Rich Monetti
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I am, I write.
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'Is Anybody There' with Michael Caine Jerks Tears Across Intergenerational Relationships and Into the Afterlife
This past Sunday director John Crowley, Sir Michael Caine and his 14 year old co-star Bill Milner appeared at Jacob Burns Film Center with a screening of their new independent film, Is Anybody There? Wanting to do something seen through the eyes of a child, Mr. Crowley knew he had his idea when discussing the intergenerational upbringing friend and screenwriter Peter Harness.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Geeks
With a Smile, Tarrytown Doctor Goes Overseas and Changes Children's Lives
Photo by ResoluteSupportMedia A look back at Dr. Michael Koch's efforts with Smile Train. When we as workers run up against those stretches where 12 hour days are the norm, the ending is a welcome feeling. Tarrytown ’s Dr. Michael Koch can count on a two week period like that every year but leaving these long days behind is actually the hardest part. “If you could stay longer, you would,” said Dr. Koch.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Longevity
Part III: Snippets of Somers Teachers
Mr. Delafield Mr Delafield was a little scary. He looked like Boris Karloff after all. He also had really bad handwriting and then stuck his fingers into a snow blower. Then he had really, really bad hand writing. But our 8th grade science teacher pulled off one of the most remarkable social experiments right under our noses.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Education
Students Square Off in Debate at Byram Hills High School
Last Friday night Byram Hills High School hosted a debate with students from Yale and Princeton and five area high schools. Armed with their intellect, oratory abilities and deductive reasoning skills, the participants embarked on a tradition that had its heyday in another era. But debate moderator, Richard Bradley didn’t find anything out of date in throwing down old school.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Education
Ensiferum Brings the Message with Mythology and Metaphor
Photo by Morten Jensen In 1995, lead guitarist Markus Toivonen began the Heavy Metal band Ensiferum, (which means sword bearing). The Helsinki based band has long mixed their metal with traditional folk melodies, while relying on mythological concepts to bring meaning to their message. But the band has gone through enough changes over the years to almost start their own mythology. Nonetheless, Sami Hinkka now carries the lead vocals, the bass and bears most of the burden of getting Ensiferum's updated message across.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Beat
Jillette Johnson of Pound Ridge Finds Her Voice
Photo by Jeanne Menjoulet Jillette Johnson began writing songs when she was eight years old—imagining the melodies and words as she pranced around the house. But at some point Jillette realized she had the power to someday have her own sound come from the speakers where Carol King, Billy Joel and Paul Simon echoed. By 12, she had developed enough to throw herself into the singer/songwriting New York City Club scene. Home schooled in suburban Pound Ridge, the lower east side would serve as the educational model that nurtured her songwriting passion. At the same time, the hour commute and real life immersion sufficed more than adequately in comparison to the classrooms of her peers. The foundation soon had her showcased by a number of labels and signed at 17. As such, she was successful enough academically and professionally to attend NYU and continue as an actual New Yorker. This has had Johnson never looking back—except when she needs a fresh air respite back home. Her debut album Water in a Whale certainly reflects that. It has also received critical acclaim for song writing and vocals that are wise beyond her 24 years. Still, she is far from a household name. But that's actually by choice.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Beat
Americans Equating Any Level of Socialism as Stalinism Is First Class Brainwashing
Photo by Andrey A few years ago I was reading The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman. Detailing the anarchist movements that swept the world at the turn of the century, violence played out against the backdrop of enormous gaps between rich and poor. The United States was not immune as William McKinley could attest. So I couldn’t help wonder how the vast poor allowed the rich to get away with this in a country that voted. Well, if you consider how easily Barack Obama is sold as a socialist, the explanation is pretty straightforward.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in The Swamp
Anna Laura and Title IX at Year 40
At the after-school program I work at in Westchester, I work with a 6-year-old spitfire named Anna Laura. Among the many games we play, she displays no fear in running into the corners against boys twice her size in the make shift game of indoor hockey that we play. “She doesn’t get intimidated,” says 11-year-old Stephen Mains. But had she grown up in an age minus Title IX, it’s not just her athletic acumen that would be in jeopardy.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Unbalanced
Monthly Meditations in Armonk, New York
Photo by Nickolai Kashirin Dr. Vijaya Nair began meditating at the age of six. She eventually took the discipline to the next level by studying yoga and meditation in medical school at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Nair found the techniques sharpened her mind and helped her studies so much that she decided to do her post doctoral studies at Harvard and later at Columbia University. “I found my calling,” she remembers. But Dr. Nair believes meditation cleared a path for her that is far more relatable than just reaching the pinnacle of academic and material achievement. One she hopes to share in her monthly free Peace Meditation Group in Armonk/Bedford.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Longevity
Love is Strange Lacks Cohesion Despite Gay Marriage Injustice Portrayed
If you randomly get plopped down in a movie theater, there’s a real good chance that the barrier of faster than light travel has been breached, a car chase will defy the laws of physics or a superhero will fret his place in the world as he reluctantly avenges evil. But just because a movie is down to earth and leaves the screen free of an endless stream of pyrotechnics, doesn’t mean you got to fall all over it to show off your sophistication.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Geeks
Gina Bergamini Brings Belly Dance and Fitness to Westchester Women
Photo by Geoff Henson Trained in modern dance, Gina Bergamini wanted to keep her studies up after completing school. So she began taking dance classes a few nights a week. When one of the classes was cancelled, she decided to take a belly dancing course in its place. The exploration offered her limitless potential for creativity and movement, and Bergamini grew into this cross cultural dance. As a result, the Chappaqua resident has gone on to becoming both a performer and an established teacher. Nonetheless, Bergamini was aware of the connotation that the discipline can sometimes carry, and Gina never told her parents what she was doing. They found out, though, when a commercial for one of her classes appeared on local cable in Chappaqua, New York. “Carol, come look at your daughter,” she said her father yelled up the stairs to her mother. But the initial reaction implied here is among the misconceptions that comes with the long standing territory.
By Rich Monetti3 years ago in Longevity
