Mariane Pearl to Speak at MCLA

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Mariane Pearl
NORTH ADAMS - Mariane Pearl, wife of slain journalist and former North Adams Transcript reporter Daniel Pearl, will appear at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Wednesday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m.

Part of the Hardman Lecture Series, her talk, "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl," will take place in the Church Street Center. The event is free and open to the public.

A freelance journalist, Mariane Pearl writes a column, "Global Diary," for Glamour magazine that spotlights women activists around the world. The columns have been collected into a book, "In Search of Hope."

Pearl was thrust into the spotlight in 2002 when her husband, a bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and murdered by Islamic extremists in Pakistan in early 2002.

Born Mariane Van Neyenhoff in Clinchy, Haute-de-Seine, France, Pearl was raised in Paris. She met her husband while he was on assignment there. They married in August 1999, and moved to Mumbai, India, where Daniel was the South Asia bureau chief for The Journal.

The couple later traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, to cover aspects of the war on terrorism. It was in Karachi that Daniel was kidnapped and later killed. Mariane was pregnant at the time, and their son, Adam Daniel, was born in Paris three months later.

Pearl's memoir, "A Mighty Heart," which deals with the events surrounding her husband's kidnapping and assassination, was adapted for a film of the same name starring Angelina Jolie, with whom she'd become a close friend, as herself and Dan Futterman as her husband. The film was released last spring.

She is a practicing Nichiren Buddhist and a member of Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist association that promotes world peace and individual happiness.

Daniel Pearl began his career in journalism at the Transcript and later at The Berkshire Eagle before joining The Wall Street Journal.

The Hardman Lecture Series is made possible through the generosity of the Hardman Family Endowment.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Companion Corner Grey Boy at No Paws Left Behind

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There's a cat No Paws Left Behind still waiting for his forever home.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home. He was previously highlighted but he now has new information.

Grey Boy is 10 years old and is a gray and white domestic shorthair and was previously highlighted on Companion Corner.

The shelter's Executive Director Noelle Howland introduced us to him and his long journey to be ready for adoption.

"He's been here a couple months. He was a transfer from a rescue in Bennington. They were out of space, so we had taken him in with a few other cats. So he's been here a couple months. He came in with what we believed was a respiratory infection," she said. "So it took us a little bit to get him ready, and then he also needed a dental. So he has nice, clean teeth. He had some teeth removed, and then he has to go back in and have one more dental. So he'll be all ready to go."

It was previously thought that he has feline herpes but he was recently diagnosed with a palette fracture because of how bad his dental disease was, which is what is causing his sneezing. He can now go home with cats, a cat-savvy dog and children.

"He has had two dentals since being with us. Due to the palate fracture he will be sneezy for the rest of his life, not contagious sneezing, but that doesn’t stop him from living a perfectly happy life. He should be on wet food with chunks due to this and since he has had many teeth removed," Howland said.

Grey Boy loves to play with toys and enjoy treats. He would also love to have a window to lounge or bird-watch in.

"He is not afraid of anything. He's very curious, so I'm sure he'd love if you have windows for him to look out of. He still plays, even though he's 10 it does not stop him. So any home would be a good fit for him."

Now that he is ready to be adopted, he is excited. When you walk into the room with him he will rub up against your leg introducing himself and asking to be pet.

"Usually, I would say, when you're walking, he'll bonk into you so he might catch you off guard a little bit. He constantly is rubbing against you," Howland said. "He really, I would say he's lazy when you want him to be, and he's active when you want him to be. He'll play with toys. He's usually lounging away. And then when he comes out he'll play. He loves it. So, very friendly, easy going cat."

He is now perfectly healthy with his dentals all done and veterinary care up to date and is ready to find his forever family.

"I would say the friendliest, easiest cat you could have. He's just, he's just gonna be a little sneezy sometimes, but that doesn't stop him from doing anything," she said.

Grey Boy's adoption fee is sponsored by Rooted in Balance Counseling LLC.

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