22 photos that show the evolution of New York City's Times Square ball drop

Revelers wending their way in New York's Times Square to ring in the New Year on January 1, 1942.AP

Every year, over a million people pack into New York City's Times Square to revel in the new year.

2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the ball drop — the tradition of watching a glowing sphere that slides down a pole until midnight.

Let's take a look at how the celebration has evolved over the past century.

Since the tradition began in 1904, New York's New Year's Eve celebration has been one of the world's largest. The first celebration had about 200,000 attendees.

In the early years, crowds gathered at Wall Street's Trinity Church to listen to church bells at midnight before the Times Square festivity became more popular.

New York had its first ball drop in 1907 after the city banned fireworks. The 700-pound ball had 100 bulbs, was made of iron and wood, and appeared every year until 1920.

New Year's Eve in Times Square in New York City, circa 1940s.YouTube/Screenshot

Over the next few decades, the number of spectators swelled. This was the crowd on December 31, 1941.

When the US entered World War II, the fire department started ramping up security. Because of wartime blackouts, 1942 and 1943 were the only two years without ball drops.

New York's fire department in Times Square on December 31, 1941.

Nevertheless, an estimated half million turned out to Times Square in 1942. At midnight, there was a moment of silence and then a ringing of church bells.

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Movie Review—Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O’Connell 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Released: Nov. 2017. Runtime: 115 mins. MPAA Rating: R for violence, language throughout, and some sexual references.

Fargo, North Dakota, and Ebbing, Missouri, are hundreds of miles from each other, but the movies Fargo (1996) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, have something in common: the brilliance of their makers. Brilliance in creating dark situations with comic aspects in a plot that is never predictable. Brilliance in creating a characteristically mid-American atmosphere. Brilliance in eliciting brilliant performances, particularly from Frances McDormand, the star of both films. (Martin McDonagh, the British writer/director of Ebbing, deserves a special hat tip for ranking up there with Minnesota’s Coen brothers, creators of Fargo, in these categories.)  

Ebbing, Missouri, becomes riled up when three billboards outside the small town suddenly bear a startling message, which reads in sequence: “Raped while dying.” Still no arrests?” “How come, Chief Willoughby?” The reference is to the murder several months earlier of the daughter of Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a hardbitten local woman. Mildred is a divorcee deeply grieving over her daughter’s death. Outraged at the lack of progress in the murder investigation, she has rented the billboards.  

Chief of Police Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) is a family man beloved in the town, particularly since it is an open secret that he is dying of cancer. Willoughby is sympathetic toward Mildred but resents the billboards as an attack on his competence. This kind of mixture of motives in the film’s characters reflects the mixture of tones in its presentation.

Mildred and her depressed son, Robbie (Lucas Hedges), are harassed and threatened, including by Mildred’s abusive ex-husband, Charlie (John Hawkes). The most serious harassment, though, is by Willoughby’s deputy, Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell). Deputy Dixon is a Gomer-type, disorganized and possibly racist, who lives with his mother (Sandy Martin) and longs to become a detective.

Just as McDonagh tempers our instinctive sympathy for Mildred by having McDormand play her as hardbitten even beyond the understandable parameters of her sad situation, so, too, he manages to have Rockwell generate some sympathy for what is in many ways a disgusting character. You might say that Rockwell’s performance is a subtle depiction of crudity.

The fires burning inside several characters are unleashed in a night of real fires. Willoughby, indirectly, teaches some hard truths. Dixon, surprisingly, learns them—somewhat. Charlie makes an unexpected confession. A little person—really—(Peter Dinklage) comes to Mildred’s aid, and she later acquires another unlikely ally for an ambiguous mission.

You might not want to go to Ebbing, Missouri, but you should go to this movie. Some of its impact is billboard big, some subtle, but most of it will be lasting.      

A beginner's guide to Facebook

Against all odds, you likely know someone who still hasn't succumbed to the lure of Facebook. Maybe you’re a beginner yourself. Or perhaps you just haven’t had the gosh darn time to explore every last corner of the world’s most expansive social network. 

Below, we offer a refresher course for those eager to learn more about the basics of Facebook. Let’s take a social stroll through the network’s main features, policies and culture norms. 

Even if you’re a pro, it’s fun to look at the platform through a beginner’s eyes. If you were a Facebook virgin, what would you think of the social network?

1. Timeline

Before you begin searching for friends, it’s important to complete your Timeline (aka your personal profile), which includes everything from uploading a profile picture and cover phototo outlining your employment history to determining your relationship status (OK, that’s optional). It’s called a timeline because you can include information, important milestones and memories spanning your entire life. Timeline is incredibly nuanced, and encourages you to include as much detail as possible, and many, many people do — so, don’t be shy!

Check out these additional resources for building the best Timeline:

2. Friends

Once you’ve filled out a healthy portion of your Timeline, start searching for and adding “friends.” Trust us, you won’t be at a loss. Chances are, many of your co-workers, family members, classmates and neighbors are already on the network. Search for them in the search box that appears on the top of the site. 

As you accumulate friends, Facebook will be able to suggest additional contacts as its algorithm generates connections among your growing network. You’ll see a list of suggested friends on Facebook’s homepage, in the “People You May Know” sidebar. Click here to continue reading.

Opioid overdoses fuel drop in US life expectancy for second straight year

The drug problems caused by opioids is reaching very community in the US. Police and medical professionals are responding to overdose victims everyday.

Brian Snyder | REUTERS | BDN

American life expectancy at birth declined for the second consecutive year in 2016, fueled by a staggering 21 percent rise in the death rate from drug overdoses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

The United States has not seen two years of declining life expectancy since 1962 and 1963, when influenza caused an inordinate number of deaths. In 1993, there was a one-year drop during the worst of the AIDS epidemic.

“I think we should take it very seriously,” said Bob Anderson, chief of the Mortality Statistics Branch at the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the CDC. “If you look at the other developed countries in the world, they’re not seeing this kind of thing. Life expectancy is going up.”

The development is a dismal sign for the United States, which boasts some of the world’s highest spending on medical care, and more evidence of the toll the nation’s opioid crisis is exacting on younger and middle-aged Americans, experts said.

More than 42,000 Americans died of opioid overdoses alone in 2016, a 28 percent increase over 2015. When deaths from drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and benzodiazepines are included, the overall increase was 21 percent. Click here to continue reading.

Movie Review—Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell                       

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Released: Nov. 2017. Runtime: 122 mins. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and some violence.

Roman J. Israel, Esq., may not be that unusual a name for an attorney, but it is a rather unusual one for an African-American attorney in Los Angeles. But then Roman, as played by Denzel Washington in writer/director Dan Gilroy's Roman J. Israel, Esq., is an unusual man. 

For decades Roman has been the backroom brains of a two-partner law firm. Certainly dorky, possibly autistic, he confesses: “Public speaking is usually something I'm encouraged to avoid.” And: “My lack of success is self-imposed.” Roman's dated suits are ill fitting; his glasses are unfashionable; he subsists on peanit butter sandwiches in a small apartment in a working-class neighborhood; and, in perhaps his most out-of-it trait, he walks everywhere—in L.A.! But Roman is still consumed by a passion for social justice acquired in his youth, and he spends much of his own time working on a massive brief that he hopes will change the criminal justice system. 

When his partner dies, Roman takes a job with a big firm headed by George Pierce (Colin Farrell), a flashy attorney who tempts Roman to adopt a trendy new lifestyle. Roman, who says that he has become “tired of doing the impossible for the ungrateful,” starts to fall under George's spell. But Roman is also attracted by Maya Alston (Carmen Ejogo), a community organizer who admires him for his commitment to social justice over the years. For Roman, Maya becomes the opposite pole of attraction to George's pull. Roman's idealism falters, however, as he rises in wealth and esteem while engaging in unethical behavior in a criminal matter fraught with danger. 

Washington's performance as a deeply idiosyncratic man is impressive, and Farrell is cleverly understated in the way that he projects George's flashiness. Unfortunately, the film around these characters is rather unfocused and mixes satire, social concerns, romance, and thriller elements in a way that doesn't really cohere. The general effect is sort of similar to that of Roman's sartorial tastes.  

8 Surprising Things About Becoming a Grandparent

There are lots of surprises when you become a grandparent for the first time – starting with how you get the news. The old-fashioned way is when the new dad calls you on the phone. That’s how I spread the news when my wife and I became parents back in the dark ages. The newfangled way is, of course, by text.

I left my Maryland home on a Friday morning knowing my daughter, living nearly 2,000 miles away in Utah, had been in labor since the night before. I was worried that we hadn’t heard anything but was not about to call. When you’re in labor, probably the last thing you want is a phone call from Dad saying, “Um, what’s up?”

So I biked to work. I went to the locker room to shower but first checked my phone. There was a text from my other daughter: “Abba, you’re a zaydie!”  (Translation: Abba is Hebrew for father and zaydie is Yiddish for grandpa.)

I mean, it makes sense to use texts. Still, I was surprised that texting was the method of delivery. It seemed so … untraditional.

And that isn’t the only surprising thing that occurs when you enter the demographic category of grandparent:

1. Tears are shed.

When I got that text, droplets of moisture welled up in my eyes. Caught up in my own busy life, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to my daughter’s pregnancy. I figured yes, she’s pregnant. So she’ll have a baby. I didn’t expect I’d have such an outpouring of emotion. And those first tears were the harbinger of many tears to come.

When I saw our new granddaughter, Jolene, for the first time a week later, drip drip drop went the teardrops. When I had to say goodbye after our short visit, I sniffled. And now that I use her birthdate as the passcode for my iPhone, I sigh a little (and maybe cry a little) every time I enter the date.

Why all these tears? Because a tiny new human being is really a miracle.  And being a typical self-absorbed boomer, I couldn’t quite realize that until it happened to me.

2. You become a stereotypical grandparent.

Did I tell you that she is the coolest baby ever? She instinctively knows how to look you in the eyes. She is an excellent sleeper. And even though she has no clue who I am, she would happily rest on my chest for hours, which makes me love her even more. Best grandbaby ever!

3. Even if you are a person who can never sit still, you will sit still.

I am always on the go. A vacation means: go for a run, go for a bike ride, take a hike. Then it’s time for brunch. At work, my restless legs take me on a stroll around the office every hour or so.

But there I was, sitting on the couch and holding that baby while she slept. An hour passed and then another and another, and I still wasn’t ready to give her up because that’s how absolutely fascinating and bewitching little babies can be. I didn’t even check my phone for messages.

4. You think deep thoughts.

I look into my granddaughter’s lively eyes and wonder: Who will she become? What will she be like? What kind of world will she live in?

Did my wife and I think these thoughts when our children were newborns? I don’t believe we did because we were too sleep-deprived and too nervous about getting the parenthood thing right. But as a grandparent, I have the luxury of pondering the unfathomable potential of a new human being — and wonder if she’ll be the one who invents such sorely needed products as a levitating sofa or a Google translator for cat meows.

5. You want to give advice to the new parents … but you don’t.

Because you remember that when you were new parents you wouldn’t have wanted your own parents and in-laws to say: You’re holding her wrong! You’re feeding her wrong! She’s too bundled up! She’s not bundled up enough!

As a grandparent at work told me, “Let me give you some advice. Never give advice.”

Even though I am vowing not to be a backseat baby driver, I know I will sometimes be unable to stop myself. But I do swear to live by the sage words of a grandmother I knew: “You can tell your kids something once. But don’t repeat it. They really did hear you the first time.”

6. You change your mind about where you want to live and also your career options.

In the tiny town in Utah where my Fabulous Granddaughter lives, I saw a help wanted sign for a busboy at the local diner. I’m updating my resumé with an emphasis on dishwashing skills. Click here to continue reading.

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NEW HAVEN — About 50 people got tips on avoiding scams and personal thefts over the holidays at the recent “Safe-Tea,” presented by the Police Department, the state Department of Banking and People’s United Bank.

“All of us can unknowingly fall prey to scams throughout the year, particularly during the holiday season,” Continuum of Care President and CEO Patti Walker said in a release.

The event at the nonprofit Continuum of Care on Legion Avenue included tea and sandwiches. Continuum’s mission is to enable people who are challenged with mental illness, intellectual disability or other disability, and/or addiction, to rebuild meaningful lives and thrive in the community.

“Seniors, individuals with disabilities, and individuals challenged with mental health issues — these populations are particularly vulnerable to people taking advantage of them,” Walker said in the release.

According to the release, Kathleen Titsworth, of the state Department of Banking, led a game called “F-R-A-U-D” that provided such safety tips as: Click here to continue reading.

Movie Review—Novitiate

Novitiate
Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell           

Novitiate. Released: 2017. Runtime: 123 mins. MPAA Rating: R for language, some sexuality and nudity.

Films can transport audiences to all kinds of fascinating worlds unfamiliar to them, whether it be to “faraway places with strange-sounding names” on this planet or to “a galaxy long ago and far away.” In Novitiate writer/director Margaret Betts plunges us into such a world, even though that world is in this country and only 50-60 years back in time.  

The world of Novitiate is that of a cloistered order of contemplative Catholic nuns in the 1960s, as Vatican Council II begins to make changes in the Church. The film mainly focuses on the journey of Cathleen Harris through the stages of training aimed at making her into a full-fledged member of the Sisters of the Sacred Rose.

Cathleen first encounters Catholicism at the age of seven in 1954 when her mother (Julianne Nicholson) takes her to Mass. The mother is an agnostic but feels an obligation to give Cathleen (played first by Eliza Mason) some idea of what religion is all about. Cathleen likes the experience and when invited at the age of 12 (now played by Sasha Mason) to attend a newly opened all-girls Catholic school, she persuades her mother to send her. Religion provides a respite for Cathleen from the chaotic nature of her home life. Her verbally abusive father has split, and her loving but heavy-drinking and hot-partying mother is going down a path that Cathleen doesn't want to travel. 

Instead, Cathleen (now played by Margaret Qualley) decides at 17 to enter the Convent of the Sacred Rose as a postulant, the first stage toward becoming a nun. The Convent is presided over fiercely by Reverend Mother (Melissa Leo). This “second mother” to Cathleen is a character in the tradition of various training sergeants, wardens, principals, et al., that we have seen in movies over the years. (Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest particularly comes to mind.) Reverend Mother's interaction with her charges is summed up when she announces: “Since unfortunately God Himself can't be here to run this convent, my voice will serve as a stand-in.” 

The regimen of the Convent with its silences, public confessions, and disciplines drives some of the young women to leave, but those who make it from postulant to the next stage of novice celebrate ecstatically in a delightful scene as they romp about outside in the traditional white wedding dresses (they are “brides of Christ”) that temporarily replace their somber habits for the day of transition. 

In the life of the novices, however, the regimen begins to create troubling interactions between ecstasy and agony as the young women seek to devote themselves totally to things of the spirit and the love of God, while feeling the pull of “the flesh” and the love of self and, in some cases, other sisters. Cathleen, for example, has visionary experiences that elevate her emotionally, yet she feels the need to fast almost to an anorexic degree and to flagellate herself.

In the meantime, Vatican Council II promulgates decrees for changes in the ways that a convent such as that of the Sisters of the Sacred Rose traditionally has operated. Reverend Mother resists the liberalizing measures and confronts her archbishop (Denis O'Hare) about them. Interestingly, one of the things outraging her is that the decrees are being issued with little input from nuns or other women and will lessen the degree of autonomy of the world that orders of sisters have carved out for themselves in the Church. Reverend Mother, it would seem, is a kind of feminist in her own right!

The various crosscurrents affecting the Convent and Cathleen swirl together when the young woman, in wedding dress again, has to decide whether or not to profess the final vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience that will transition her from novice to nun. 

Betts' brilliantly directed Novitiate is a beautifully filmed and scored motion picture, with excellent performances by all involved, particularly, of course, “novice” actress Margaret Qualley (a star is born!) and veteran thesp Melissa Leo (an Oscar nom awaits). Amid all the screens filled with raucous comedies, violent thrillers, and sci-fi spectaculars, those showing this quiet but moving and quite compelling film definitely deserve your patronage, whatever your religious background—or lack of same.