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INDIANAPOLIS -- What's shaking Spartan nation?
Van Stratt here, just watching Illinois take on Michigan in the first game of the day down in Indy at the Big Ten tournament.
It's 50 degrees here right now and after this winter, I feel like I'm in Miami. Why am I the only one at the pool? And why is that guy crying?
Never mind. Purdue fan. Got it.
There's a full docket of games today in the quarterfinals, with the Spartans closing things out tonight against Northwestern. I think that's a good draw for Michigan State and should set them up for a semifinal appearance. (SpartyTime knocks on wood).
Ok, on to this week's questions.
Q: Gillian, can you give us a breakdown on the sholarships offered for 2014 Commits, and who is still considered a possible 'get'? Anybody on the radar getting a look by the coaching staff, that might get an offer? -- BestOfTheWest
Hey Best. Let's take a look at Michigan State's scholarship chart as it stands right now.
Division I teams are allotted 13 scholarships per year. In 2013-2014, those were filled by:
1 - Keith Appling (senior)
2 - Adreian Payne (senior)
3 - Russell Byrd (redshirt junior)
4 - Alex Gauna (redshirt junior)
5 - Branden Dawson (junior)
6 - Travis Trice (junior)
7 - Matt Costello (sophomore)
8 - Gary Harris (sophomore)
9 - Denzel Valentine (sophomore)
10 - Kenny Kaminski (redshirt freshman)
11 - Alvin Ellis III (freshman)
12 - Gavin Schilling (freshman)
13 - Dan Chapman (senior, former walk on)
OK. So looking at that chart, the Spartans are guaranteed to have three scholarship spots available in 2014 (Appling, Payne and Chapman). They have already filled two of those with commitments from point guard Lourawls 'Tum Tum' Nairn and guard Javon Bess.
The third guaranteed opening could be filled later this weekend. Forward Marvin Clark (a teammate of Nairn's) is very close to a decision. Clark visited Michigan State on March 1, then visited Indiana the next week. Kansas State is not completely out of the picture.
There were whispers that he would make his decision last week but he delayed that and is now talking things over with his parents before signing on the dotted line. Keep your eyes on this one.
But here's where it gets interesting. The Spartans could have as many as two more scholarships available next season. Gary Harris could of course choose to leave for the NBA and I can see another scholarship opening up via graduation.
That doesn't mean Michigan State has to fill them both. Ideally, it would like to snare shooting guard Montaque 'Teki' Gill-Caesar out of Huntington, West Virginia (originally from Canada) if he chooses to become part of the 2014 recruiting class.
Gill-Caesar is the No. 18 in the class of 2015 according to the 247Sports Composite right now. He's the top 2015 prospect in the state of West Virginia. His status as a five-star prospect in the junior class is something that could change if he were to move into 2014, which is something he's still undecided about. Most expect him to do so after the season.
Let's say Michigan State adds Clark and Gill-Caesar to Bess and Nairn. That's a good class, but that's not a big class. That's what makes the more recent recruitment of Bloomfield Hills forward Yante Maten a logical move. After Costello and Schilling -- and until the arrival of Muskegon center Deyonta Davis in 2015 -- there isn't a lot of power in the paint for Michigan State. Maten is a late bloomer, under the radar guy. He was at Breslin for an unofficial visit about a week ago and is just waiting for that offer.
Q: Do you think Izzo should run Travis Trice at point? Applying he is just not shooting the ball good. And Do you think Appling should play on the wing? I know he is a senior and I respect that. But man we need someone who can shoot the ball. Valentine he is ok ,but he turns the ball over a lot. So does Appling lately. Just want to know your thoughts. Hopefully they can put a package together to get ready for the Big dance. -- John Zerbe Jr.
Hey Zerbe. I know it's been frustrating for Michigan State fans to watch Keith Appling be so un-Appling since injuring his wrist. Travis Trice came in and played well, but any excitement about that should be shelved for next year. Appling is the guy and will be the guy until the season ends.
I mean, Tom Izzo took it even a step further than that this week when he said that he still believes Appling is his go-to guy. Trice will still play some point, but Appling is the captain of this ship, sink or sail.
Q: Will we see some form of full man press in either of the tournaments? Why don't they play a full man press? It seems it could be beneficial to both attacking the press and putting pressure on the other team. They have a lot of good athletes that are good defenders, seems like it would be effective. -- polderty
Hey polderty. This is like the second cousin of the zone defense question. Izzo isn't going to become a coach who presses. Save for late-game emergency situations, it ain't happening.
Q: Why so many turnovers with a team with a JR and SR PG, and tons of experience with Payne, Appling, Dawson, Valentine, Harris? -- Thisguy73
I see the people have already responded to this. And they're right, MSU's 11.6 turnovers per game average this season is the lowest of the Tom Izzo era.
Having said that, turnovers have been an issue in the past three games (16 each time). That, I believe, was a growing pain of having the full roster back for the first time in months. You'd think after another week together since the Ohio State game, the Spartans would gel more and turn it over less.
Q: Are you allowed to watch practices? If so, what are they working on these last few days? I have seen no improvement in 3 areas that seem glaring, I am wondering if they are working on them: 1. Inbounding the ball under pressure. They end up with a bad pass turnover, or burning a time-out, or a time limit violation. -- BestOfTheWest
Best, you got in twice this week. Nice work. I would have spread it around more, but I really wanted to address your first point above.
First, yes I am allowed to watch some practices. I would say, on average, media is allowed in to one practice a week. It varies based on the game schedule. We almost never attend practices on the day right before a game. Usually it's two days before. And it's not the entire practice, although it's a good chunk.
Not everyone opens their practice doors and on that spectrum, Izzo is one of the most open for a big-time program. Michigan, for example, is extremely closed when it comes to letting media into practice.
BUT, while we are allowed in, there's very little we can report out of practice. It's basically there for our understanding, learning, observation. It helps to know what a team really looks like in practice, helps in forming informed opinions on team chemistry and coach-player relations. It helps educate those who cover the team. At least, I find it educational.
But if a guy were to get injured, or a guy were to make 100 3-pointers in a row, or a guy were to miss all of his free throws,
or if the team were to practice baseline out of bounds plays, I couldn't write a story on that and reference what went on in the practice gym.
But you're right, BLOBs are not looking good right now and obviously
got need work. It was particularly evident in the Ohio State game because the Buckeyes are one of the best at defending them. You're not the only one that's noticed the Spartans heaving it down the court as a last inbounds resort and time running down.
It used to be program strength. Surprisingly, it has shifted to a weakness. It could be a shuffled personnel thing, but if Michigan State struggles with it today, I plan on asking Izzo about it.
OK folks, that wraps it up. Enjoy the game.
-- Download the MSU football MLive app for iPhone and Android
-- Download the MSU basketball on MLive app for iPhone and Android
-- Follow Gillian Van Stratt on Twitter


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|By Sandersan (Sandersan) on Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 01:21 pm: Edit
1530 SAT 780 m, 750 v
-800 2c
-770 american history
-800 Writing
-700 physics
-1/389, 4.0 UW, 5.2778 W (6.0 for AP, 5.0 for honors)
-APs taken:
-AP European 4
-AP Statistics 5
-AP American History 5
-AP Physics B 5
-AP Latin Catullus/Horace 4
-AP Calculus BC 5
Sr year
-AP Environmental
-AP Literature
-AP Government
-AP Latin-Vergil
-Advanced Math Topics (class my school offers that is weighted as an AP, but there is no corresponding exam)
-Econ 010 class at local university, received an A
-2 years of JV baseball, sportsmanship award during Sophomore year
-Worked throughout all Junior and Senior year 10-15 hours a week during school
-Boy Scouts, received Order of the Arrow Distinction
-National Merit Commended
-Student Government Senator all four years of hs, served on executive board during jr year
-Co-President of Debate Club
-President of Math Club
-Vice-President of Latin Club
-Began a Teenage Republican chapter in my county, served as Chairman of organization
-Served as Membership Director and Director of Voter Registration on state Teenage Republican board
-Served as a Page in State Senate and House
-Nominated to be a United States Senate Page
-Interned in local congressmen's re-election office
-Attended Teenage Republican Leadership conference, raised all 800 dollars of trip from state politicians
-Worked on several local campaigns
-Attended Academic Workshop at the United States Military Academy
-Placed 3rd in Physics at the College of Charleston Competition
-Placed 3rd at Elon University math competition
-National Honor Society
-Latin Honor Society
-Play Piano, was admitted to regional guild (have to audition to be accepted)
-Should have two very strong recommendations
-Essay should be solid
Any comments would be appreciated.
|By Spacechic20 (Spacechic20) on Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 01:51 pm: Edit
I see that you have a lot of activity in Republican events. Be careful, the Ivy's are very liberal.
|By Scarletgirl (Scarletgirl) on Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 03:08 pm: Edit
Being a conservative is an advantage bc ivies are so liberal...as long as you appear unrednecklike and not too overbearing with your republican ideas.
|By Collegeparent (Collegeparent) on Saturday, January 03, 2004 - 04:19 pm: Edit
Where else are you applying? And where are you from?
|By Masamune707 (Masamune707) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 05:26 am: Edit
oh hehe color me ignorant but...i thot princeton was considered conservative...? hm no? lol
|By Sooky6 (Sooky6) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 01:35 pm: Edit
None of the Ivy administrations OR student bodies could be described as "conservative", except relative to one another to some degree. They are all dominated almost exclusively by political liberals. Buy in my experience, I've seen no difference in acceptances, with stats being held equal, between students of with different political backgrounds/activities.
What sticks out to me in your ECs are (1) work experience during school, which shows commitment and character (2) political EC leadership. Academics excellent across the board but nothing that leaps of the page. I think you have a tossup chance, which is as well as anyone can do RD!
|By Collegeparent (Collegeparent) on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 - 04:23 pm: Edit
Hope you also looked at Dartmouth, Stanford, Colgate, Cornell, Georgetown, UVA, Williams, Amherst, and Middlebury, among others.
|By Sandersan (Sandersan) on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 11:22 pm: Edit
I'm from Virginia, I'm also looking at Wharton, Columbia, and Georgetown among others. By the way, I was deferred at Yale along with the just about everyone else. Sometimes I feel that if I couldn't cut it at Yale than I don't have a shot in the dark at Harvard, but I don't know, I guess I'll have to wait and see.
|By Hegemonhenenen (Hegemonhenenen) on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 09:27 pm: Edit
Quick, do something liberal! Then you'll be seen as a moderate=)
|By Thenamek (Thenamek) on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 09:35 pm: Edit
You might be admitted, you might be rejected, or you might be waitlisted.
Hope this helps.
P.S. Any other "informed opinions" you receive from this board should be taken with a large grain of salt - unless, of course, Mr. Fitzsimmons has a habit of posting here . . .
|By Sandersan (Sandersan) on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 12:55 am: Edit
I guess I forgot to mention this elsewhere, but I'm Chinese, in case you guys were thinking I was a good ole' boy from the south.
|By Hegemonhenenen (Hegemonhenenen) on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 06:33 pm: Edit
Once a conservative, always a conservative
*except in Senator Robert Byrd's case
|By Collegeparent (Collegeparent) on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 06:52 pm: Edit
Sandersan, since I'm guessing you were born here, you're American, not Chinese.
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text:
Saad Filho, Alfredo and Morais, L (2000) 'The Costs of Neomonetarism: The Brazilian Economy in the 1990s.' International Papers in Political Economy, 7 (3).
Full text not available from this repository.
|Item Type:
|Journal Articles
|SOAS Departments & Centres:
|Faculty of Law and Social Sciences > Department of Development Studies
|Depositing User:
|Mr Adam Field
|Date Deposited:
|09 Dec 2007 13:32
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Voice: Ron Krueger, Grand Blanc Twp.
The Journal is to be commended for its Nov. 22 article on the highly debated effort to rewrite the 38-year-old Michigan Automobile No-Fault Act.
One essential issue it failed to include is whether the fund that pays auto-injury claims above $500,000 is sound and can be expected to cover these claims into the future.
The only reference to this issue is the quote attributed to state Rep. Peter Lund, the sole sponsor of House Bill 4936: "There are a number of us who believe the expenses are getting completely out of control. The cost will make it so the system will collapse upon itself."
There is no settling this sustainability issue as long as the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, which administers the fund, refuses to open its operations to public scrutiny.
The insurance industry says, in effect, trust us. Oh, really.
This initiative to undercut the no-fault act began two years ago with the claim that no-fault benefits are to blame that one in five Michigan drivers are uninsured.
That claim has been left in the dust. First, collision coverage, not injury protection, accounts for two-thirds of the insurance premium.
Secondly, the economy is the reason so many drivers don't have insurance. Only 5.4 percent of New York State drivers are uninsured even though that state's average premium is higher than ours.
Insurance industry representatives testified that, under 4936, drivers could expect to see a 15- to 40 percent reduction in their premiums.
But any reduction there would almost surely be offset by an increase in the liability part of the premium. That is because drivers would be suing each other to pay for medical costs now picked up through no-fault.
The Michigan insurance industry and its supporters in the Legislature have zero credibility until they provide definitive evidence to support their unsustainability claim.
Until then, they are wasting everybody's time and causing needless anxiety for families such as mine with a catastrophically injured loved one.


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HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Personal grief seems even worse when highlighted by general celebrations. That is the contrast that makes the Thanksgiving-Hanukkah-Christmas season one of the bleakest for some people.
Those who have experienced a recent loss, those who personally battle Yuletide depression and those who know of others who do are invited to participate in four free supper conversations designed to give Hope for the Holidays.
The lectures series, which begins Monday, Nov. 25, 2013, at Latham United Methodist Church, 109 Weatherly Road just east of Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, continues Mondays through Dec. 16. The series was previously presented at First Baptist Church in Madison, Ala.
The Rev. Carl Malm, from Huntsville's interdenominational Center for Loss, Grief & Change, will lead the lectures at the church, Mondays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Topics will be "Hope for the Holidays: Grieving When Everyone Else Is Celebrating" on Nov. 25; "The Experience of Grief" on Dec. 2; "The Bridge: Five Transitions To Survive Grief" on Dec. 9; and "Winter Without Spring: Complicated Grief" on Dec. 16. Light refreshments will be served.
The meetings are free, with donations accepted, but reservations are requested by contacting the church at 256-881-4069.


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A petite woman in pink, in a Filipino red-light district, is picked out by a "tourist" as a possible sex partner for the evening. A pimp accompanying him tells him she's not a good choice.
She's a nun.
The Mary Queen of Missionaries (MQHM) are a group of Catholic sisters who serve the sex workers in the Philippines. Their order was established solely for this purpose:
To seek the stray and fallen away in the person of the victims of prostitution and in the power that the Holy Spirit gives, bring them back to the bosom of the Father. We search for them in the bars and casas and along streets in the red light districts, offering them a decent way of living in our "Home of Love", a rehabilitation and livelihood training center for them and their children. Those who are willing to embrace God's grace of renewed life with Him, are sheltered in the Home of Love with all the basic provisions, free of charge.


text:
A New York City high school won't get its dream graduation speaker — New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.
Lin said on Twitter today that he can't attend Stuyvesant High School's June 25 graduation but he is honored by the invitation and will visit if possible.
Stuyvesant is a selective public high school whose graduates often go on to Ivy League universities like Harvard, Lin's alma mater. The student body is 72 percent Asian. In a video on YouTube, students praised Lin as an inspiration to Asian-Americans and begged him to be their commencement speaker.
The video features messages from students, teachers and the varsity basketball coach telling Lin why he is important to their school.
Lin promised to make a response video.


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BMW i8, the most-advanced plug-in hybrid sportscar from the Bavarian car maker, is all set to be unveiled in India, at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo this February. Launched in Europe and the United States last year, i8 is not expected to be launched in India this year. This is because it has been sold out for first year's production run.
India launch of i8 might take place next year. In the US, the BMW i8 is sold at a starting price of about $136k (about Rs 85 lakh). Considering the taxes, the car might be launched in India for a price of about Rs 1.5 crores.
BMW i8 is one of the most fuel efficient car, with a mileage of 40 kmpl on hybrid mode. It is powered by a three cylinder 1.5l engine, which delivers 228 hp power and 320 Nm torque to the rear wheels. In addition to this, there is a synchronous electric motor as well. This adds 129 hp and 250 Nm torque to the front wheels.Power transmission from the petrol engine is taken care by a 6 speed manual gearbox, while that of the electric motor is handled by two stage automatic gearbox.
In total, the BMW i8 delivers 357 hp and 570 Nm torque. It can accelerate from 0-100 kmph in just 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 250 kmph (limited).


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I remember having these back in middle school....they were hot back then
New Videos
Subscribe to the Sneaker News Youtube Channel
March 12, 2013 BY John Kim / 9
Fila's ready for a return – are you? This photo of Grant Hill holding a pair of his own Retro kicks should prove to be a catalyst at some degree because Hill and his kicks were a hot topic in the mid-90's. We previewed the Fila Grant Hill II (now labeled the Fila '96) during the media preview a few weeks ago, and with a release date now confirmed to be March 21st on FILA.com and FILA retailers on March 21st (the release date was previously the 15th but has since been pushed back), will you re-live this exciting era of the 90's? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: ray_solodolo
Filed under: Upcoming Sneakers
Tags: Fila 96 Grant Hill
I remember having these back in middle school....they were hot back then
The ONLY Fila's I'd wear. The rest of them are just too ugly to me. Plus Grant Hill was one of my fave players back in the day
I wanna see him wear them on the court.
On a side note, I wish they could come out with the all-white colorway. Now those were clean!
Grant hill was my favorite player growing up but these are ugly
The GH2s are ok but I'm waitin on the GH1s but I will be coppin for $90
strickly for ballin purpose
My first signature shoe. I will definitely be getting these.
@addicted2kix yeah man, I was crazy over those kicks when they first released
Subscribe to the Sneaker News Youtube Channel


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3 Comments
Ooohhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm …4:16 am Jun 23rd, 2010
I made bruschetta for a gig I catered over the weekend and while I've never really thought much of it, actually making it and seeing how it turned out changed my mind. Do you keep the skins on your tomatoes or blanch them and peel them off? I blanched half and kept the heirloom tomato skins on and it was a little bit of rainbow on toast. loved it.9:28 am Jun 23rd, 2010
OH MY…those look simply delicious. I'm guessing there's a glass of wine nearby??12:52 pm Jun 23rd, 2010


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West Side Stories
A Tosa resident for almost 20 years, Karen is a mom and freelance writer, addicted to playing tennis. When not on the tennis court, she spends the fall and winter in the stands at Green Bay Packer and Marquette basketball games.
Karen is the author of "Grab a Bite," a dining out column and the former community columnist for the Wauwatosa NOW newspaper.
Time Warner's Navigator Leaves Me Lost
I've seen this topic on the Town Square a while back, but we're now facing it head-on in our house. I'm going on record and saying that I really, really, really dislike the new Time Warner "Navigator" on-screen system.
For those of you that don't have digital cable, Navigator is the on-screen listing and DVR guide that was recently "upgraded." Prior to this supposed upgrade, our on-screen TV Guide and the DVR Guide worked great. I had no complaints with it at all. A quick internet search yielded no reason for Time Warner to make the change.
In our house, we have more than one digital box. Despite several mailings from Time Warner announcing the change, Navigator showed up on each box weeks apart. Every time it happened (sort of like the cable fairy sneaking in at night), we grumbled.
Fortunately, the HD DVR was last. I held out hope that the cable fairy might leave that box alone. Alas, it was not to be. We turned on the TV last night and there was Navigator in all of its complicated glory.
To be fair, there is one thing I like about Navigator. It tells you how much room you have on your DVR. That's it – that's the list.
Nothing and I mean nothing about Navigator is better than the old system. It's slower than the grand old days of getting up, walking to the TV and changing the channel. Despite the fact that I probably suffer from middle-age vision deterioration, it's really hard to see. The on-screen type is SMALL and therefore virtually impossible to read across the room. Can I sit closer to see it better? Sure, but my Mom told me I'd hurt my eyes if I did that. Mom is always right.
Looking for a show to record? Good luck. Although I found shows when searching, the process of selecting them for a season pass is sort of like a maddening shell game. Now you see it, now you don't.
Here's the other new "feature." It doesn't automatically delete shows that are older. It simply doesn't record new ones if there isn't room on the DVR. Grrr….
Sure, they sent out mailings with intricate instructions. I started reading them and dozed off several times. Why should I have to "study" something I didn't ask for in the first place?!
The good news is I felt a little better when I read Tim Cuprisin's April 4th column and blog on this topic. I'm not alone in my extreme dislike of Navigator. The bad news is, Time Warner is apparently crossing its arms and standing firm. Gee thanks for the customer service, folks.
I guess I don't have a choice in the matter. Navigator is here to stay. But I'm telling you, if I miss the next episode of Grey's Anatomy, I'm going to be McSteamed!
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I started this blog a little over seven years ago to write my way through heartache.
Then I tripped down memory lane and wrote about all of the little things that made me who I am. That was the fun part of the journey.
Now I'm reconnecting with writing because I don't see how I'll make it through this part of my life if I don't. Heartache again. So big and so confusing that seven years ago seems like teen angst by comparison.
So, I apologize to those who feel like we're back at the beginning. But I guess I am back at the beginning.
In 2006, I participated in the first NaBloPoMo so when I saw the announcement for the fifth November NaBloPoMo, I figured it was probably a good fit for me right now.
As I was creating my profile on BlogHer to sign up for NaBloPoMo, I had to stop and think about the theme of my blog. Right now it feels like a break up blog more than anything else. So I left the theme blank. I don't want it to be a break up blog. My hope is that it will become a living a happy life blog.
So, for any new readers, welcome to my currently fucked up emotionally but hoping things improve soon blog.


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Watch this video [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM]Sugar: The Bitter Truth - YouTube[/url]
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Watch this video [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM]Sugar: The Bitter Truth - YouTube[/url]
[QUOTE=Dr. Bork Bork;861341]raspberries & heavy cream is, like, my favorite meal right now.[/QUOTE]
Mine is Strawberries & coconut milk.
But as for the question from the OP. I thought "hey, let's see what Mark has to say." Found a couple relevant articles....
In "[URL="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sugar/#axzz1xRU1j1LE"]The Definitive Guide to Sugar[/URL]" he addresses fructose and Fruit Sugar separately and under fruit sugar admits it's a tricky question because "Different fruits contain varying ratios of fructose, glucose and sucrose" and to go for lower fructose fruits, but "Keep in mind, however, that lower fructose ratio fruits can be higher in total sugar."
And links to "[URL="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/best-and-worst-fruits/#axzz1xRU1j1LE"]The Best Low-Carb Fruits (and the Worst)[/URL]".
[QUOTE=Ribbons;861546]Watch this video [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM]Sugar: The Bitter Truth - YouTube[/url][/QUOTE]
Don't forget to balance the view and also read the counter argument.
[url=http://donmatesz.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/paleo-basics-fructose-fact-vs-fiction.html]Primal Wisdom: Paleo Basics: Fructose Fact Vs. Fiction[/url]
[QUOTE=Omni;861500]Check again, the liver converts fructrose to both Glycogen of Fatty acids depending on what it feels the best option is, the preffered direction is Glycogen, but if we overload with fructose it goes to the fats, just because the liver is desperate to clear the fructose, just like it does with the glucose. The other issue with fructose is it blocks the leptin receptors so we don't get that full feeling and just keep gorging, this may be related to hibernation and coming winter so we can gorge on fruits in late summer and build up our fat stores.
Overall fructose as whole fruit is not an issue as long as that is not all we eat, eat your main meals as savory & have whole fruits in between as top up snacks, I avoid juicers all together because they remove essential fibre and allow rapid uptake of carbohydrate which effectively makes everything high GI.
I like the taste & texture of eating whole foods.[/QUOTE]
Also, there is a difference between fructose directly from fruit (which has fiber) and fructose from corn syrup in processed foods. Can you overdo fructose? Yep, you sure can. Your liver can only process so much fructose in a day. Over consumption is toxic to the liver in physiologically the exact same way as alcohol.
That said, I eat fruit every day. Specifically blueberries and plums. I don't eat a lot, but they are a staple. When I want something sweet, I grab a small handful of blueberries and get my "candy" on. It won't kill you, and the nutrients are quite good for you! I've found that my body regulates it's fruit intake really well. My tastebuds are so different that super sweet/sugary fruit satisfies me in pretty low doses.
Fruit rocks. If you like it, eat it. If you're eating a ton of fruit you're already WAY ahead of all those people chugging soda all day. If it starts to make you feel like crap, or your body says "Dear God, no more fruit!" then lay off.
It's not that hard, people.
I think, too much fruit is not bad for us. In fact, fruits have various health benefits that can give to us. Dont worry, if we eat too much fruit, we can just withdraw it. :D Fruits can give us a healthy and strong body.
Most fruits have a lot of acid and fruit sugar, so as with everything you can stuff in your mouth, don't overdo it.
A health campaign from my area suggests six fruits per day. If you can't go with that few, add up with bananas that's not too ripe yet.
6 fruits a day sounds like way too much to me.
For a long time now I have been eating one portion a day of a small amounts of berries such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Instead of fruit I eat lots of green vegetables and also a few cherry tomatoes every day (technically also a fruit). I have been wondering about the pros and cons of eating a bit more fruit and I am going to experiment with having one portion of a higher fructose/sugar fruit such as an apple of a banana every day. My idea was to have it as a dessert straight after my evening meal. I thought this might help to lower the insulin response.
Vegetables on average are mostly carbs. No one here is afraid of them. Many people here eat potatoes. Yet so many are still afraid of fruit. :confused:
If you are very carbohydrate intolerant, have metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes then you do have to take care not to eat too many carbs. Veggies like cabbage, kale, spinach, cucumber, courgette, brocolli etc are low in digestible carbs but high in fibre and don't cause blood sugar to rise. Fruit and potatoes are much higher in digestible carbs and for those of use trying to keep our blood sugars low then these foods can cause it to spike. That is why I am increasing my fruit intake very slowly and gradually to see how my body responds.


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The Accidental Slaveowner Blog
The Accidental Slaveowner Blog
Mark Auslander interviewed about The Accidental Slave Owner
Derek Krisoff (Senior Editor, University of Georgia Press) interviews Mark Auslander about "The Accidental Slaveowner."
DK: How did you first encounter Catherine Boyd, popularly known as "Miss Kitty"?
MA: I first learned of "Miss Kitty" in September 1999, when I began teaching on Emory's original campus, in Oxford, Georgia. Since we were studying race, memory and social space, I took my Introduction to Sociology students on two very different tours of the city cemetery; a local white man led us through the historically white section of the cemetery and a local African American man took us through the African American cemetery. The two tours were mirror opposites of one another, based on entirely different understandings of race and power. But both tours culminated at the same gravesite of an enslaved woman, known to local whites as "Kitty" and to local African Americans "Miss Kitty." I was fascinated that for all the racial and class divisions in the town its citizens seemed united in their fascination with the story of Kitty/Miss Kitty. To be sure, they drew very different lessons from her life and from the large stone tablet dedicated to her memory. For most whites she exemplified the loyal slave, the beloved Mammy, loyal to her white master and mistress unto death. For virtually all local African Americans, her story was a tragic illustration of the sexual exploitation of women of color, in slavery and freedom, by powerful whites. How I wondered had the story been passed on through white and African American families across the generations? What had the narrative meant at different historical moments? And what might really have happened to Miss Kitty, her descendants, and the other enslaved people owned by Bishop James Osgood Andrew, who were at issue in the great 1844 schism of the Methodist Church that presaged the Civil War? Those questions t preoccupied me for the decade that I worked on the book. Seeking answers finally led me to learn that Miss Kitty's name, in the eyes of her own family, had been" Catherine Boyd." And that discovery finally led me to her living descendants.
DK: You recently participated in a conference at Emory about slavery and American universities. Tell me how the Kitty-Bishop Andrew myth fits in. What does it reveal about the relationship between higher education and slavery?
MA: For generations, the standard white narrative of Kitty and Bishop Andrew had functioned, in a sense as the official "charter myth" of Emory University. Kitty's loyalty to the Bishop was taken by most whites associated with the University as exemplary of the relations of mutual understanding, kindness and deference that had existed between the races at Emory since its founding. Oxford was usually presented as a kind of "paradise" or utopian community in which the races coexisted peacefully and affectionately. Slavery through this tale was rendered, at heart, a benign institution. By extension, Jim Crow, it was argued, was represented as comparatively mild, at least at Emory and in the Atlanta environs. Critically revisiting the story of Miss Kitty, and the countless other enslaved people who built and labored at scores of American colleges and universities forces us to re-examine this conventional perspective. Institutions of higher learning, from their ecclesiastical origins in the late Middle Ages, have indeed had utopian characteristics. But these utopian landscapes have long rested upon histories of exploited labor on an epic scale, dramatically based on the vast capital generated through the Atlantic slave trade and the political economy of chattel slavery. Beyond these vast abstract dynamics, the Kitty-Andrew story, I like to think, helps to humanize our thinking about higher education and enslavement, reminding us of the nuanced relations, of structural violence as well as social intimacy, that pervaded, and still pervade, the academy to this day.
DK: In an effort to correct the Kitty myth, you undertook some impressive detective work. Can you say a little about how you met Catherine Boyd's descendents, Darcel and Cynthia Caldwell, and how they've reacted to your work?
MA: I had a lucky break late one night in Atlanta, staying at the home of dear friends who work at Emory. After a long inconclusive day in the State Archives , I was sitting on the sofa with their cat Tolstoy sleeping on my lap, partly covered my laptop. Worried about disturbing Tolstoy I kept working on line, reaching around the cat's furry belly. I had learned at the National Archives in Washington D.C. that Kitty's second son was named Russell Nathan Boyd; might he have been named for his father I asked Tolstoy, who purred approvingly. So I called up Freedman's Savings Bank records on Ancestry.com, and lo and behold, there was a "Nathan Boyd," opening a bank account in Atlanta in 1871, listing as his wife "Catherine, Dead" and as his eldest son, "Alfred Boyd." That led me and my wife to Keosauqua, Iowa, where Alfred had settled after the Civil War, and along the trail of African Methodist Episcopal churches he had pastored in the midwest, leading to the church in Rockford, Illinois where his great grandson Mr. Caldwell, an enormously kind man in his eighties, served as trustee. He immediately had me telephone his adult daughters Darcel and Cynthia on the East coast.
The sisters were I think, initially taken aback, wondering if I was some sort of nut. But they quickly and carefully examined the evidence and became convinced that Catherine Boyd/Miss Kitty was indeed their great great great grandmother. They have become her proud and passionate advocates, and have been invaluable partners as we have tried to reconstruct aspects of her and Nathan's lives. They both attended the Emory conference on slavery and universities in February 2011 and spoke beautifully at the closing ceremony in Oxford. The African American congregation of Grace United Methodist Church welcomed them "home" with a deeply moving memory quilt, created with the help of artist Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier. Seeing Lynn, Darcel and Cynthia unfurl the quilt as the children of the community read aloud the names of the enslaved persons of Oxford was one of the very most moving things I've ever witnessed. All of us, whatever our precise relationship to histories of enslavement, had the uncanny sense of having come "home" in profound ways.
Monday, August 1, 2011


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|Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
Barbara Natale
This unit; China: Soldiers, Soduku and Stories is for elementary school students who would like to learn about Ancient China, Terracotta Warriors, Chinese character writing and stories. This unit is targeted for grade four but can be adapted or modified for younger or older students. My unit on China is divided into four sections. Section one will address geography and China's location. My second section involves the wonderful discovery of the Terracotta Warriors and a hands-on art project. My next section addresses Chinese numbers/characters, followed by a fun activity with a Soduku puzzle. The last section involves reading selected books, discussing and writing questions generated to meet the Connecticut and New Haven Reading Department strands. At the end of this unit, my hope is to have my students develop a better understanding of Ancient China by incorporating map skills, mathematics and a fun hands-on project. Students will be encouraged to use their talents, creativity and individual input when completing their projects.
My students are going to research China and its geography on the laptop computer provided in our school. This section, "China," will be the knowledge based section about China and its land. The students are going to view various China's maps from the past and present, viewing variety geographical historical maps. Students are going to utilize a variety of ways to locate and mark China on a map. They are going to identify longitude and latitude, and label relevant landmarks such as capital, Great Wall of China, the city of Xian, where the Terracotta Soldiers were discovered, major rivers and cities. This research activity will involve the computer, library/librarian, resource books, and a large classroom poster size map of China. The information students collect about China and its geography will be placed on the poster sized map and in their own notebooks. It has been my experience that many students in the elementary grades have a difficult time locating countries on maps and even difficulty with states. Map skills will be an important focus in this section.
The second section, "Soldiers" will involve researching the Terracotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty and the historical facts about the Qin Emperor. In 1974, over eight thousand soldiers made out of terra cotta clay were discovered. Students are going to read about this amazing find and participate in an art activity making a terra cotta clay soldier of their own. I will include three varieties of Art activities so that teacher many utilize all three or choose the one best suited for their classroom facilities.
The third section entitled "Sudoku," is a Japanese numbers game but incorporating this fun activity will allow the students a different way to learn how to write them, and how to pronounce Chinese numbers. This activity is part of the math curriculum. I am going incorporate Chinese character writing in during my math block and then allow my students to practice character strokes for homework or during independent time. Students can then develop character writing skills and begin practicing speaking a different language.
The next section, "Stories" is for students' and teachers' reading enjoyment. A variety of genre in literature is critical in the elementary grades. I want to encourage my students to love to read, not just reading for information. I am going to read fiction and non-fiction text about China and its culture during guided reading, shared reading and read aloud. Two good books are: Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China, by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen and Tikki Tikki Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel/illustrated by Blair Lent. The book Tikki Tikki Tembo is a fun book, but it has a problem which teachers need to know before reading to the students. The name "Tikki Tikki Tembo is not Chinese, even though the introduction claims that the story is a Chinese folktale. A way to solve this problem is that I will discuss with my class authentic Chinese names and tie my comprehension question into the activity. Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China is an accurate description of China and its culture.
My unit will address all strands that are aligned for Davis Street Interdistrict Art Magnet curriculum, along with the New Haven Public School Standards. My unit will also meet all Social Studies strands. (See Appendix 1) These strands are also State mandated and are available on the New Haven website. Comprehension questions for the books Ms. Frizzle's Adventure: Imperial China and Tikki Tikki Tembo will be aligned with the CMT strands. Most common questions will correlate to the strand the students are working on that week.
I am a Special Education teacher, co teaching in the fourth grade with a general education teacher at Davis Street Interdistrict Art Magnet School in New Haven, Connecticut. Davis Street Interdistrict Art Magnet School is a smaller urban school. Presently a little over 400 students attend this Pre-school to fifth grade school. Demographically we are a very diverse school. A large percentage of my students are African American, but we embrace cultures from South America, Asia, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, India, Germany, Trinidad and Topanga and our own United States! We celebrate our diversity each year, usually in May with International DAY. My unit will be utilized first in my classroom during this school wide event and then the students will present their projects to the entire school during our International Day celebration. Along with International Day, my unit will tie in our school wide theme of technology, arts and multiculturalism. This means that though out the school year we incorporate technology, arts and multiculturalism in every thing we teach. We have a computer technician and weekly the students participate weekly in laptop lessons. We have an art program where the art teacher collaborates with teachers to embrace the school's social studies and science curriculum. For multiculturalism, Davis Street School celebrates International Day each year exhibiting art projects, reports on countries, music and food from around the world. During this celebration students learn about the culture, people, the land, food, language and other interesting facts about their country of study. We do this every year allowing students with the opportunity to learn about other cultures and to embrace differences. Every class chooses a different country to celebrate. Next year for International Day my class will celebrate and embrace China and its culture.
China today is the largest world country with population and third largest country in land size. Beijing is the capital now, but the capital has changed over the years depending on the ruler or dynasty of the time. In this section students will learn important facts about China's land, the culture, Ancient China and the Dynasties.
The Chinese word for "China" literally means Middle Country. China is located in the center of Asia. The graphic coordinates are latitude 35/00 north of the Equator and longitude 105/00 east of Greenwich. China is surrounded by Mongolia to the north, North and South Korea to the east, India to the west and Thailand with the South China Sea to the south. Other neighbors are Vietnam, Laos, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan. More than 1,287,900,000 people live in China today (www.travelchinaguide.com). That is the largest amount of people anywhere in the world. Many Chinese families have only one child to help with the control of the large population. Many Chinese do not have cars. Can you imagine if every one in China had a car? People are encouraged to walk or use a bicycle to travel around.
Two important rivers in China are the Yangtze (alternative spelling: Yangzi). It is also known as the Chang Jiang or Long River and the Huang He (also known as the Yellow River). These two rivers are very important to China's agriculture and livelihood. The Yangtze River begins near Tibet in southwestern China. It continues to flow to Shanghai on the eastern side of China. It is the third longest river in the world. It is called the long river because it flow over 3,900 miles eastward though China. This river supplies water for the farmers who grow and sell rice. In the northern part of China, the Huang He River flows from the East China Sea coast to the southwest area just before the Plateau of Tibet. The river provides water for wheat farms. There is a big water shortage in China today so this water flow is vital to the culture and food chain. The river gets its name from the yellowish loess dust that flies into the river causing flooding in many areas. Large levees were built to help with this flooding problem. Other rivers and water shape the China land form. The Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea all play a major role in China's culture. There are over five thousand islands on China's coast. The largest island is Hainan in the South China Sea. Other islands near China include Hong Kong and Taiwan. (Dalby, 2005)
Besides the rivers, seas, and islands, China has very rugged mountainous areas. About one third of China is a mountainous area. One mountain area in Tibet is the Himalayas. It is the highest peak on Earth and was formed over 55 million years ago. This snow peaked mountain range is the highest in the world. China also has a dry area in the northwest. The Taklimakan (Takla Makan) Desert is the second largest desert in the world. The Gobi Desert is also located in China, but very few people live there due to the rocky terrain. China also has forests that are home to much wild life such as monkeys, wolves, bears and the famous giant panda. (See Appendix 2)
Modern China has many large cities. The largest city is off the gulf of the Pacific Ocean. It is Shanghai; with a population of over twelve million people. The capital, Beijing (Jing) has 14,930,000 million people residing there (www.travelchinaguide.com ) or (http://en.wikipedia.org ). This is incredible considering that Beijing is only 6336 square mile area. All of China is under government control. If you lived in China you would need special permission to move from your city to another.
To really understand China and its culture, we must travel back in time to a Chinese Dynasty and Ancient Chinese way of life for Emperor Qin. A dynasty is a ruling family under an emperor. An empire could last any where from fifteen years to eight hundred years. In ancient times the people of China supported their ruler because they believed he was chosen from heaven to rule. Some dynasties lasted a shorter time because the people of China felt as if the ruler lost his heavenly power. This next section discusses the Qin Dynasty and the importance it played on today's Chinese cultural.
QIN (Ch'in) Pronounced "chin" (221BC-206BC) The English word for China is derived from the name of this dynasty. Qin means the divine Son of Heaven. (O'Connor 2002) The emperor Qin united all of China for the first time under the Qin dynasty. Prior to his dynasty, China was divided into seven kingdoms, each with a different ruler, all fighting one another. Qin unified China by forming a system of measurement, a common system of money and unified written language. Although he accomplished these, he was considered a ruthless leader. After the emperor Qin united China, he built a line of defense against attaching nomads from the north. The Great Wall of China was built out of masonry, rock and packed earth. Armies were then stationed every several yards. Once the armies realized an attack was occurring they started a fire to signal surrounding towns and cities.
In China the wall is called "Wan-Li Chang-Cheng" which translates to 10,000 Li-Long Wall. This wall expands 2,150 miles, 15 to 30 feet wide and 25 feet tall. Yes, the Great Wall of China can be seen from Outer Space! In 1994, space Shuttle Endeavour was able to produce images of the Great Wall of China from their Space Borne Imaging Radar. Many had believed that The Great Wall could be seen from the Moon, but that was proven to be a myth! (http://www.enchantedlearning.com ) The wall was built over 2,000 years ago by laborers to not only protect China from the northern enemies but to also it keep the Chinese in China. It also symbolized the power of Emperor Qin. Although only some of stretches of the wall built at that time remain, it is still the base of the wall in China today.
Emperor Qin Shihuangdi (pronounced chin shir-hwong) had his laborers build a tomb. He had his laborers and workers make the Terracotta Warriors during his brief time as emperor. His dynasty lasted only thirteen years. To prove he was in power, he had the workers begin building the Terracotta Warriors when he was still alive. Some believe it took seven hundred thousand people to build this tomb for more then thirty years! This is not all he accomplished as ruler during this time. Later in life, at the age of forty-nine, Qin began to obsess about life and death. He had always wanted to live forever. At one time he sent expeditions to islands looking for a magic potion to grant him eternal life. He feared for his own life and it is believed that he drank a poisonous potion in the hope that it would give him eternal life. He died shortly there after from what they believe to be mercury poisoning.
In this tomb Qin had his laborers build Terracotta Warriors to surround him when he dies. Qin actually died while touring his Empire. His ministers wanted to keep his death a secret until they returned the capital city, Beijing. (O'Connor 2002)The ministers did not need to worry where to bury him because his tomb was being built for the last thirty years. His tomb was to have all the pleasures he enjoyed on earth, so it is believed he was buried with jewelry, games, chariots and silk clothing. Qin believed that his tomb might be robbed so he had his workers construct warriors with crossbows and arrows built around him to protect him and his property. (O'Connor, 2002)
For many years this tomb was only a myth, until farmers digging in the province of Xian in central China discovered the great archeological find! The myth exists! Sima Qian (145-ca. 90 BCE) wrote Records of the Grand Historian describing Emperor Qin and the Chinese culture. Qian claims that Emperor Qin ordered the workers who built the tomb be buried alive so that the location would remain a secret today (Hansen 2009). For many years archeologists worked drilling and digging to discover thousands of clay warriors. This archeological find was discovered in 1974 and has been an amazing place to visit since. It is hard to believe that three farmers looking for water during a drought would come across such an amazing find. There are three museums near Mount Li where tourist may visit to observe these soldiers. The Museum is broken into three Pits. A fourth pit was found but it is empty. To this day no human bones have been found, but the archeologists continue carefully their excavation. (O'Connor, 2002)
Pit 1: Pit 1 is about 14,000 square meters or 3.52 acres making it the largest of the three pits. Inside this pit there are over 6,000 warriors and horses. To visualize the size imagine two football fields! These Warriors are the front line of defense. If anyone came to attack Qin in the afterlife, they would be attacked by the 6,000 warriors! The Warrior's faces are facing every direction with three rows guarding the rear. Those three rows are facing so as to stop any attack from the bake.
Pit 2: Pit 2 contains 1,000 warriors, 500 horses, 350 chariot horses, and 100 cavalry horses. Pit 3 is in an L shaped four square section. Some warriors are knelling while other warriors stand behind them with crossbows.
Pit 3: Pit 3 contains 68 warriors, four horses and one chariot. This pit is unusual because there is no battle formation. Several animal bones and deer horns were also found in this pit. Archeologists think this pit may have been an army headquarters because no one is in attack mode. (O'Connor, 2002) (www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/)
Each of the soldiers has its own personal characteristics. They are life size, most being six feet tall. The soldiers have different facial expressions, different hair style and are even different in age! There has been much speculation on how the soldiers were made. Many laborers had to be recruited, housed and fed. Once the laborers were found, foreman and workers would begin by producing one part such as the leg, feet, torso, arms, hand and head. Once each section was made, the assembly began; making sure no two soldiers were the same. It is believed that 700 figures were made in one year. Each soldier is made out of painted clay. The supplies had to be made available at all times. Each figure was then assembled and held together with clay to form a basic figure. This is similar to an assembly line. Later other laborers added additional clay to shape the face; individual facial features were added such as eyebrows, ears and lips. Finally the soldiers clothing and weapons were formed in a mold and placed on the soldier with clay. The final soldier clay model was placed on a horse also made of clay and wood mixture, on a chariot or left standing to project Emperor Qin from his enemies. The swords and weapons that the warriors are holding are made of a combination of metal mixture and are so sharp; they could be utilized as a weapon today! There were over 10,000 weapons found at this time. The weapons found were swords, daggers, billhooks, spears, halberds, axes, crossbows, triggers, and arrowheads. (See Appendix 3 for a activity on weapons) http://www.archaeology.about.com/od/china/a/terracotta.htm Many soldiers, horses and weapons have been destroyed over the years due to armies damaging them shortly after their creation, poor weather conditions and the collapses of the roof over time. As of now the Emperor Qin's pit has not been excavated. It is a very delicate procedure and archeologists want to preserve every piece of the pit. Many of the warriors, weapons and horses have been crushed or damaged. This could be from warring states many years ago and excavation. (www.chinamuseums.com)
This activity will answer the question: Where is China?
At the end of this section "China" students will recognize China on a map, label important areas and identify capital, rivers, and land surrounding China. As the students learn about China, they will use a colored push pin and identify the area discussed.
- 1. Students will research China's geography from internet resources, classroom books and books from library.
- 2. Students will work in pairs identifying places (areas listed below) found in China today.
- 3. Each student will receive their own map to label.
- 4. Students will participate in a whole class lesson with large poster size map
- 5. After each area on the poster board is labeled, students will label and color their own map, to be utilized on the information board during International Day.
Pencil, crayons, or colored markers list of places to label, push pins, map of Asia/China on a large poster board with cardboard underneath for push pins to enter.
Areas to label on the Map:
Beijing, Great Wall of China, Himalayas, Yangtze River, Huang He River, Taklimakan Desert, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laos, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Thailand, North and South Korea, Mongolia, Pacific Ocean, South China Sea, Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, Silk Roads, Terracotta Pit and five other cities of their choice.
Map activity:
A recommended website where students can find a map, land information and surrounding counties is found on www.travelchinaguide.com . Here students can visualize areas of importance: land structure, geography, rivers, mountains and cities discussed in the next section.
This activity will answer the question: How were the Soldiers made?
At the end of this section "Soldiers" students will view pictures of the Terracotta Warriors and then produce their own small replica.
- Students will research Terracotta Warriors from internet resources, classroom books and books from library and produce their own replica. In an assembly line manner, students will build their own Warrior!
Crayola Quick dry clay, tooth picks, card stock,
For the younger students a mask can be made with paper bags or paper plates.
- 1. Students will sketch a draft of their warrior's body by looking at pictures.
- 2. Each student will make two legs, two arms and one head out of quick dry crayola clay.
- 3. Students will break tooth picks in half and place in legs and arms as an anchor.
- 4. Using the card stock students will cut out a center body shape.
- 5. Allow the legs, arms and head to dry over night.
- 6. Put the entire classes' legs, arms and heads on a table and allow each student to select two legs, two arms and one head. Encourage them not to take their own if they identify them.
- 7. Use the body card stock and push the tooth picks in at the correct location. Students will verbally share with the class their figure.
This Activity will answer the question: How do we write Chinese characters/numbers?
Background information:
Mandarin Chinese is a language that is spoken by over 2/3 of the Chinese population mostly living in central and north China. (www.britannica.com) Mandarin Chinese is the largest number of native speakers of any language in the world. Over 885,000,000 people speak this language. Chinese character writing is unique and very interesting for the children of all ages. Chinese writing dates back to 1200 BC. Chinese characters represent a syllable of the spoken language. Originally the characters were pictures of the people or objects. Over time the characters came to resemble the object but indicate pronunciation and meaning. Knowledge of 3,000 characters will allow you to read most of Chinese literature, such as a book or the newspaper. There are about 56,000 characters or more! Chinese characters include twelve basic strokes from top to bottom and left to right and are in a very systematic order. Some characters consist of one stroke, such as the number one, twenty-five for the word school, and many more strokes for some words. (http://www.omniglot.com/writing/chinese.htm) I will have my student type in a few words on the computer and let them see and hear the pronunciation at the above website. When writing numbers, other countries such as Japan and Korea, also utilize the stroke order. As the children learn to write these Chinese numbers they will also learn how to write them in two other languages! Students can research Chinese character writing or go to the website http://www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=main. to find the words and practice their character strokes.
When writing numbers, other countries such as Japan and Korea, also utilize the same pattern. As the children learn to write these Chinese numbers they will also learn how to write in two other languages! Students can research Chinese character writing or go to the website http://www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=main. to find words and practice their character strokes.
Although Soduku is a Japanese puzzle game, students will enjoy this activity to practice their knowledge of Chinese numbers. The Japanese borrowed thousands of Chinese Characters. This includes the numbers one to ten. Soduku is the systematic use of numbers one though nine to form smaller squares in larger squares. Soduku means," the digit must remain single". Soduku can be spelled "Suduku", "Sudoku" and "Sodoku" and it is suggested that students can go on line to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku or in some local newspapers, to practice prior to using Chinese characters. Students will fill in missing numbers so that:
- 1. Each row contains digits one through nine (1-9).
- 2. Each column contains digits one through nine.
- 3. Every small square contains the digit one through nine.
- 4. Every big square contains the digits one through nine.
At the end of this section "Soduku", students will learn character writing and their pronunciation for numbers one though nine and utilize them in a math puzzle.
Numbers: Students should practice the numbers several times on paper prior to filling in the Soduku game.
- 1. Students will research character number writing on the website: www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict. or www.omniglot.com.
- 2. Students will practice saying and writing the numbers following the pattern of left to right and top to bottom.
- 3. Each student will practice Soduku puzzle making with Standard English numbers to gain knowledge of the game.
- 4. Students will make their own puzzle following the pattern or go online to http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/China/numbers/index.shtml. This site does have a membership fee. However, some worksheets are free to view. Note: the membership is worth the price.
- 5. Alternative activity could have the students make their own puzzle using two or three Chinese numbers in each small square and the exchanging their puzzle with their partner's puzzle.
(table available in print form)
Although the number ten is not used in the Soduku puzzle, students will learn how to pronounce and make the Chinese character as part of the math lesson.
Sample of Soduku puzzle:
(table available in print form)
This activity will answer the question: What can we learn about China from stories?
At the end of this section "Stories" students will read Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China or Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, write a summary and/or answer questions.
- 1. Teacher will read orally to students during shared reading/whole group reading Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China by Joanna Cole and Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel.
- 2. Students will participate in oral discussion about characters, setting, events and conclusion completing graphic organizer selected by the teacher.
- 3. Teacher will model one selected question with the entire class.
- 4. Students will write summary of the story and answer selected questions generated by the teacher to meet the New Haven Language Arts Standards.
One copy of Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China, or Tikki Tikki Tembo book, paper, pencil, copy of real Chinese names.
Real Chinese names: http://www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html. Students can write their name and the view in Chinese.
Chen, Lin, Huang, Li, Zhang, Wang, Wu, Liu and Tsai just to list a few.
Ms. Frizzle, the wonderful teacher who takes her students on a magic school bus adventure, takes two of her students on a trip though Chinatown. Of course they magically travel to China to observe the land, inventions and food. The students learn very interesting facts about China. Students will find that China was the first to invent the kite 2,400 years ago and how to grow rice!
Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is the long name for Tikki Tikki Tembo. This is a famous story in elementary schools. Arlene Mosel claims that she retells an old Chinese folktale about how the people of China came to give their children short names after traditionally giving their "first and honored" sons grand, long names. In fact though, Tikki Tikki Tembo is not a Chinese name. An example of a Chinese name would be Chen, Jong, Lin, Huang, Zhang, Liu or Tzai; just to name a few. It is important for the students to realize the story is fiction. Tikki Tikki Tembo (which means "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world") and his brother Chang (which means "little or nothing") get into trouble when one of them falls into a well. They are saved by the Old Man with the Ladder.
New Haven Strands are listed in Appendix 1. Some strands are listed below and questions that the teacher might ask.
- Students will select and use relevant information from the text in order to summarize events and/or ideas in the text. (A3)
- Use stated or implied evidence from the text to draw and/or support a conclusion. (B3)
- - Chose an invention from China and explain why it is important to the world.
- Select, synthesis and/or use relevant information within a written work to write a personal response to the text. (C2)
- - Why do you think the Emperors were the only ones allowed to wear yellow?
- Demonstrate an awareness of an author's or character's customs and beliefs included in the text. (D3)
- - Have you ever wanted to go to China? Write about why or why not.
Appendix 1
- - Do you think the author actually went to China? Why or why not?
Language Arts Strands
- 1. Identify the main idea in a source of historical information.
- 2. Read, view and listen to multiple sources that reflect the diversity of culture.
- 3. Construct a model or map of a region.
- 4. Read, view and listen to multiple sources concerning history.
- 5. Students will demonstrate strategic writing skills before, during and after writing.
- 6. Students will demonstrate strategic reading skills before, during and after reading.
- 7. Utilize resources to expand understanding (computer).
A. Forming a General Understanding
B. Developing an Interpretation
- - To select and use relevant information from the text in order to summarize events and ideas
- - To use information from the text to make a prediction
- - To use context clues to determine meaning of unknown
C. To identify or infer the author's use of structure
D. Connecting and Responding
- - To use state or implied evidence from the text to draw a conclusion
E. Connecting Structure and Content
- - To make connections between text and personal experiences
- - To select, synthesize and use relevant information to write a personal response
Appendix 2
- - To analyze and evaluate the author's craft including literary devices
- - To select, synthesis, and relevant information within a written work to extend or evaluate work
- - Demonstrate an awareness of the author's customs and beliefs included in text
Panda Activity: The students that are interested in animals may research and write a report about Pandas and why they are an endangered species. A recommended site for students to review through the computer is http://www.imax.com/chinapanda/ .
Appendix 3
Weapon Activity: Students who are interested in identifying the weapons mentioned above can search images on www.ask.com/images or www.aol.com/images to look for pictures comparing the weapons and discussing what they might be used for as a means of protection in Ancient China.
Appendix 4
Confucius Back ground: CONFUCIUS (551 BC-479 BC) Confucius's real name was Kong Qiu/Kung Fuzi. He lived in China and was a teacher. Confucius became a teacher and traveled from town to town to teach people his philosophy. He believed all people should obey their parents and perform rituals correctly.
Confucius Activity: Students may want to research several different "Confucius says" statements such as: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand" to discuss what they mean and their own interpretation. An accurate translation can be found on Http://www.4literature.net/confucius/Analects/.
Appendix 5
Marco Polo Activity: Students may want to learn the Marco Polo water game. Although there might not be a swimming pool in every school, this activity can also be utilized in the playground area, ideally in a small fenced in area. Three or more students are needed to play this game with one person as "It". That person has their eyes closed and yells out "Marco". The others answer "Polo". The "It" person has to swim or run to tag the student and say "Polo." The person tagged then becomes "It".
Dalby, Elizabeth The Usborne Internet-Linked Introduction to Asia, New York, Scholastic, 2005
Hansen, Valerie Voyages in World History, Boston, Houghton Mifflin, forthcoming 2009
O'Connor, Jane The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China, New York, Viking, 2002
www.archaeology.about.com/od/china/a/terracotta.htm Good pictures.
www.britannica.com Teacher material.
www.chinamuseums.com Teacher material.
www.en.wikipedia.org/china Teacher material.
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sudoku Teacher material.
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/terracotta_army Teacher material and some pictures for students.
www.enchantedlearning.com Teacher's can subscribe website, but some free worksheets and student projects.
www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html Excellent for mandarin Chinese language activity.
www.omniglot.com Excellent source.
www.travelchinaguide.com The best information about Ancient China and travel.
www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict A very good website.
Hansen, Valerie Voyages in World History, Boston, Houghton Mifflin, forthcoming 2009
O'Connor, Jane The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China, New York, Viking, 2002
www.archaeology.about.com/od/china/a/terracotta.htm Good pictures.
www.britannica.com Teacher material.
www.chinamuseums.com Teacher material.
www.en.wikipedia.org/china Teacher material.
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sudoku Teacher material.
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/terracotta_army Teacher material and some pictures for students.
www.enchantedlearning.com Teacher's can subscribe website, but some free worksheets and student projects.
www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html Excellent for mandarin Chinese language activity.
www.omniglot.com Excellent source.
www.travelchinaguide.com The best information about Ancient China and travel.
www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict A very good website.
Cole, Joanna, Degen, Bruce. Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China. New York: Scholastic Press, 2005. This book is in hard copy only, but worth the cost.
Cotterell, Arthur. Ancient China. (Eyewitness Books Series). New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2005. Best for children to understand the basic facts.
Debaine-Francfort,Corinne. Search for Ancient China. New York: HNA Books, 1999. Can be used for both teacher and student.
Di Cosmo, Nicola. Ancient China and Its Enemies: The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Great resource for teacher information.
Fairbank, John King, Goldman, Merle. China: A New History. New York: Harvard University Press, 2005. Updated facts about China's history.
Fisher,Leonard. The Great Wall of China. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. Great pictures and visuals.
Fitzgerald, C.P. Ancient China. New York: ibooks, Inc., 2006. Good information about Ancient China.
Harvey, Miles. Look What Came from China. New York: Scholastic Library Publishing, 1999. Interesting facts about inventions from China.
Ledderose, Lothat. Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in China Art. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2000. Great for the Terracotta Soldier section with good pictures for students.
Mosel,Arlene. Tikki Tikki Tembo. New York: Harry Holt and Company, Scholastic, 1968. Retold fictional children's book.
Scher, Linda. Ancient China: Kids Discover. New York: Scholastic, 1997. Great snapshot of Ancient China with great pictures.
Shaughnessy, Edward. Ancient China. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2006. Good resource with nice pictures.
Cotterell, Arthur. Ancient China. (Eyewitness Books Series). New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2005. Best for children to understand the basic facts.
Debaine-Francfort,Corinne. Search for Ancient China. New York: HNA Books, 1999. Can be used for both teacher and student.
Di Cosmo, Nicola. Ancient China and Its Enemies: The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Great resource for teacher information.
Fairbank, John King, Goldman, Merle. China: A New History. New York: Harvard University Press, 2005. Updated facts about China's history.
Fisher,Leonard. The Great Wall of China. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. Great pictures and visuals.
Fitzgerald, C.P. Ancient China. New York: ibooks, Inc., 2006. Good information about Ancient China.
Harvey, Miles. Look What Came from China. New York: Scholastic Library Publishing, 1999. Interesting facts about inventions from China.
Ledderose, Lothat. Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in China Art. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2000. Great for the Terracotta Soldier section with good pictures for students.
Mosel,Arlene. Tikki Tikki Tembo. New York: Harry Holt and Company, Scholastic, 1968. Retold fictional children's book.
Scher, Linda. Ancient China: Kids Discover. New York: Scholastic, 1997. Great snapshot of Ancient China with great pictures.
Shaughnessy, Edward. Ancient China. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2006. Good resource with nice pictures.
www.ask.com/images http://www.bmy.com
Contents of 2007 Volume II | Directory of Volumes | Index | Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute


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Denver Women Announce 2011 Schedule
from press release
DENVER – The University of Denver women's lacrosse team will take on six ranked teams from last year, including a home date against Final Four participant North Carolina, during the Pioneers' 2011 schedule, head coach Liza Kelly announced today.
"There are no easy games in our 2011 schedule," Kelly said. "We graduated half of our starting lineup, and we play several Top 20 teams as well as a number of teams that won their conference championships last year. I think the 2011 squad will be challenged from start to finish, and I hope that our tough out-of-conference schedule will help to prepare us to face our MPSF opponents."
Denver will open with four straight on the road, including Florida (Feb. 20) which is expected to be strong in just its second year at the Division I level and Hofstra (Feb. 25) which finished 15th in the nation last season.
The Pioneers return home to face Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe St. Mary's on March 4 and the Tar Heels on March 7.
Following a midweek game against Vermont (March 9), the Pioneers will take on Boston University (March 19), an NCAA Tournament team from a year ago that finished 2010 ranked No. 19 in the nation. Kelly was the head coach of the Terriers for five seasons, earning America East Coach of the Year twice during that stretch and taking BU to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2006.
DU then plays its next seven games on the road, beginning with Towson (March 25), another 2010 NCAA Tournament participant that was ranked 11th; Loyola (March 27), which was ranked 13th; and Marist (March 31), which won the 2010 MAAC championship to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Pioneers finish the regular season with five MPSF rivals, starting with a game at Stanford (April 8), which beat Denver in overtime of the 2010 MPSF Championship game to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Denver returns 17 student-athletes, including six starters, from a squad that finished 13-5 overall in 2010 with a 6-0 sweep of the MPSF during the regular season.
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Ohio 7 Work Continues
A $3.2 million resurfacing project on Ohio 7 in Shadyside is progressing as scheduled, officials said Thursday.
The project, which started at the beginning of April, is on a 2-mile stretch of the roadway from the south end of Bellaire to the south end of Shadyside. Crews from Lash Paving Inc. of Colerain have spent the past two months removing the center median wall on the majority of that stretch, leaving only the center wall on sections of road that involve bridges.
According to Lauren Holdsworth of the Ohio Department of Transportation, crews are in the process of finishing the removal of the wall and have begun making joint repair on individual portions of the roadway. Traffic has been reduced to the outside lane in each direction as crews work on the inside lane.
On Thursday, crews were seen working in several spots throughout the stretch of roadway, cutting out rectangular portions of the road and placing steel reinforcements inside before filling the holes with concrete.
Holdsworth said once joint repair is completed in the next few weeks, crews will build a new center wall before rerouting traffic to the inside lanes to work on the outside lanes and entrance and exit ramps. The entirety of the roadway will then be resurfaced, with a fall completion date set.
The project coincides with landslide repair in the northbound lane of Ohio 7 south of Shadyside and north of Dilles Bottom.
Work for the project, costing $583,985, is being done by Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Co. of Powhatan Point and has a September expected completion date. Officials said the two projects are not expected to interfere with one another.


text: Town and Country Garden Club member Tom McLaughlin presented All Cultures Equal Director Janet Toering a check for $500 to be used for a raised garden bed structure and a vine tunnel. The garden bed will be part of the new Family Garden Space at the exisiting Boone River Country Community Gardens at ACE. Individuals or families will be able to rent garden space and all can participate in garden programs and events at the site.


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NORTON SHORES — The Mona Lake Watershed Council will receive a $110,729 state grant to design a flow-through marsh to protect against polluted storm-water runoff.
The grant comes as the watershed council transitions into new leadership. Director Annoesjka Steinman recently resigned to take a job with the Community Foundation for Muskegon County.
Sue Wierengo, chairwoman of the watershed council, said her board is close to announcing Steinman's replacement.
Wierengo said the watershed council, which works on water-quality improvements, "is alive and well."
Receiving the grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will help the organization become more visible in the community. It will pay for educational outreach programs that help residents protect the watershed against harmful pollution.
But the grant's main thrust is the design of a flow-through marsh planned for county property south of the landfill on Apple Avenue, Steinman said.
The marsh would collect polluted storm-water runoff from 20 square miles of agricultural land, clean it and run it back into Black Creek, which flows into Mona Lake.
Details of the exact location for the marsh are still being worked out, officials said.
Officials have been talking about creating such a marsh for several years, Steinman said. A $48,000 local match is required to secure the grant.
Wierengo said $30,000 will come from the Annis Water Resources Institute; the county will be asked to pay the remaining $20,000, Wierengo said.
"The county is being very supportive," she said.
The new director will lead the design phase, with cooperation from county officials. Wierengo said the design phase could take 10 months to complete, though it remains unclear when the state funds will be released.
Officials will pursue a second grant for construction, which could begin as early as 2010, Wierengo said.
"Sooner is better as far as we're concerned," Wierengo said.
Constructing the marsh could cost $3-$5 million, Steinman said.
Meanwhile, Steinman starts May 19 as donor services director for the Community Foundation for Muskegon County.
She said the community foundation will allow her to keep her position on the Norton Shores City Council because the seat is nonpartisan.
The Michigan DEQ on Tuesday announced 14 water-quality grants totaling $3.5 million. A complete list can be viewed at www.michigan.gov/deq.


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WATCUNG — In a letter to the editor to another publication, former Watchung Borough Council Mayor Tony Addario defended Steve Caruso's decision to run in the GOP Primary election for the party's nomination to run for Mayor of Watchung in November.
In the letter, Addario calls the open call for candidates "not an honest one," since the party had already decided that he would back Gerry Mobus for mayor.
Candidate Caruso has asked the Independent Press to "please pass this on to Watchung residents."
Read the letter here.


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BECKET - No special effects, no stunt doubles, no scenery, hardly any dialogue and sometimes even no music.
That's all certain great dance performances need to thrill an audience.
That's what puts people on the edge of their seats.
And that's what 3e Etage delivered Saturday afternoon at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Then again, none of this came as much of a surprise. Two years ago, the same group of soloists from the Paris Opera Ballet performed a delightful program that truly showed what these amazing dancers can do on stage.
On Saturday, the dancers' dazzling talent was on full display in "Le Pillow Thirteen," a series of vignettes presented in two acts against a plain black backdrop. The order of the short pieces change depending "on how the characters are feeling that night," the program states. That might sound a bit precocious - and it is.
And yet 3e Etage manage to get away with it since their dancing is so delightful and down-right fun. Plus it's such a rare treat to see such stupendous dancers on such a small stage right in our own back yard.
Some of the selections presented Saturday were the same ones 3e Etage performed two years ago at Jacob's Pillow. But the program did not feel like a repeat. Rather, they seemed to build on their performance from 2011 and add new, refreshing dimensions to this year's program.
"Mephisto" probably delighted many people in the audience since this section showcased exactly what these highly trained dancers from one of the most revered ballet companies in the world are capable of doing on stage.
But for me, the whole piece took off once the group started performing the next two sections, "Smoke-Smoke" and "La Danse Des Livres (Book Dance)." Like 3e Etage's show two years ago, these two sections illustrated what a great sense of humor choreographer and dancer Samuel Murez possesses. The black and white clad figures acted out a sort of silent short play in which two men seemed to be trying to figure out how to interact with a woman, a topic that has puzzled mankind for centuries. In the wrong hands, this piece could have been heavy handed and tiresome. Instead, it was hilarious and featured some of the best modern dancing I've seen on stage at Jacob's Pillow this summer.
The next section set to Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" featured two dancers and it was lush and romantic without being sentimental. Murez's choreography again here was spot on and drew on the dancers' classical training and yet managed to push their footwork and movements into the 21st century.
The first half ended with a short segment the group performed two years ago entitled "ME2." Three male dancers talked and talked about me, me, me as they danced and sliced the air with their arms and legs in sharp, angular movements. You could also cut the air with a knife since the crowd was so excited by everything going on around them on stage.
The piece that began the second half, "Processes of Intricacy," had no music. All that's heard are vague stage directions off stage as two dancers performed dazzling dancing, their bodies intertwined with one another as they twisted and twirled around the stage like birds about to take flight.
The next section, "Quatre," featured four male dancers and was part of the program two years ago. I was more than happy to watch it again. The ballet dancers strike very serious poses on stage. Only it becomes quickly apparent they have no idea what moves they're supposed to do. So they improvise. Then they try to top one another with increasingly intricate ballet moves. The crowd was laughing and cheering by the end.
The last two sections seemed more like one long section featuring the entire group. It was modern, very stark and the movements angular and precise. It definitely wasn't classic ballet. But there's no way these stunning dancers could have done what they did on stage if they hadn't spent so many years perfecting their craft in a third-floor studio in Paris. That's where the group's name, French for third floor, comes from.
Luckily for us, 3e Etage decided to come back and share their gifts with us again. Hopefully, they'll be back again in another year or two. Because based on what they did on stage Saturday and two years ago, 3e Etage's dancers have a lot of interesting things to say - often without even saying a word.
3e Etage: Soloists of the Paris Opera Ballet perform through Sunday in the Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, 358 George Carter Road, Becket. Performances are 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $45 to $75. Both shows are listed as being sold out. To purchase tickets or for more information, click here or call (413) 243-0745.
Also this week at Jacob's Pillow, Bodytraffic performs in the Doris Duke Theatre today at 8:15 p.m. and Sunday at 2:15 p.m. Both shows are currently sold out for this Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company.
O Vertigo Danse and the Quebec Contemporary Music Society (Aug. 7 - 11) perform in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Jacob's Pillow's website describes the group as follows: "Founded in Montréal by Artistic Director and choreographer Ginette Laurin, O Vertigo Danse has been a dynamic force in the dance world for more than 25 years. The Quebec Contemporary Music Society, directed by Walter Boudreau, is renowned for exceptional level of cohesion, precision, and expressiveness."
Jessica Lange Dance (Aug. 7 - 11) will present a world premiere in the Doris Duke Theatre. According to Jacob's Pillow website, "Lang combines powerful dancing, beautiful scenic landscapes, and expressive choreography in lush contemporary ballets.


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Learn Bird ID With Tutorials and Quizzes—Try One!
December 11, 2013
Want to get better at bird ID? The Cornell Lab gives you lots of options—from our free Building Skills pages and Inside Birding videos, to our live webinars, all the way up to our college-level Home Study Course. And if you want in-depth ID information and creative ways to practice your skills, you should try our tutorial series.
Our current tutorials focus on two of the most basic keys to bird identification: Size & Shape and Color & Pattern. The $25 course fee grants you six-month access to the tutorial, so you can review the tips and run through the practice exercises at your own pace, and as many times as you like. And the content is like nothing else—taking full advantage of new ways to learn on the Web.
"You have to look, listen, think, react, sort, match, choose, and ask for hints," says course author Dr. Kevin McGowan. "You will drag and drop, rewind, push buttons, and hover over photos. You will be informed, quizzed, challenged, assisted, rewarded, and I hope, entertained."
Want to give it a try? The following activity is drawn from the reference section at the start of the tutorials. Try it out and see how many parts of a bird can you identify—then learn more and register for tutorials here.


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Todd and I call my home office in the basement "The Hatch." Cracks me up. Read more →
Tag: Lost
I Didn't Even Know I Wanted It Until It Was On My Finger
I just spent an hour on hands and knees, scouring the floor for the diamond from my engagement ring. The big middle one, of course. Little side guys are still intact. I am pretty sure that I had it this morning, because i think i would have noticed the empty setting, or it would have caught on something. I did… Read more →
You Are Sun You have a past history of being secretive and deceptive. You're the type of person who will protect yourself at all costs. While you can be crafty when you need to, you are usually giving, friendly, and likable. You truly care for other people, and you are very sensitive. People tend to underestimate you. You seem like… Read more →
"Lost"-Style Anti-Stem Cell Research Commercial
Has anyone else see the Georgia Right to Life ad running the last few days? The one that I watched for about 20 seconds and actually thought was one of those faux commercials they show during Lost? I thought it was a Lost commercial! Those fuckers. I think i even rewound the DVR to view it again. I couldn't find… Read more →


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Got a hankering for a breakfast biscuit, but without the greasy, fast food guilt? Tasty, healthy biscuits await at the Alabama Biscuit Company, which recently opened on White Oak Drive in Cahaba Heights, behind Miss Myra's Pit Barbecue.
What: Alabama Biscuit, 4133 White Oak Drive, Cahaba Heights, 578-2553
Prices: Biscuits $4- $9; Oatmeal and granola $6.
Hours: Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. .
Bottom line: Review gets three stars out of five
The space is bright and inviting, with an exposed wood beam ceiling, white walls, and a dash of color by way of red chairs and pendant lights. Like the food served here, the décor features locally sourced "ingredients", such a slab of Alabama White Marble from Sylacauga, which serves as the dining room's center table. Other furniture is constructed from a storm damaged walnut tree, hailing from Cullman. Local art and photography adorn the walls.
What started out as the owner's quest to nourish his own family with healthy food, eventually turned into Alabama Biscuit. Here, disks are crafted the old-timey way from sprouted, stone-milled spelt, and organic, pasture-based fats.
History lesson: Prior to the Industrial Revolution, grain was allowed to naturally sprout in the field before it was harvested and milled into flour. With the advent of modern processing, grain came to be harvested before it was allowed to sprout. Thereby, it does not contain the same nutrients and also may be harder to digest.
Not hard to digest is the restaurant's brief menu. Biscuit offerings begin with The Standard ($4.00), served with a choice of jelly, Alabama honey or Sorghum syrup. The Alabama ($7.00) is dressed with maple butter sauce and soaked, roasted pecans. A biscuit spread with house-milled, roasted almond butter and St. Dalfour strawberry jelly is priced at $6.00.
We enjoyed the goat cheese, pecan and honey biscuit ($6.50), featuring soaked, roasted pecans, warm Stone Hollow goat cheese, and a drizzle of honey. Also a hit was the ham and cheese biscuit ($7.00), filled with thinly sliced smoked ham and aged Spanish Mahon cheese.
In addition to the regular menu of breakfast biscuits, which are served all day long, other daily specials are available after 10:30 a.m. The Cahaba Cuban ($9.00) was stuffed with falling-apart-tender Thompson Farms pork shoulder, thinly sliced smoked ham, melted cheese, stone ground yellow mustard, and fresh, crisp pickles. The fried bologna biscuit ($8.00) featured paper thin slices of lightly crispy, fried Mortadella sausage, dressed with melted cheese, pickles and mustard—an excellent selection. A pecan butter and jelly biscuit ($6.00) featuring an intensely flavored, house-milled roasted pecan butter and wild blueberry jelly was also delicious.
Spelt biscuits look and feel different from the common white flour and lard variety—less puffy, white and flaky, more tan and crumbly with a slight crispness to the outside. While both the sweet and savory filling options were very well received, our crew agreed what is missing here is a scrambled egg biscuit made from the eggs of happy, free-range Alabama chickens.
Grab a half dozen biscuits to go, along with a jar of jelly or honey for $18.35. If biscuits aren't your thing, there is oatmeal ($6.00) made form sprouted organic rolled oats, and organic grainless granola ($6.00) made from sprouted nuts and seeds and served with a choice of fresh Greek yogurt, steamed cow's milk or goat's milk.
There is also an organic chocolate chip muffin ($4.00) and an almond butter bar ($4.00). The bar had already sold out when we tried to order at mid-day. Gluten free and dairy free items are designated.
Beverage choices include Uncle Matt's organic orange juice, a selection of sodas, and assorted coffee and tea drinks. Warm and delicious, the Green Goat was a frothy, pale green, slightly sweet green tea latte made with goat's milk. Other tea drinks include chai tea and something called the Cahaba Fog. Iced tea was perfectly brewed and flavorful. It is available sweet or unsweet.
Portions here could be a concern for heartier appetites. I'm a petite person, but I wasn't quite full after just one biscuit, even though they are of a decent size and generously filled. I realize this isn't Hardee's and I certainly expect to pay more for high quality, mindfully-made, small batch fare. However, considering the prices being charged, I do think a choice of simple sides would be a nice accompaniment. Fresh fruit, grits, roasted potatoes, grilled asparagus or maybe some sliced tomatoes in the summertime would fit the bill. Alabama Biscuit is a small business just getting started, and we were told possible future plans call for an expanded lunch menu, so stay tuned.