, generosity and caring.
Bravo to the lauren Rose Albert Foundation!

Lights For The Cure

Carole Cirucci tells us that Wednesday's gala "Lights for the Cure" event at Loews Philadelphia Hotel was wonderful with the weather clearing just in time for participants to view the city's skyline lit in pink for breast cancer awareness month.

Lights for the Cure is the local campaign begun in 2002 by CBS 3 (KYW-TV) and the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise awareness about breast cancer. It reaches a milestone this month as more than 100 buildings and landmarks in three states participate in the campaign. Businesses and landmarks in the Philadelphia area, New Jersey and Delaware are turning the skyline pink for the seventh year in a row in an effort to encourage women to schedule a mammogram.

“CBS 3 made a commitment to Susan G. Komen for the Cure 18 years ago that we would be in this fight with them to the end,” says President and General Manager Michael Colleran, “and while we’ve seen a huge amount of progress since then, our work is not done yet.”
“While there has been much good news in the fight against breast cancer in the last two decades, the fact remains that more than 2,000 women in Pennsylvania will die of this disease this year alone,” says Elaine I. Grobman, executive director of the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “Lights for the Cure” is a billboard reminder that is literally as big as the sky to get your mammograms.”
CBS 3, led by its breast cancer team, “The Women of Eyewitness News,” will be on-air and in the community with the message to stay vigilant in the fight against breast cancer throughout the month as part of the station’s ongoing breast cancer awareness campaign.

Our congratulations to the indefatigable Joanne Calabria of CBS3 who spearheaded this campaign and continues to be a driving force in the fight against breast cancer and so many other community outreach programs. Joanne is a Philadelphia native and a member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame. Her energy, talent and friendship are nothing less than inspiring.

CBS 3 and Susan G. Komen for the Cure acknowledge the support of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and philly.com, their media partners. Lights for the Cure is proudly sponsored by Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Burlington Coat Factory. The Loews Philadelphia Hotel and Fairmount Park have also provided support for this campaign.

Up, Down Or Sideways?

It's an endless dilemma.
Side by side or up and down?
I used to be side by side. It was nice at first. And it seemed convenient. Plus, it was trendy.
But it didn't work out.
Over time, I found it to be too confining -- not flexible or adaptable enough. I wasn't able to spread out, to be expansive, to use my imagination. Yes, there's was always a downside to side by side.
So, now I'm up and down. And I find it doesn't test my agility nearly as much as I feared.
I'm still able to get what I want and enjoy what I like. In fact, all of my special treats are right there where I want them. And so what if I have to bend and twist a bit more. I find it's worth it, especially since the lower extremities glide with a newfound ease.
Sometimes you just have to break old patterns and try new positions.
And for me (for us, really) it has worked.
What was once ordinary, confining and dreary is now full, open and adventurous.
It's a real eye-opener: brighter, fuller, happier.
Yes, I love my new up and down refrigerator with the convenient freezer/drawer on the lower level and eye-level access to refrigerated items above.
And I don't know how I ever lived all those years with that stupid old side by side.
Who knew?