Princeton Today: In Defense of Leaks

Abramson
Abramson

Journalist and author Jill Abramson will give the annual Louis R. Rukeyser ’54 Memorial Lecture at Princeton University today at 5 p.m.

Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, will give the talk “In Defense of Leaks: Why A Free Press Matters More in the Age of Terror.”

The event will be held at 5 p.m.  in the Dodds Auditorium at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University (note the time and location change). The event is free and open to the public.

The first female executive editor in the 160-year history of the New York Times, Abramson was ranked number five on Forbes list of most powerful women in 2012. She was also named as one of the 500 most powerful people in the world by Foreign Policy.

Prior to taking the helm at the Times, she served as the paper’s managing editor and its Washington bureau chief. She has also worked as an investigative reporter and deputy editor at the Wall Street Journal. Previously she worked for Time Magazine and the American Lawyer. She co-authored “Strange Justice,” an account of the appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. She was a visiting professor at Princeton University for the 2000-2001 academic year. Abramson received her undergraduate degree in history and literature from Harvard University.

The Ruskeyser Memorial Lecture is an annual talk for the Princeton community given by a prominent journalist, writer, or veteran of the media industry hosted by the Princeton University Press Club.

WEATHER

Heavy rain with a high of 58.

EVENTS TODAY

The Community Blood Council of N.J. annual Princeton blood drive is today from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Princeton Municipal Building Parking lot, 400 Witherspoon Street. Those wishing to donate blood may simply walk up to the blood mobile without an appointment or schedule a time online at www.GiveBloodNJ.org using 400 Witherspoon St. as the donation location. Bring a photo ID and eat within 4 hours of donating.

Princeton Farmers’ Market – Stop by Hinds Plaza on Witherspoon Street between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. for veggies, breads, flowers, honey, jams and more. Music from noon to 2:30 p.m. Rain or shine!

Photography: Before and After –  The visiting artist lecture series at Princeton University continues with a presentation by photographer Lisa Oppenheim. Using photographs from diverse sources such as government files and online photographic archives, Oppenheim investigates collective memory, loss and forgetting. 12:30 p.m. 185 Nassau Street, Stewart Theater. Free.

Panel on the Current Sstate of Black America – The 2014 “Conversation Series” event presented annually by the Center for African American Studies, “Black Thought in the Hour of Chaos,” will take place at 4:30 p.m. in McCosh Hall, Room 50, at Princeton University. Panelists include Eddie Glaude Jr., the Williams S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies; Imani Perry, professor of African American studies; and Cornel West, the Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies, Emeritus. The presenters will talk about the current state of black America and draw from past thinkers to speculate on a progressive future.

Entrepreneurship and the Interplay of TV, Mobile and Social – Innovator Wim Sweldens, co-founder and CEO of Kiswe Mobile, will give a talk on “Entrepreneurship and the Interplay of TV, Mobile and Social” at 4:30 p.m. in the Fields Center multipurpose room at Princeton University. The event is sponsored by the Keller Center.

Kongo Arts in Africa and the World – Wyatt MacGaffey, the J.R. Coleman Professor Emeritus in Social Anthropology at Haverford College, will give a talk “Kongo Arts in Africa and the World” at 5:30 p.m. in McCormick Hall, Room 101, at Princeton University. The event is part of a lecture series organized by Chika Okeke-Agulu, associate professor of art and archaeology and African American studies, in conjunction with the exhibition “Kongo Across the Waters” at the Princeton University Art Museum. A reception in the art museum will follow.

The Ébène Quartet Performs – The Princeton University Concerts Series will present the Ébène Quartet from France in a concert of works that morph from classical to jazz at 8 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, at Princeton University. The program will include pieces by Haydn and Schumann and a mix of jazz standards, some with vocals.

COMMUTE

Route 518 between Canal Road and Carroll Place is down to one lane, with alternating traffic weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The speed limit in the construction area has been reduced to 35 miles per hour. Starting Nov. 10, the road will be closed with a detour in place. Starting Nov. 24, the road will be closed with a detour weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The work is part of a long-term project that will be completed by the end of 2015. Delays should be expected. Motorists should exercise extra caution in the area and follow posted detours during times of closure.

Somerset County is repaving portions of South Middlebush Road., Amwell Road., and Weston Canal Road. These will be nighttime paving projects and the roadways will remain open with an alternating traffic pattern. Project areas are as follows: South Middlebush Road: Between Blackwells Mills Road and Buffa Drive; Amwell Road: Between Elizabeth Avenue and Millstone River Road in Millstone; Weston Canal Road: Between Cottontail Lane and South Main Street in Manville. Use caution driving in these areas and expect possible delays.