Highlights of the Week: NJ’s Changing Climate, Mediumship Demonstration, Get Your Woman On & More!

4/18 | NJ’s Changing Climate 

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Dr. David Robinson was met with an incredibly interested audience for his  informative and engaging talk on NJ’s changing weather. He touched upon potential climate change impacts on health, agriculture, water and other natural resources, species, and other areas. Dr. Robinson spoke about different factors affecting climate change, saying, “Preponderance of evidence suggests climate change is occurring  and humans are responsible for a significant portion of recent changes.” 

Dr. Robinson ended the presentation by providing information and brochures on how interested individuals of all ages can contribute to the monitoring of weather/climate conditions in the local region by participating in the Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network (Cocorahs is a community based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation).

He also gave a list of useful websites to check out for anyone interested in learning more:

 

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4/25 | Little Bookworms – Grades K-1

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We all know that with April, comes the rain. After sharing stories about clouds, Miss Gina taught the class the science behind rain clouds. See the cloud rain!

 


 

4/26 | Mediumship Demonstration

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Ordained Spiritual Medium and author of the book Speaking From Spirit, RoseMarie Rubinetti Cappiello gave a talk on mediumship to a crowd of ninety-eight people.
A professional in her field, Rosemarie conducts classes at different locations on various spiritual, psychic and energetic topics. She has done thousands of private medium readings and demonstrations throughout NJ, NY, and Conn. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University, teaching yoga in the Phys. Ed. Dept.
For the demonstrations, Rosemarie asked the audience if anyone had ever gone to a medium, and several in the audience raised their hands. She passed the microphone around to a few people who then briefly relayed their experiences. After, she began to tune into the energy around her and said she felt that someone named Daria was speaking to her. One woman responded that it was her deceased aunt.
Another instance of this was when a Chinese woman stood up and asked if Rosemary could sense anything about her. Rosemary said that either she or someone in the family was artistic. The Chinese woman then exclaimed that her brother did calligraphy, and in the eyes of her parents, was “the perfect son.”

4/30 | Get Your Woman On

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Did you know that isolation can quickly turn into loneliness? Doctors, scientists, researchers and educators are paying close attention. In fact, loneliness has been penned “the next epidemic”, and is directly linked to a whole host of health issues, including dementia and mortality. This inspirational talk by Carol Kasperowitz, a renowned motivational speaker, Founder of Retreats Women Want, Life Coach, and Teacher of the Year, mainly focused on how women in their 50s and beyond can avoid the mistake of being afflicted by loneliness in their later years.

Carol spoke about how being alone, or a “homebody,” can be dangerous for women as they get older. She has found that when women age, their motivation, desire, ability and confidence to meet new friends and form connections, wane.

In her own words: “The older people get, the more isolated they become. The physical changes are just a part of it. Children and grandchildren move on, friends can no longer be relied on for connection, because they too, are transitioning to changes. Spouses pass away, or there may be conflict with children.”

 

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Carol encouraged the women in attendance to become “doers”:

  • They’re patient: Friendship takes time and effort!
  • Avoids watching TV during the day.
  • Notices patterns in journal when bored.
  • Phones at least 1 person a day. Avoids texting.
  • “Comments,” Doesn’t “like” (on FaceBook).
  • Volunteers, gets involved and feels needed.
  • Schedules friendship dates on calendar.
  • Goes outside, exercises at least once a day.
  • Has courage to be imperfect.

Her tips for being physically and socially active:

  • Walk outside every day
  • Wave to your neighbors
  • Join a gym/yoga/meditate
  • Go to the local pub
  • Volunteer. Donate. Cook something for someone.
  • Go dancing
  • Host a fundraiser event
  • Have a girlfriend sleep-over
  • Go hiking, camping, trailing
  • Sign up for a class/event/retreat
  • Look at a stranger, smile, and hold it
  • Plant flowers, vegetables, herbs
  • Work that core and exercise!
  • Join a book club
  • Meet with congregation after church

 


 

5/1 | Yakety Yak

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Eleven second and third-graders enjoyed discussing Debbi Michiko Florence’s Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Queen.  In the story, Jasmine is determined to help pound the sweet rice so that it can be used to make a dessert called mochi, even though her family tells her that she is too young.  

Amanda and the children discussed rules and whether or not they agreed with Jasmine that this rule was unfair. Half the children felt that it was okay to limit some activities for certain ages, while others thought there should be no age limits.  Amanda and the children compared how Jasmine imagined mochi pounding to be to what actually happened when she was allowed to pound the mochi. For the activity, Amanda guided the children in using mochi flour (no mochi pounding!), sugar, and water to make the recipe found at the end of the book.  Everyone agreed that it was delicious!

 


 

5/2 | Little Bookworms – Grades K-1

Miss Gina shared stories about sunflowers, including the gorgeously illustrated Sunflower House by Eve Bunting, the cumulative rhyming tale that takes you through the life of a sunflower, day & night, This is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer, and the warmhearted, humorous story, South African tale, Gift of the Sun: A Tale From South Africa written by Dianne Stewart.

The group enjoyed making beautiful sunflower paintings. They used recycled paper towel tubes dipped in yellow paint to create the flower petals and added their creativity to make the art their own.

***This was the final Little Bookworms class of the Spring. Look for another six-week session this Fall!

 

Message from the Director: The Missing Stories

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Dear Livingston Library Community,

Is the name Anandibai Joshee familiar to you?  I’ll confess, I had not heard it before.  Anandibai Joshee’s story is one of bravery and determination.  A young woman from a small city in western India, she traveled thousands of miles eventually arriving in Roselle, NJ.  In 1883 she became the first South Asian woman in the world with a degree in western medicine.  Yet despite trailblazing work, her inspirational story lives in relative anonymity.

On Saturday, May 12th at 3 pm, join us for the final installment of our 2018 Livingston Listens series-The Missing Stories, presented and led by Samip Mallick, co-founder of the South Asian American Digital Archive.  South Asians have been a presence in the US for more than 130 years, but their stories are mostly unknown.  We will learn more about Dr. Joshee and engage in an interactive discussion about underrepresented populations, specifically examining South Asians.

I am looking forward to this enlightening afternoon full of conversation about how sharing community stories can help create a more inclusive future.

All the best,
Amy