I remember the build up to MTV’s launch and watching in awe that first day, August 1, 1981. I was almost 8-years-old and I thought it was the coolest thing ever, because let's face it, it was. Toni Basil’s “Mickey,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days”, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing", or anything by Madonna, the videos, as much as the songs, would become a part of my adolescence.  I don’t know exactly why I stopped watching—probably because I didn’t have cable in my dorm room at college and I never got into Beavis and Butthead. But I do know what has changed, and …

It was 42 years ago today, July 20, 1969, that the world watched in awe as NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Right behind him was Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr., a native of Essex County (Montclair to be exact).What Armstrong said—“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”—is one of the most memorable quotes in U.S. history.As Armstrong placed the American flag on the moon in the Sea of Tranquility, a NASA employee back in Houston said, “I guess you are the only person around that doesn’t have TV coverage of the scene.”Although not as …

When the Black Maria Film & Video Festival stopped in Caldwell last year, Breaking Boundaries, a documentary by Montclair filmmaker Dennis Connors, was one of the featured selections from the juried international festival.  The film about Alex Masket, an artist from New Jersey who happens to be autistic, was among the many memorable works shown that afternoon. It was no surprise this one in particular went on to win numerous awards at other juried festivals around the country.  So with the Black Maria rolling into Caldwell Saturday for the third consecutive year, I can't help but wonder what …

It's somewhat difficult to understand poverty unless you have seen it with your own eyes. Michael Kambourakis, owner of Terzako Furs in Caldwell, has witnessed the reality of being poor in the Dominican Republican up close. The furrier has made it his life's mission to bring aid to the poorest people of this country. I had heard about his efforts in the Dominican Republic—made in conjunction with The Rotary Club of the Caldwells—to send regular shipments of food, clothing and medical supplies from his Bloomfield Avenue shop every week. But it wasn't until recently, when I walked into …