INSIDE JERSEY

An insider's guide to New Jersey's people, homes, entertainment, restaurants & more

A Job with a View

by Inside Jersey Staff

Thursday November 13, 2008, 1:26 AM

He's been caught in sandstorms in Iraq, South Arabia and Turkey; has crashed his paraglider into the ocean in Mexico and smacked into a tree on takeoff in China, where he "woke up a bloody mess on the ground'' and required 1919 stitches on his face.

And don't forget several cases of malaria, a bout with amoebic dysentery and that "weird worm'' he once had in his eye.

George Steinmetz loves his job.

"In Iran, I was dragged 300 yards across the salt flat on my face," the Glen Ridge resident says of one assignment. "It was like Wile E. Coyote."

Steinmetz is a photographer for National Geographic magazine. That alone is enough to scream "glam job," but Steinmetz seems to have roamed farther afield than most. He has shot 20-plus major essays for the magazine, including three covers, on subjects ranging from global oil exploration, robotics and alcoholism to the tree house people of Irian Jaya, Indonesia, and the innermost stretches of the Sahara.

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Voice of Reason

by Vicki Hyman

Thursday November 13, 2008, 1:25 AM

It should have been the ideal day to interview Fox Business Network anchor Neil Cavuto: Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy protection, Bank of America had agreed to buy out Merrill Lynch, the Federal Reserve was considering a bailout for insurance giant AIG, and the Dow was well on its way to a 500-point plunge (and doesn't that seem quaint in retrospect?).

ARISTIDE ECONOMOPOULOS/THE STAR-LEDGER

Ideal, except Cavuto, as it turns out, actually had work to do. The longtime Jersey resident had a trying day even by his own standards -- on a typical morning, he's up at 4:30 a.m. and has three staff meetings under his belt before 9 a.m., not to mention anchoring "Your World with Neil Cavuto" at 4 p.m. on Fox News Channel, "Cavuto" at 6 p.m. on Fox Business and a financial newscast on Fox News Radio.

The details of this history-making day on Wall Street put him in front of the camera for much of the afternoon, and it would have been easy to attribute the rasp underlying his smooth delivery to mere overexertion. In reality, Cavuto had recently undergone experimental surgery on his larynx, which suffered nerve damage due to multiple sclerosis, the debilitating neurological disease he was diagnosed with a decade ago.

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A Creative Take on Charitable Giving

by Carly Rothman

Thursday November 13, 2008, 1:23 AM

Toy drives and turkey collections are popular ways to help those in need during the holidays. But if you would like to try something a little more creative this season, consider these unconventional ideas:

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You Can Take Them With You

by Jennifer Weiss

Thursday November 13, 2008, 1:22 AM

Janice Stensland has always loved her oaks. Over the years, they have provided shade, beauty and a great place to tie a hammock outside her Lebanon Township home. But Stensland is moving soon, and she worried whoever bought her house might scrap or burn them. So, she had the dozen trees closest to the house cut down, and is taking them with her.

Enter CitiLog, a Pittstown company that puts an eco-friendly twist on tree removal. The company takes trees coming down for reasons such as safety, damage and development, and gives them new life as cabinets, benches or flooring.

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Hear Those Sleigh Bells Ringing...

by Sean Ewing

Thursday November 13, 2008, 1:05 AM

There's no doubt that it's been a whirlwind year, but as the November chill starts to settle in, plenty of eyes, both young and old, turn to late December. For many people it's the most fun- and stressful- time of the year.

But here at Inside Jersey, we've got you covered. Whether you want to look your best, give that perfect gift, or serve up a sweet season treat, you can find what you need to put this holiday on the "nice" list.

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Cool in the 40's

by Dan Bischoff

Thursday November 13, 2008, 12:45 AM

The Hunterdon Museum of Art in Clinton is hosting "Walter Chandoha: 1941941940s New York," a choice selection of photos taken when Chandoha was a student at New York University in the late '40s.

Chandoha went on to have a full commercial career photographing gardens.

These black-and-white prints show people in common urban places, many of them in transportation hubs, to convey some sense of bustle.

The exhibition is up through Jan. 31. The Hunterdon Museum of Art is at 7 Lower Center St. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. A contribution of $5 is requested. Call (908) 735-8415 or visit hunterdonmuseumofart.org.

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Return of "Messiah"

by Bradley Bambarger

Thursday November 13, 2008, 12:42 AM

There may be people on the planet who haven't yet experienced Handel's "Messiah," but for those few -- or for those who can't get enough -- there are many performances of the classic oratorio in December.

On Dec. 14, it's Princeton Pro Musica at Trenton's War Memorial. The Masterwork Chorus -- a group that has a strong half-century tradition with "Messiah" -- performs the work Dec. 20 at Morristown's Community Theatre, as well as at New York's Carnegie Hall on the 18th and twice on the 21st. Also on the 21st, the Monmouth Civic Chorus will get a handle on Handel at Red Bank's Count Basie Theatre.

Princeton Pro Musica tickets are $25-$45; call (609) 683-5122 or go to princetonpromusica.org. Masterwork tickets are $20-$100; call (973) 455-7008 or go to masterwork.org. Monmouth Chorus tickets are $10-$40; call (732) 933-9333 or go to monmouthcivicchorus.org.

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