text:
More and more children (and adults) are being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. It is common, especially in this country, to treat conditions with medication. What happens when medicine doesn't work or one prefers another option?
In an article found on PRWEB.com, entitled, Neurofeedback Training Offers New Paths for Treating Children with ADHD, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that "(neurofeedback offers the) same level of efficacy as medication." It's good to know there are alternatives.
The article gives an example of a 10 year old girl who is diagnosed with ADHD. She was distractible and had difficulty completing tasks and doing her homework. With neurofeedback, she was able to successfully learn how to calm herself down and develop self regulation and become more focused.
I have seen tremendous results in treating both children and adults diagnosed with ADHD with neurofeedback. One of my clients wrote a testimonial about the efficacy of neurofeedback and both she and her son were able to decrease and eventually eliminate medication. To read the testimonial by JK, click here.
If you would like to learn more about neurofeedback and and how it can help with ADHD, feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.


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Teach the students how to cut a heart from folded construction paper. Make about 10 hearts each. Have the students write one part on one side of the folded heart and the other part on the other side. Open the heart up and write the whole number on the inside.
Part Part
Pick a Heart Fact Family and fill in the sheet below.
Click on the picture to download a copy.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This Weeks Powerful Interview
Jim Wicklund
Managing Director-Equity Research at Credit Suisse
Networth Radio welcomes Jim Wicklund this weekend, energy analyst, SMU graduate and 40 year oil industry veteran. Jim will discuss recent developments in the capital markets to include oil's impacts to Texas banks. Additionally, he will be appearing at the upcoming Commerce Street Capital Banking Industry Conference on April 28th, at the Four Seasons Las Colinas.
Click here to register for Commerce Street's 14thAnnual Banking Conference!
Featured Research Solutions
- Global Lending Opportunities in 2016
- Alliance Bernstein: Tuning Out the White Noise in High Yield
- Pimco Says It's Time to Buy Junk Bonds
Headline Round Up!
- 17,000 Dow! What it means for investors.
- Global Credit Markets Unfreezing Corresponding to Oil's Rally to $38 per Barrel.
- Negative Interest Rates??? What the European Central Bank Actually Did this Week and What it Means for Investors.
- U.S. Economy Expands With Wide Ranges of Wage Growth, Fed Says
Opportunistic Solutions!
Why MGAM Cash Flow Units Can Provide a Timely Solution for Portfolios in the Current Markets.


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Even though we're hard at work preparing for the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, we couldn't help but notice that some familiar faces will be featured at this year's Sundance Film Festival as they show off their latest projects. Ranging from daring short filmmakers making their first features to innovative established documentarians, our amazing group of alumni makes us all proud back east.
Amy Berg
Prophet's Prey
Amy Berg celebrated the world premiere of her first narrative feature, Every Secret Thing, at last year's Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning and Diane Lane, the film demonstrated that Berg is deft at narrative storytelling in addition to the documentary work she is known for. Berg's entry to the 2015 Sundance Film Festival is a Prophet's Prey, an expose into the life and disturbing practices of Warren Jeffs, a Prophet in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints who abused his power.
Bryan Buckley
The Bronze
Bryan Buckley was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in 2013 for ASAD, a film that captivated audiences at its TFF 2012 world premiere. Focusing on a Somali boy who must make a life-altering decision, ASAD was awarded Best Narrative Short at Tribeca. Buckley made his feature filmmaking debut with a raunchy comedy about a washed up gymnast, The Bronze, which screened on the Opening Night of this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Alex Gibney
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
Alex Gibney is no stranger to the Tribeca Film Festival, screening a work-in-progress cut of his Untitled James Brown Documentary just last year. Gibney's past Tribeca premieres include Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer and My Trip to Al Qaeda at TFF 2010 and Taxi to the Dark Side at TFF 2007. Gibney's new documentary, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, will premiere at Sundance 2015. This searing exploration of the "cult" of Scientology will look at the allegations of abuse and the church's unorthodox methods.
John Maclean
Slow West
John Maclean celebrated the New York premiere of his black and white short Pitch Black Heist at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. Featuring the talents of Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham, the caper follows two safe-crackers who must plan a heist that will take place entirely in the dark. For his first narrative feature, Maclean reteams with Fassbender for the 2015 Sundance premiere of Slow West. The frontier based drama follows a young man (TFF alum Kodi Smit-Phee) as he attempts to track down his true love with the help of mysterious stranger (Fassbender) who is not what he seems.
Michael Beach Nichols
Welcome to Leith
Michael Beach Nichols and co-director Deidre Schoo floored Tribeca audiences back at the 2013 Festival with Flex is King, a documentary about "flexing," a new dance movement emerging from East New York. Nichols' new documentary with collaborator Christopher Walker—Welcome to Leith—will debut at Sundance 2015. The film follows a group of North Dakotans as they resist a throng of white supremacists with plans to take over their town.
Louis Psihoyos
Racing Extinction
Last year at the Tribeca Film Festival, Louis Psihoyos screened a work-in-progress cut of his new documentary 6, a disturbing look at humanity's role in the extinction of endangered species. Thanks to his WIP screening at TFF 2014, Psihoyos' important documentary is ready and will screen at Sundance 2015 under the new title, Racing Extinction.
Jerry Rothwell
How To Change The World
Jerry Rothwell enjoyed back-to-back world premieres of documentaries at recent Tribeca Film Festivals: Donor Unknown at TFF 2011, and Town of Runners at TFF 2012. His 2015 Sundance documentary, How To Change The World, looks back the early days of Greenpeace through never-before-seen footage and audio/video recordings of interactions within the group as its members embarked on an activist demonstration on the high seas.


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Crash Dummies
Recommended for Elementary through Middle School.
What happens to people in automobile collisions is important information for car manufacturers. Crash dummies are often used in collision studies. Velocity is one of the most important factors in such collision studies. In this experiment, you will study the relationship between car velocity and the distance a "crash dummy" is thrown during a collision. A Motion Detector will be used to measure car velocity. You will use a ruler to measure the distance a crash dummy is thrown.
In this experiment, you will
- Measure velocity.
- Measure distances an action figure is thrown.
- Calculate averages.
- Graph the results.
- Make conclusions from your results.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment features the following Vernier sensors and equipment.
Option 1
Option 2
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Middle School Science with Vernier
See other experiments from the lab book.


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MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo.—A storm that caused flash flooding in the area burned by the Waldo Canyon Fire last year dumped 0.59 inches of rain in the area in less than 20 minutes.
About 20 homes were damaged, about a half dozen of them significantly, as mud flowed into Manitou Springs and western Colorado Springs Monday.
A woman told The Gazette ( http://bit.ly/16LDX2d) the slide pushed her car about five feet and left the engine compartment filled with sticks, twigs and mud.
While the rainfall was intense, the storm moved quickly through the area. Meteorologist John Kalina says the damage would have been much worse if the storm had settled over the area.
Colorado Springs officials say more than 160 people were relocated from a low-lying trailer park as a precaution.
Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com


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The last of the mammoths
Climate change, hunting by humans... what caused the extinction of these Ice Age elephants?
Woolly mammoths roamed parts of Earth's northern hemisphere for at least half a million years. They were still in their heyday 20,000 years ago but within 10,000 years they were reduced to isolated populations off the coasts of Siberia and Alaska. By 4,000 years ago they were gone.
So why did these magnificent beasts die out? Mammoth expert Prof Adrian Lister talks us through his research findings and the stark warning they sound for the future of mammoths' living relatives, African and Asian elephants.
To hear more from Prof Lister about mammoths, listen to BBC Radio 4 Natural Histories.
Lessons from the past
Explore how our research into Ice Age animal extinctions can help us understand the vulnerability of species today.


text:
Created for: The Sims 3
Compact house for your simmies.
Style luxurious .
It has
Living room
Dining room
Thank all artist TSR.
Hope you love this house.
Creator Notes
Needs: World Adventures,Ambitions,Late Night,Pets,Generations,Showtime, and Seasons!...
Credits: All artist TSR
Short URL: http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1191636
ItemID: 1191636
Filesize: 5 MB kB
This Creation requires what's listed below in order to work properly.
Note that those downloads are not required for the Creation to work!
The TSR Creations below were used in this Creation.
The EA Creations below were used in this Creation.
Please report any offensive comments so we can remove them. Use of bad language, unsuitable links or flaming may result in deletion of your account.
We have detected that you are using an Ad-blocker plugin. This means our main source of income to cover bandwidth costs is blocked when you are using our free service. We would ask that you whitelist us and allow ads to show.
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text:
The Grantchester Charity Runs are delighted to welcome their new supporter, Sports Corrective Therapy Ltd. Sports Therapist. Natalie Harman founder of Sports Corrective Therapy Ltd will be on site on Sunday October 9th to offer injury consultations, massage and sports taping, raising money for our designated charities, ACT and EACH.
SCT have a great website which describes the company and their specialties and expertise. Here's a short extract…. Sports Corrective Therapy is a friendly sports injury clinic in Cambridge and was founded by Natalie Harman who is a highly qualified Sports Therapist. In the past Natalie has worked in a busy clinic environment looking after lots of injured runners, cyclists, and loads of different sports and non-sports people. She treats people with lower back pain, heel pain, hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and pelvic pain. That's a lot of pain! She enjoys most sports but her passion is playing football. She has played for various football clubs in the past with her most recent being Bar Hill Ladies FC.
Natalie believes in taking a holistic approach and fixing the cause of the pain as well as the symptoms. After all, the human body is all connected and one area of the body can cause pain in another region of the body. She will listen to you and make sure the assessment process runs thoroughly to get to the root of the problem.
Her mission is to produce a specialised treatment and rehabilitation program to meet your needs, whether that is an acute or chronic injury, a tiny niggle or a long-standing irritating pain. She can also help you get ready for those sports competitions.
Sports Corrective Therapy Ltd, Unit 2, Copley Hill Business Park, Babraham, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3GN
07746897647, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Fresh GK podcast on Recovery:
Month: September 2014
St. Louis Area Weekend
GK Notes- Creativity and Imagination Class
I'm closer than ever to publishing a separate blog here in Word Press that focuses on Art and Creativity with many links to Christian folks who do likewise, particularly in teaching, missions and the like. Stay tuned, I will publicize it soon as it's ready for the world 🙂
Meanwhile, as I've finished my notes/overview for the upcoming Project 12 Discipleship classes I'm teaching in October on Creativity and Imagination, here is that overview and a few points.
Be aware, what follows here is only the overview- there are a number of core, related verses of scripture, many key definitions, a -lot- of quotes from far and wide as well as several specific exercises we will do to bring it all into practical creative moments together 🙂
For more on P12: http://project12.us/
Thanks for stopping by! -Glenn
Project 12 Creativity and Imagination Class
"The Gathering"- Oct. 2014
GK's NOTES:
My own thoughts on an artistic, creative life, certainly true in my personal life experience- might be summed up like this:
A. Inspiration B. Imagination C. Imitation D. Fabrication
I'm inspired. I begin to imagine an artwork. I may copy one or many different people's work in order to have a sort of path or road to whatever it is I'm creating. Sometimes I do this consciously, sometimes subconsciously. Then I make "it" and consider it's value either to myself or if I think it worthy, to/for others.
A. Creativity B. Flexibility C. Fresh Ability
Creating (mostly, for me) seems the easy part. Being flexible and willing to begin with X and end up with Y or Z is part of the journey, not always as fun. Through the process of discovery, learning and growing I realize (often in retrospect) that I've learned something new (at least to me) about creating. My own "toolbox" has grown larger, I have more "colors" to work with than I did before risking creating in a new, fresh, often collaborative way.
A. Learning B. Keeping C. Sharing
Life, in my view, seems either a continual stream or a stagnant mud puddle. Either I'm learning, growing, and regarding what I'm creating, keeping it to myself (not always wrong, sometimes exactly right!) or I'm sharing, gifting someone or someoneS with what I create. This takes patience, knowledge, actual wisdom (what to -do- with the knowledge) and relationships! It seems to me loving God and others via our creativity, art and creative offerings are what creators in THE Creator are all about!
12 Steps?!!
Had a great series of chats a couple of weekends ago, several with a pastor friend of mine about Twelve Step and such programs.
He said some Christian peeps can't figure out why a person who has been clean and sober for years would still attend meetings. It's like "Jesus has set you free, what do you need that stuff for"?
He said he's come to the conclusion that sometimes it may just be God wants him there for younger strugglers who need to see an encouraging example of sobriety, an honest walk with God which by Christ's grace is what he has.
I agree.
The founders of AA (which of course inspired NA, SA, OA and etc.) were believers who in fact decided that it would be better to bring someone to God in a process that includes at core, for them to face their absolute powerlessness over their addiction, than to let them suffer and in some cases perish with zero help.
The issue is around "God as I understand God", that is, other religions and various spiritual beliefs (not biblical nor true as per solid Christian faith and relationship with Jesus Christ) where someone may get free of their addiction but not know the risen Christ.
I get that. I even agree with the concern and problem with this. I also don't think walking by the person in the ditch unless they respond to the Gospel of Christ is what loving one's neighbor is all about. Ever study the "spiritual beliefs" of the Samaritans? Makes you wonder why Jesus used one as the prime right example to the… wait for it… an "expert in the law" of God. Remember as Jesus tells the story in Luke 10.25-37, it was a priest and a Levite (both of these guys should be truly holy), two out of three who just kept going.
Core points are that the man coming to Jesus asked about inheriting eternal life, what should he do? Loving God and neighbor supremely of course. So the Book tells us he then asked "wanting to JUSTIFY HIMSELF" (which only Jesus and His blood can do…) "who is my neighbor"?
Jesus gives the punchline that is summed up in one word: "mercy". Actions that demonstrate genuine mercy. On my part, me to you! On your part, you to me! On our part, to whomever our neighbor happens to be.
Oh how easy we dismiss God's power to use means we dislike to bring positive, healing change to people.
Do I want to be righteous, right, correct in all my theology, doctrine, methodology? OF COURSE. Do I think there is salvation in any other name than that of Jesus Christ? NO. Do I think believers (including myself at times) can be a bit thick and even a bit cold-hearted when it comes to suffering, down-and-out addicts? Indeed I do, as I've seen it here and there over my lifetime.
I think my pastor friend got it right.
Further, as each of the steps have solid biblical basis (you can find that by a simple thorough web study if you look) the real question is not why saved believers attend such meetings but why more churches don't offer them?
By the way, both my wife and I have been there, done that, speak at various such meetings and frankly, I get something good (spiritually, yes) every time I attend one. I have both The Bible and The Big Book (AA) in my Kindle and turn to the second one off and on, reading through and considering the Steps along and along my journey.
Both my need and my need of compassion are met there.
And my Higher Power- Jesus Christ- never fails to show up.
Some things to consider… and thanks for stopping by!
Recording Therapy :)
Most reading this have heard of music therapy, but have you tried experiencing it by process of recording song ideas?
While it's true not all musicians are also song writers, writing via recording happens and you never know if you have the ability or at least aptitude unless you try.
When you realize there are a -lot- of freeware music programs available for nearly any computer operating system, tablet, phone and such, why not record your song ideas? If you never do anything but consider it an "audio sketchbook" of sorts and allow yourself the freedom and fun of learning whatever instrument(s), singing and vocal techniques, bass, drums, hand drums, uke, harmonica, cigarbox guitar, 1 string diddley bow, spoons, washtub bass, patting your hands on your knees and singing… well you get the picture -errr… sound, 'eh?
You might really have fun and even encourage others as the result.
See, some people journal (as I just wrote recently) but others might find it as much of a healthy "journaling" experience to record. There are free (yep!) 4 track recording apps for Android devices, free Garage Band (or the like) multi-track recording programs for Mac, Windows and Linux. All you need is a good mic or two, a little time and some ideas to put down in audio form.
I've been doing this for years and some peeps actually like my ideas enough they're often later recorded "for real" in pro studio form.
You really don't know how a song will turn out until you try. I find creating songs nearly as much fun and satisfying as doing live shows, for me it's one of the best parts about being a musician.
But you don't have to spend hours doing it, nor seek to be the next "big deal" nor even to make a living from music. That's not the point I'm trying to make here.
Think of recording a song as an audio snapshot, a sound-wave form of photography. When you have a bunch of 'em you have an album even if it just sits on your hard drive, or you burn a few cds or email a few mp3s to family or friends.
Lastly, I don't think I progressed as a musician nearly as much as when I began to record my ideas, play them for others (even non-musicians who love music and gave me kind but honest critique) and so forth. In time I taught myself enough drums, bass, guitar, harmonica and the rest to actually get my ideas pretty well across in demo form.
After some years of this and with a lot of feedback from folks, I began to think I really did have a call on my life to make music, perform it, and even share some of those songs while leading worship.
Sound recording has never been easier for the average person than it is today with modern computing and apps.
Give it a shot )
And thanks for stopping by. -Glenn
GK Solo Blues, Speaking- Hillsboro, MO
GK Solo Blues
Hillsboro, MO
Sat., Sept. 27
4450 Outreach Dr.
Help for the homeless…
GK's set appx. 4pm
Various music artists all day
10am – 10pm
GK Bringing the Message
Hillsboro, MO
Sun., Sept. 28
4450 Outreach Dr, Hillsboro, MO
I am often asked what I'm up to re. recording music, touring and such, so here's a little inside info.-
Between all our schedules, I am with Ed, sloooowwwwly doing a song or two per week until we build up a fresh cigarbox guitar project. This would be a NEXT YEAR release sometime… we have zero idea when, could be far into 2015… Lord only knows.
So a friend in the music movement sent out a cigarbox guitar-related post yesterday. I happened to get it in my inbox right while taking a 5 min. break at the studio during recording with our first Grrr Records prototype cbg.
I emailed him just that laughing about his timing, and then just on a whim sent him the following lyric to the cbg tune I was recording.
He then said some encouraging things and asked about the imagery. Below you see the lyric and my response.
As always, thanks for stopping by! -Glenn
(c) 2014 Glenn Kaiser
Takes me back to the day
Where me and friends used to play
Garden shack out back
Smell of the stove
Laughin' in an autumn sun
Foggin' up the windows
All comes back to me
With the scent of kerosene
Babe have you been loved
Do you recollect
Maybe been burned
Cause an' affect
Remembered though unseen
Like the scent of kerosene
Then there is suggestion
Got to go your way
Pain and rejection
Spreadin' hell to pay
It ain't so sweet an' clean
It can kill
When I was in 1st and 2nd grade in a tiny Wisconsin town my best friend had a garden shed in the back yard w. a kerosene stove in it. Lotsa glass windows for the plants. We'd hang out there. Bright, cold days, warm inside.
Glad it never blew up… you could really smell the fuel. Hard to forget that smell.
Lotsa people have lost in love, gotten hurt, bitter, don't want to even try love relationship again. They don't forget but worse, get stuck in the memory, an endless loop.
Sometimes they get so self-centered, entangled in that root of bitterness they are just determined they MUST have their way or nothing… ending up angry, empty, with nothing for a life. Hurting, they hurt others. It's like hell to pay to get very close to them.
The same fuel that warms you can kill you or others. Plenty of metaphors in this.
So this lyric is both a "slice of life" observation as well as warning.
Vivid, pungent scent. Warm fuzzies or Boom!
There you go 🙂


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A standing-room-only crowd gathered at Café Louvre Tuesday evening, listening intently as 18-year-old Karla Martinez described the moment three years ago that she told her mother she was pregnant.
"She let out a sigh and her body weakened," Martinez read. "She stared at me in silence, which hurt more than a million words would have. Her eyes started to water and she looked away. I had just broken her heart."
Martinez's story, "Positive," is one of 15 pieces featured in I'm Finally Awake: Young Authors Untangling Old Nightmares, the fifth compilation of moving personal essays from Scriber Lake High School students. The essays, written by 14 students and one graduate, center around the struggles in each student's life, from abuse, to addiction, to mental illness – things most teenagers don't discuss, much less in a school setting. But since 2011, Scriber Lake English teacher Marjie Bowker has provided her students with an opportunity to heal from their experiences by writing and sharing their stories with others in an academic setting.
In a time where education is driven by standards, Bowker consistently kicks off her English class with a narrative unit in an effort to make learning more meaningful for her students. The students have to write two drafts of either a fiction or nonfiction story, and according to Bowker, a majority of them choose the nonfiction option.
"I always had a lot of luck whenever I asked them about their stories," she said. "It's really neat because as soon as they get that story out, they're able to go on and they're interested in other things."
It was actually a group of students who were passionate about the stories they were telling in class that ultimately influenced Bowker to publish the essays in a 2011 book. It's now a tradition at Scriber, and many of the students published in this year's compilation agree that writing about their struggles has helped them process their pasts.
"I guess before the book, I never really forced myself to think about what had actually happened. I had always spent most of my time trying to forget about it," said Alicia Verzola, who wrote about her complicated relationship with her alcoholic mother, who died after she left home. "It was really therapeutic, just to be able to relive it and be able to accept what actually happened."
Of course, not every student had the exact same healing experience.
"A lot of people said that writing your problems out would be super therapeutic, and I actually found that it really wasn't – but after I wrote everything and I read it, I was really proud of where I am now," said Cole Moore, who described his struggles with depression. "I'm very proud of myself for coming out of that dark rut and I wouldn't have been able to do that without a lot of support from my family."
Scriber Lake is the Edmonds School District's alternative high school, providing smaller classes for students who have fallen through the cracks in traditional school settings.
"Kids come to Scriber because they are determined to graduate and they have gotten lost in the system and they're short on credits," Bowker said. "These kids are all about meaning, you know, like intrinsic value, and so writing about their lives is meaningful, and so that is where they inspire each other."
This can be seen most clearly in the reasons the students shared for writing and publishing their own stories. A large majority wanted their struggles to teach or support others in similar situations.
"[I wrote] this story mostly because, yet again, want to let everybody know, you're not alone," said senior Tatam Walker, who described her struggles with addiction. "Just because you've been through the shit and you've been through the ringer, doesn't mean you can't get out of it."
Though I'm Finally Awake is the fifth book of personal essays Bowker has compiled from Scriber Lake High School students, it is the second published with the help of another Scriber English teacher, David Zwaschka, and the first without the help of Seattle memoir author Ingrid Ricks.
Bowker's success has not gone unnoticed. Other high school English teachers in the Edmonds School District, like Alison Ersfeld from Meadowdale and Stacy Wright from Lynnwood, have implemented the program in their own classes. Despite the sensitive subjects of the books, the fact remains that students are benefiting from sharing their deepest struggles.
"In watching our students who have taken part in writing the books, they change," said Kathy Clift, the former principal of Scriber Lake High School who helped Bowker start the program in 2011. "I admire their courage and I see the change in their personalities, but I also see the academic change in them and I see their desire to do more than just graduate from high school."
The books have even changed the overall atmosphere at Scriber.
"I think now, because everybody has been so open about their stories, when they get there, the [students] are just like 'OK, what's your story? You know, what happened to you? How did you end up here?' So there's just a lot of empathy between everybody," Bowker said.
After reading excerpts from their emotional essays, Bowker asked each student to share something positive happening in their life. Many said they would be graduating in just a short time, on June 15. Some shared sobriety dates. Others shared their future goals.
"I'm planning on publishing probably a fiction book about something like this and teaching English as a second language overseas – but no kids under like high school age," said Shalyn Ensz, whose story centered on her lifelong struggle with mental illness.
"My goal is to be a nurse in an ER and in my senior year next year, I'm going to go to Shoreline College," said Sarah Jean, who wrote about a past abusive relationship. "Hopefully by the time I'm 19, I'll have my AA."
"I plan on graduating as soon as I can, going to college and trying to become a marine biologist – and I hope to have a family one day," said Kenneth Ash, who shared his story in hopes of end the stigma around men who self-harm.
But despite the students' various future plans, their stories will live on in Bowker's English class. In November, the stories from I'm Finally Awake will be portrayed on stage by Bowker's students through a partnership with Seattle Public Theater. Students are not allowed to play their own roles, instead stepping into the shoes of others. The performance is free.
The books can be purchased online for $10. All proceeds cover publishing and program costs that allow the students to continue sharing their stories.
— Story and photos by Caitlin Plummer


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Americans love their tuna. Indeed, United States is the largest market for canned tuna in the world. But according to experts, much of the nation's canned tuna is not produced sustainably or ethically.
"Many of the nation's largest tuna producers continue to talk a good game on sustainability and human rights, yet have not made the changes needed to shift a destructive industry," says David Pinsky, Greenpeace USA oceans campaigner.
But there is good news, too. In its second-ever canned tuna ranking, Greenpeace USA found that a number of U.S. retailers have made significant progress toward offering consumers more responsible products. The tuna ranking evaluated the sourcing practices of 20 brands, including whether the fishing method used to catch their tuna harms other marine life, whether they avoid shark finning, and whether they can trace their products back to the sea.
In addition, Greenpeace examined the social responsibility of tuna brands. Poor working conditions are systemic in the tuna industry, and in the worst cases, human rights violations and forced labor occur.
"Retailers are quickly realizing that consumers want canned tuna products that they can feel good about feeding their families," Pinsky says.
In this year's ranking, Whole Foods joined Wild Planet, American Tuna and Ocean Naturals in the top green category, identified as the best choices for American consumers. Whole Foods recently made a commitment to sell only sustainable canned tuna nationwide by early 2018, setting the bar for all other U.S. retailers.
Wild Planet and American Tuna tied for the top score in the ranking — both are considered to be trusted, sustainable tuna brands that continue to advocate for positive changes throughout the industry. Just below the top-ranked brands are seven retailers in the second-tier yellow category.
According to Greenpeace, this is a positive trend compared to the previous ranking, as a growing number of evaluated brands are providing some good tuna choices that follow better practices when it comes to the environment and worker treatment.
Greenpeace says it hopes larger brands like Chicken of the Sea and others will take a leading position in the U.S. market and help move the industry in a more positive direction.
For those consumers looking to spend their dollars with brands that treat their workers fairly and mitigate their environmental impact, these overall industry trends are good news.
To become a savvy shopper, think beyond the label, as it doesn't always provide the full picture. Experts urge consumers to ask their local grocery store managers to carry brands that are doing the right things, and to consider sharing their opinions. To dive a bit deeper, you can view the entire Canned Tuna Shopping Guide at greenpeace.org/usa/oceans/tuna-guide.


text:
Six Michelin Stars (and more) in one meal
I was in Hong Kong for a short 4-day visit in March 2011. On the Saturday evening, my cousin Raymond asked me when I could have dinner with him, and I said that I would be leaving the city on Monday night. He's well into good food also, and he said "right, let's do both Lung King Heen and Caprice for lunch on Monday then!" I said "yeah right, it's as if we could do these two three-Michelin-starred restaurants on the same day, let alone just securing table for one of the two."
Somehow he managed to do this, and so on the day I was returning to London, I had the rare opportunity to eat at two top restaurants in one meal, without leaving the building as both restaurants were housed in the top Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.
I met up with Raymond and his wife Judy at Lung King Heen, where we started the first part of the lunch with dim sum. This was the first Hong Kong Chinese restaurant to be awarded 3 Michelin stars. It had an absolutely unbeatable view of the Hong Kong harbour.
The first two steamed dim sum dumplings were steamed shrimp dumpling with morel mushroom, and steamed lobster and scallop dumpling. Both were exquisite and stuffed with a generous amount of ingredients that tasted pretty nice.
The next dim sum was baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken – the abalone was tender enough and topped with a rich glaze. And extra marks for not having soggy pastry.
We then sampled the soup, which was superior chicken broth with shredded chicken – it was very rich in chicken flavour.
Before we left the first three Michelin stars behind, we tried the chilled coffee pudding layers – it was a twist to the traditional layered coconut pudding, with the use of coffee. It looked more interesting than it tasted – somehow I did not think that the coffee worked well in this.
By this point I was nearly full, but we had to go up two floors to Caprice – the other three-Michelin-starred restaurant in the hotel. I was not prepared to have a full-blown three-course meal, so I asked the restaurant manager to recommend his favourite dish. He said that the langoustine ravioli with veal sweetbreads and wild mushrooms in shellfish bisque emulsion. It was rich in flavour but the langoustine was on the slightly chewy side. The dish was well-executed but lacked any form of excitement.
My cousin Judy had Tourteau crab tiramisu with fruity marinade and tandoori spices – the dish looked colourful and playful, and it was very refreshing with the various ingredients. Contrasted with the rich langoustine ravioli which would be more suited to the cold weather, this dish was more in line with the hot weather and the stuffiness of the city of Hong Kong.
I wasn't going to have a dessert but Judy and Raymond insisted that I tried the Napolean cake, which was millefeuilles with raspberries. Again while there's nothing fundamentally wrong with it, there was nothing memorable.
I found the noise level at Caprice a bit too much for a restaurant of this calibre – whether it's due to the open-kitchen design or the rushing around of the staff (apparently because of the hectic life in Hong Kong, there's a rule at Caprice that they must be able to serve a 3-course lunch in an hour to allow the customers to get back to work, though there's nothing stopping you having a slow lunch).
And if you would have thought that this would be the end of a crazy lunch. No! Raymond then decided that he wanted to show me the next hottest spot in Hong Kong, so he took me to a new Japanese restaurant called Sushi Ta-Ke in Causeway Bay. The restaurant was a collaboration with the famous sushi chef Sugiyama in Tokyo, and the raw fish was flown from Japan daily. We tried a few dishes, including sweet shrimp, sea urchin, clam, tuna tendon – all very fresh and tasty.
While we were just going to have a little bit of sushi to sample, Raymond once again insisted that I needed to try the Wagyu beef. It was tender and tasty enough.
By the time we finished this third restaurant at lunchtime, it was already past 3pm. I had to go for a stroll to walk off some of the food, before heading back to the hotel to collect my luggage and then headed to the IFC mall in Central for dinner at 7pm. It was at the one-Michelin-starred Lei Garden. The restaurant was busy and somewhat disorganised – in fact to the point where I was wondering how it managed even a single Michelin star? The service was chaotic: there was a steamed aubergine dish that obviously dried up before the aubergine was even cooked (we complained, and we got a much improved replacement); and then we asked for some rice at least three times and still none appeared. Avoid.
So it was either 6 Michelin stars in one lunchtime meal, or 7 Michelin stars in one day…. Either way, it was a fun thing to do though I would not have wanted to do it again, especially just before a 13-hour long-haul flight to London. One definite advantage was that I did not have to suffer any in-flight meals. Would I go back to the restaurants? Well, I would go back to Lung King Heen – whether the three stars are equivalent to ones in the Western world is debatable. For Caprice, there's no reason for me to go back. Sushi Ta-Ke would be interesting to go back for a proper meal and sample their cooked dishes. As for Lei Garden, they won't see me again which is a shame as it's so convenient for the airport express train and it could have easily become a restaurant to serve my pre-flight dinner in Hong Kong!
Tang Court, Hong Kong
Located inside the Langham Hotel, right in the middle of the bustling Tsim Sha Tsui district, you get a sense of tranquility as soon as you enter the restaurant. It's spacious in there – plenty of room between tables. The decor is verging towards pure decadance, with burgundy and gold as the main theme of the colours, and velvet curtains and sculptures adding to the finishing touch of the place. Maybe the idea was to reflect the golden era of the Tang dynasty in Chinese history.
I went there on the last day of my business trip in Hong Kong, just before I headed off to the airport to catch the plane back to London. It was also the opportunity to meet up with my friends Ken, Carol (and their baby Sigmund) and Joyce. And anything to prevent me having to stomach airline food afterwards was also a big plus.
The menu was extensive, with the price range spanning across the whole spectrum. For dishes such as abalone and bird's nest, the cost would be about HKD1,000 ; while for the dishes with the more "ordinary" ingredients, the cost was about HKD150-300 per dish. Not at all unreasonable. After studying the menu for quite a while, we opted for the following:
(1) Sauteed Prawns and Crab Roe with Golden-Fried Pork and Crab Meat Puffs, which had won the Gold with Distinction Award in the 2001 Best of the Best Culinary Award. This dish was beautifully presented, and the taste was exquisite.
(2) Steamed Boneless Chicken with Yunnan Ham, Black Mushrooms and Vegetables – I normally can't stand steamed chicken, but the ham and mushrooms augmented the otherwise very bland flavour of the chicken.
(3) Stir-Fried Diced Beef with Mango, Walnuts, Celery and Red Pepper – The different textures from the beef, nuts and mango worked really well in this dish.
(4) Stewed Asparagus in Broth – nice young asparagus, and the broth had a full body of flavour…. the sauce did look as if there's a bit too much cornstarch in it.
(5) Baked Rice with Avocado and Diced Cod in Cream Sauce – this is how a Chinese dish should be: the colour, fragrance and taste all worked magic. I would have asked for seconds if there were any left in the dish.
I would love to go back again and try a few other dishes. And if money is no object, then a few very expensive dishes would certainly be on the card!
Address: 8 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Telephone: +(852) 2375 1133 ext 2250
Website: hongkong.langhamhotels.com/restaurants/tang_court.htm
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 12:00 noon – 3:00pm & 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday: 11:00am – 3:00pm & 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Food: 8/10
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 16/20 [Based on visit in January 2010]
The Chairman, Hong Kong
Away from the busy streets in Hong Kong, this restaurant is located up the hill from Sheung Wan, in the quiet street of Kau U Fong, and boasts the use of the finest ingredients and the absence of artificial stuff such as baking soda for tenderising the beef and MSG for enhancing the flavours. It had only opened for less than 6 months when I visited in January 2010 and the tables were already being booked up a few weeks in advance.
One of the signature dishes was Crispy Small Yellow Croaker served with Balsamic Dressing. If I remembered correctly, the fish as soaked in olive oil for a substantial amount of time, in order to soften the bone, so that the whole fish, including the bones, could be eaten. Was it really that special? I didn't think so. If anything, it's a very fiddly dish – some of the bones were just not crispy or soft enough to eat, and some of the sharp bones were just too dangerous to swallow.
The Smoked Pigeon with Longjing Tea & Chrysanthemum was OK. The meat was moist enough but I expected a slightly richer flavour of the tea in the meat – I could have done a better version at home. The Pan-fried Minced Pork Cake with Salted Fish tasted better than it looks – even though I wasnot a fan of salted fish, I could eat a whole piece of the minced pork cake.
As for the main courses: Steamed Fresh Flowery Crab with Aged ShaoXing Wine & Fragrant Chicken Oil was disappointing – While the crabs were fresh enough, but again the flavour is lacking somewhat. The soy sauce chicken was the usual standard – the restaurant claimed to have used the top quality soy sauce for making this, but did the higher price justify that improvement (or lack of improvement) in flavour? The Braised Layered Beancurd with Morel & Chinese Mushrooms was probably the nicest main dish out of the whole lot.
On the whole, the dishes here were not cheap, and the enjoyment I got out from this premium in price was minimal. Maybe the place was just a media hype (and a place for spotting celebrities and famous Hong Kong socialites), or maybe the place was still trying to find a firm footing in their style. We'll have to see….
Address: 18 Kau U Fong, Central Hong Kong
Telephone: +(852) 2555 2202
Website: www.thechairmangroup.com
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 1200-1500 ; 1800-0000
Food: 6/10
Ambience: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 13/20 [Based on visit in January 2010]
Tim Ho Wan, Hong Kong
Billed as the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, Tim Ho Wan is one of those places you just have to try to see what the fuss is about. So on a business trip to Hong Kong in January 2010, I simple had to go there and see for myself.
I went there first on a Friday at 3pm, thinking naively that it would be well after the lunch break but before everyone finishes work or school, so there shouldn't be much of a queue – how wrong was I!!!! So I decided to return the next morning instead.
Saturday would always be a risky day to visit this place, knowing that many locals would be making the same trip. I had all the good intention to get there by 9.30am, half an hour before the restaurant opened. But I overslept and only just managed to get there at 10am. There was already a long queue all the way to the end of the street.
As the restaurant can only hold 20 customers at a time, a member of staff strolled down the queue to give out numbers and jot down the number of people in each group. The couple in front of me, numbered 30, was told that they would have to wait for at a very minimum of 1 hour and they should go for a walk in the neighbourhood and return in an hour. I was the only person in my group no. 31, and I was told that I should stay in the queue in case I could join another table and jump the queue. I was handed over a piece of paper with all the dim sum dishes, and I marked a few dishes that I fancied trying.
As people got their numbers, many disappeared off for a walk round while more people arrived, so the queue hasn't got any longer. However, by about 10.15, the number had already got up to about 54 (it was a group of young lads from Australia), and by 10.45, the number shot to seventy-something.
Number 1 was called at about 10.50, and then there's a rush up to no. 7 by about 11.00. Then a few minutes after that my number was called (Thanks to the lady with ticket no. 34 – she was right by the door and heard my number being called) and I was ushered to a table and joined a family of 3. The restaurant itself was tiny – it could only seat about 20 people in total at any one time.
At last minute I decided to add one more dish to my already rather greedy choice of 5 dishes, but I thought it's worth pigging out just for the energy I used up queueing for an hour.
My first dim sum dish of the peanut and pork ribs congee arrived pretty quickly. The congee had just the right consistency – not thick as a paste, and not watery either. It was beautifully seasoned and the pork just peeled off from the bone easily. It was a promising start.
The next 2 dishes came more or less at the same time – the har gau (steamed prawn dumplings) and the main attraction of the restaurant, namely the baked char siu bao (roast pork buns). The dumplings were bursting with large succulent prawns, and were perfectly cooked. The buns were a real winner and did not disappoint – it's one of the most famous dim sum dishes from this restaurant, and the twist of having a sweet baked topping instead of just the plain old steamed buns works magic – the sweetness of the topping blended in so nicely with the roast pork.
While I was happily and greedily scoffing down all the food, the staff were busy taking orders, delivering freshly made dim sums to the customers, topping up tea (a choice of pu 'erh or shou mei) and collecting money.
Spring rolls were next – the filling was garlic, cheese and prawn. An interesting combination but I didn't think it worked well – the garlic and cheese were just too overpowering.
When I finished the first four dishes, it was a rather long wait for the fifth dish – steamed beef balls with orange peel. By this time I was rather full and so I didn't enjoy the beef balls as much – while it was soft and tender, the texture was actually a bit too soft for my liking…. it was like eating a ball of fat though it was not that greasy. And although I was no longer hungry, I managed to finish the whole dish and once again I was patiently waiting for my last dish, feeling slightly embarassed that I was sitting there with no food in front of me while there was still a large group of customers gathering outside the door waiting for their lucky numbers to be called out and watching everyone in the restaurant eating.
While I was still waiting, the family of 3 got their final order and they put the food into polystyrene boxes that the staff provided. This was the family's fifth visit to the restaurant, and they recommended the roast pork buns as well as the Chiu Chow dumplings and Turnip cakes. They said that some people started queueing at 8am – so that's a good 2 hours before the opening time, and that most people with numbers beyond 100 would usually have to wait until late afternoon or early evening before they could even comtemplate of eating here, and number 200 onwards would basically have no chance of eating there. They then left the restaurant at noon and I was then joined by a couple – they were no.18 in the queue!
Finally after about 10 minutes wait, my final dish arrived – it was sago pudding with taro. That was well worth the wait – the sago pudding was perfectly cooked, and the taro paste was smoothly blended into the soup base.
Once I finished the sago pudding, I promptly paid. Six dishes came to a grand total of HKD 78, which works out to HKD13 per dish ie less than USD2 or just over GBP1 per dish.
When I walked out of the restaurant, there was still many people gathering outside the door, including Mrs No. 34. I gave her instant feedback on what I thought of the dishes I had, wished her good luck and I departed.
So was it worth a visit? I am two-minded about this. It's certainly unusual to find a Michelin-starred restaurant so cheap, the quality was very good for this rock-bottom price, and the baked roast pork buns were to die for. However, having to queue for so long (my legs were aching for the rest of the day) and the rather cramped uncomfortable seating, you'd be better off paying a little more, save the time to do other things and eat elsewhere, unless you are prepared to stand for a few hours first thing in the morning to guarantee a seat before lunchtime. Rumour has it that the restaurant will move to a bigger venue after Chinese New Year – it remains to be seen if the expanded restaurant would be able to keep up with this quality.
Address: 2-8 Kwong Wah St., Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Telephone: +852 2332 2896
Website: not available
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-10pm
Food: 8/10
Ambience: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 14/20 [Based on visit in January 2010]


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|Review: Made of Iron - Made of Iron
|Made of Iron
Label: Sonic Age Records
Year released: 2004
Duration: 48:55
Tracks: 9
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 4/5
Review online: December 9, 2004
Reviewed by: Michel Renaud
for:Made of Iron
Rated 4/5 (80%) (3 Votes)
Hey... I didn't know Iron Maiden had released a new album? Breathe, I was just kidding. Made of Iron started as a Maiden tribute band: The name of the band is a good hint, and also their previous logo, which used a Maiden-like font. Even without that, just listening to this debut would be enough to tip any listener. In fact, if they had Dickinson on vocals and Harris on bass, this could almost pass as a Maiden album. If you were to take the Maiden albums up to and including Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and mix a bit of everything, you'd get something very close to this album. And that should describe this band's music right there: Strongly Maiden-influenced NWOBHM, albeit slightly modernised. The song structures and the guitar playing, more particularly, scream "Maiden!". OK, I think I've made my point, so let's carry on. :)
The vocals are the "weak" part here. I use "weak" only for lack of a better word, because the vocals aren't actually bad, but the singer could use some improvement in his technique. Sometimes he sounds like he's in good control of his voice, sometimes it feels like he's gonna slip. His style is comparable to an average power metal singer - not great, not bad, just OK - Not horrible by any means, and some of the vocal lines are quite memorable and enjoyable. I wonder what he sounds like doing Maiden covers, that would be interesting to hear.
Made of Iron won't shine by their originality (at least not with this album), but this proves their competence as musicians and the songs are pretty damn good (a couple are sub-par compared to the rest, but still good.) They did a great job marrying the various sounds of Maiden's early career and added just enough twists here and there to mark their territory (although the border is a bit blurry. :)) Anyone into the early Maiden stuff should have a damn good time listening to this - it's got it all: Galloping riffs, cool solos, overall good vocals, and nice drum work. Frankly the only thing one can bitch about is that this sounds a bit too much like a Maiden copycat. But when it's so well done I say: Fuck it, I'm having a great time listening to this nice piece of traditional heavy metal. I'm already looking forward to their next album.
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text:
Intimate. Warm. Generous. That's one side of poet Billy Collins. Throw in irreverent, gutsy, and side-splittingly funny—and another side of Collins emerges. But the blend works for the perpetually winsome writer, who continues to attract new followers and poetry converts well after his 2001—2003 stint as United States' Poet Laureate.
When he's not flying around the world speaking, teaching, and performing, the multi-award winning Collins serves as Distinguished Professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York. He is the author of eight poetry collections and the originator of the innovative "Poetry 180" program, which won critical acclaim from high school teachers during Collins' term as poet laureate. Presenting a new poem each day of the academic year to high school students across the nation in an organic, accessible way, the curriculum lives on through Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry (Random House, 2003), an anthology of the poems used in the program. Collins later edited 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day (Random House, 2005), which echoes his continuing mission to share the power of poetry.
Collins, who lives in Somers, New York, with his wife Diane, an architect, is looking forward to his 2008 release of Hope and Anchor(working title).
Dallie Clark: How do poetic craft and inspiration intersect in your work? Do they ever work against each other?
Billy Collins: When the writing of a good poem is underway, that is exactly where the poet finds himself gratefully standing, at that precise intersection. More often than not, I find myself standing at the crossroads of empty-headedness and inertia. And, of course, craft and inspiration exist very separately. They do not feel the need to cooperate with each other. So you are lucky to find yourself on occasion at the point where the two cross. Much unsatisfying poetry is the result of never finding that intersection, but instead, driving unproductively down the road of craft with no inspiration in sight or heading off down the road of inspiration without a care, and without carefulness. One road leads to a dull mosaic and the other to mere self-expression or, worse, tantrum.
DC: Even though you've mentioned inventing a romantic daydreamer as the speaker in your poems, the "I" in them appears to be consistently—and comfortably—autobiographical. Truly, is there much separation between the two, between you and the perpetually romantic observer?
BC: For me, "finding your voice" is not a matter of searching around for something you lost, nor does it mean tapping into your illusory "true self," the life that has been buried. It means inventing a voice in the same way that a novelist invents a character. The big difference is that the poet has to invent only one character, while the novelist spends his career ushering dozens, maybe hundreds, into being. This poetic character (persona, mask, speaker—call it what you will) usually resembles the biographical poet in certain respects but is not his equivalent. When readers treat the two as synonymous, dire problems arise. My persona is a definite improvement over me. I wish I had his life, which seems to consist of daydreaming and taking long walks. You never see him going to work, do you?
DC: You seem to have a special respect for—and relationship with—your readers. Tell us how that relationship fuels you as both a writer and a performer.
BC: I think I require the reader's presence to witness my showing off. That is what poets are doing with language. The poet wants the reader to look at him the same way his mother looked at him when he was doing something "daring" in the playground. Look, Mom!
DC: Many talented poets don't engage their audiences when they perform their own works—yet your humor and lack of literary starchiness are apparent. In fact, your followers may see you as a poet whose public readings and recordings are as important as the poems themselves. What do you believe a poet's obligations are, if any, to the performance and/or audience?
BC: Before Robert Frost blazed the trail by reading on college campuses all over the country, poetry readings were rare. Now, they are legion. At any given minute, maybe thirty poets are up in the air over America flying from one podium to another. And open-mic readings are so prevalent, one could find a place to read just about every day of the year. Of course, all this public display of authorship has nothing to do with the act of composition, which is, by its nature, a thing performed in solitude. I write for the page, not the microphone, but I have a listening reader in mind with every line I write, and if this reader suddenly multiplies into several hundred people willing to gather in some auditorium on a winter's night to hear me, how can I object? But after the show, the auditorium goes dark, but the book remains dutifully on its shelf, ready to be opened at any time. Don't need no ticket, just get on board.
DC: Who is the first person who validated the worthiness and cadence of your words?
BC: Several teachers encouraged me and so did several editors— notably Joseph Parisi of Poetry. But I was probably more "inspired," if that's the word, by teachers who dismissed my school poetry (usually for good reason) and editors who responded with rejection slips. I seem to have a keener appetite for revenge than for approval.
DC: You mention composing by a window in the poem "Traveling Alone" in your latest collection, The Trouble with Poetry (Random House, 2005). In your own writing process, is this window both literal and metaphoric? Are you a creature of habit when composing—or do you vary your methods?
BC: My persona likes to write near a window in the calmness of a rural house, but I myself can compose anywhere—on planes and trains, in bed and on walks. He has more preferences than I and a generally easier time of it. I think if I could be another person, I would like to be him. Or, failing that, Charles Simic. My persona drinks tea; I drink coffee.
DC: In this same collection, two persistent threads are the value of time and the inevitability of death, as exemplified by such phrases as "the priceless moments of the day," "praying to the passing clouds / forever begging for just one more day," and "let the fan blades on the ceiling cool us / as they turn like the hands of a speeding clock." Please comment on the influence of time in your work.
BC: Well, to put it bluntly, prose is about History; but poetry is about Time. And History, as someone put it—is the violent misuse of Time. The oldest theme in poetry is carpe diem, and Time is the reason we feel the need to carpe our diems. After all, you only get so many diems. Remember yesterday? That's a good enough example of a day that has gone.
DC: In your service as Poet Laureate of the United States (2001—2003) and as creator of the "Poetry 180" program during that time, what was your most rewarding and memorable experience?
BC: Most rewarding was hearing from high school teachers who had used the Poetry 180 program in their schools and managed to bring students into some kind of sensible, non-terrifying relationship with poetry. Somewhat to my surprise, the simple idea of placing good, clear contemporary poems in front of students actually worked to spark their interest.
DC: If you were stranded somewhere with just three books of poetry, what would they be, and why?
BC: The Divine Comedy, an anthology of Chinese poetry, and the complete works of Coleridge. Dante for music; Chinese poetry for simplicity and clarity; Coleridge for imaginative thrills. Poetry that featured all three would be great poetry indeed. But I would trade all three for a compass and a map.
DC: As an English professor, have you advised your students to avoid certain cardinal sins when writing poetry? What is your best advice to the novice poet?
BC: Afraid I have nothing new here. The best advice to the young poet is to read the poems of others to see what has been done and thus discover what remains to be done. If one is lucky in the process of this, you will find poets to be jealous of. The road to originality lies in imitating them.
DC: As a very popular, well-known poet with the American public, how do you handle the disparaging remarks sometimes hurled at you by poets in literary, academic circles?
BC: Disparaging remarks?! From other poets?! How could you suggest such a thing?
DC: Has a poem of yours been misread or do you ever worry that a poem may be misread? What happens when a poem becomes controversial?
BC: Poems are misread all the time, maybe more than they are read exactly. But how can there be a consensus when everyone brings to the poem a different colored jelly bean? Some readings are demeaning to the poem and the poet, and others are enhancing in that they reveal a richness to the poem that the poet had not been aware of, but now will take credit for, sheepishly we would hope.
DC: A final question—what creative outlets and/or projects are you planning for the future?
BC: I do have a potential collection, but I still can't decide if it's ready yet. It keeps inching toward the door, and I keep dragging it back to the desk. Another book should come out in 2008. The working title is Hope and Anchor.
Billy Collins
REUNION: The Dallas Review
is a publication of the Creative Writing Program
in the School of Arts and Humanities
at The University of Texas at Dallas


text:
Last weekend's French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard inspired much angst from fans and pundits alike, with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' dominance highlighting the flaws of Formula 1's current iteration.
After the race, even Hamilton himself - who last week joined Renault's Nico Hulkenberg at a meeting with the FIA in Paris to discuss the 2021 rules overhaul - voiced his discontent with F1's 'boring' races and offered his opinion on who was to blame.
Jack Benyon and Jake Boxall-Legge join Glenn Freeman to discuss Hamilton's own role in shaking-up F1 and exactly what can be done to address the five-time champion's concerns ahead of the 2021 rule changes.


text:
Investing in Your Child
Full participation in our learning community is a hallmark of Winchester Thurston School, North Campus—and it takes the full support of our community of trustees, parents, alumnae/i, faculty, and other friends to invest in talented and dedicated teachers, offer dynamic and engaging programs, and maintain our idyllic seven-acre campus.
Each year, parents contribute to the WT Fund – our annual campaign in support of operations. The WT Fund helps to bridge the 20% gap between tuition and the actual cost, making this extraordinary education possible.
Here are just a few examples of how your gift enhances the learning experience at Winchester Thurston School, North Campus:
- Preservation and improvement of the Outdoor Classroom environment on our campus, from the spring-fed pond to the Northbound Trail, from the butterfly garden, to the nature playground, where students enthusiastically explore, discover, and play.
- Traditional class trips to The Mountain Institute and Lutherlyn, where students engage in hands-on learning about sustainability and biodiversity.
- A Mac Mini lab in the Pond House, where students learn animation from the experts at Pittsburgh Filmmakers.
- Orff instruments in classrooms so students can explore their artistic potential through movement and sound.
- Professional development for teachers that enriches and enhances each student's learning—from an art teacher's trip to Ireland to study classic painting techniques, to curricular workshops at Columbia University Teacher's College for all language arts faculty, to a physical education teacher learning about managing, designing, and building challenging outdoor curriculum in our outdoor classrooms.
- A socio-economically diverse student body through generous financial aid.
Sharing the importance of philanthropy is central to WT's fundraising efforts. If you would like to help advance WT's mission in this important way, please make a gift now, or contact us to become involved in parent giving at WT.


text:
Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind a Halloween party – last year I was dressed as a gothic vampire with slicked-back hair drinking blood-coloured cocktails, with Michael dressed as a ghost. However, the persistent popping of bangers outside in the streets and the relentless flow of premature Trick-or-treaters is wearisome. My living space is at the back of the apartment and I can therefore appear not at home, which is a saving grace. Goodness only knows what it's like for our senior residents, but as it was Thursday I'm sure I was about to hear.
I dressed very anti-Halloween in a Madonna T shirt, and after adding a light jacket, I made my way to the café.
Lil was already sitting at our table with Gisela. Their teacups were already three-quarters empty and I therefore surmised they'd been in residence for a while.
'Trick or treat?' I asked as I greeted them. Lil backed away from my affection.
'Don't you fu-…'
'I mean don't start all that bloody nonsense Wayne. I've had enough of it already,' said Lil after making us blush at her first stunted repost, containing additional colourful language I hadn't heard from her before.
'The noise of the banging, and into the night. Don't the parents make the children come into the home at a reasonable hour?' asked Gisela.
I poured myself a cup of stewed tea, and nodded to Armando behind the counter.
'Standards have slipped. In my day you've have got a clip around the ear for such behaviour, and not just from your family. Most of the community had licence to do so. And respect for your elders reigned,' said Lil.
Gisela tutted and added, 'same in Deutschland.'
'Marty says that at our age we're lucky to get any banging,' said Lil and started cackling.
'Excuse me,' said Gisela as she got up and moved towards the ladies.
Lil tutted.
'Everything OK with Gisela?' asked Armando as he joined us armed with a fresh pot of Assam.
'She's not happy that Marty has stayed over. She said it's not very ladylike.' Lil pursed her lips. I was shocked.
'I had no idea your relationship had progressed,' I said trying to keep a judgemental tone from my words.
'Don't you start too Wayne,' said Lil.
'What about Bill?' I asked. Armando put his hand firmly on my arm which I took as an indicator that I was overstepping boundaries.
'He's not here and life goes on,' said Lil starting to look a little teary.
'We don't want you to get hurt,' said Armando just as Gisela returned from the bathroom closely followed by our waitress.
'Full English please,' said Lil.
'I've a strange request and wondered whether henceforth you'd consider having scrambled eggs Lil,' I asked.
'Errr why? I like a nice runny fried egg,' said Lil.
'It's my mum – '
'What's it got to do with her?'
'She reads my blog and hearing about runny yolks makes her feel queasy.'
'I've nothing against your mother, I've never met the woman, but no. Why don't you stop writing about it?'
'A key part of Breakfast Club is breakfast.'
'In that case, I'll have an extra runny egg please Judith.' Lil let out an explosive laugh as she delivered this last line. I'm afraid Mum is going to have to stiffen her upper lip and endure trickling yellow centres.
I ordered porridge with blueberries, Gisela a pain au chocolat and Armando an orange muffin.
'Think of all the non-meat eaters you offend Boulevardier with your vegetarian breakfast and a pork sausage on the side eh,' said Lil. Everyone giggled. Lil was on point with her sharp banter today. I suspect it was to keep the discussion away from her and Marty. She must realise he wasn't as rosy as she painted him. I couldn't see the appeal.
'Have you seen Mavis this week?' I asked.
'Goodness please don't mention her,' said Gisela firmly.
'Yes I saw that quarrelsome cow on Tuesday at Age Club,' said Lil ignoring Gisela's protestations.
'Oh no, not more arguments,' said Armando.
Lil pursed her lips and demurely picked up her teacup.
'She can not help herself Armando. She is snide and I will not be walked over.'
'Dare I ask what happened?' I enquired.
'Yes you may. She was standing with her gaggle of followers when I arrived. I smiled vaguely and walked towards Gisela and the tea urn. As I passed I heard Mavis say that it was unfortunate that some people take Marty too seriously and try to tame him. And what's more, apparently he's interested in anything in a skirt. I honestly did think twice Wayne whether to ignore her and carry on but I couldn't. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned and said to her that he wasn't interested in her and her polyester trousers and added that if I had her legs I'd wear long pants too. Her followers didn't know where to look. She added something but I had spun on my heels and reassumed my victory step to Gisela. She hurled something further but I only heard the 'Lillian' at the end. There was no tittering from her posse. They know better than to get involved.'
'What is it with you two?' asked Armando.
'History, dear boy.' And before we could press further, breakfasts arrived. One day I was determined to find out their history. They sparred at the slightest crossing of words, but when the chips were down, had each other's backs. It was as if there was a blood bond. Were they related? I didn't ask.
'Judith,' Lil called after the waitress, 'I asked for a runny egg and this is solid.'
'Oh gawd,' said Armando under his breath.
'Sorry I thought you said not runny, let me change it,' said Judith and started to remove the plate.
'No, no I'm too hungry to wait,' said Lil holding onto her plate for dear life.
I sat back and watched Lil tug-o-war, and report battles, as I stirred the blueberries into my steaming porridge.
'Sorry Lil, you sure you don't want me to change?' asked Armando.
'No it's fine. At least it will keep Wayne's mum happy for today. Every cloud and all that,' said Lil as she sliced a segment of white and pushed it against a mushroom, lifted her fork and masticated.
'How's your Brazilian?' asked Gisela.
'Gone,' said Armando. Our cutlery clanked simultaneously on the table and all eyes fell on Armando.
'It's fine. It wasn't working. Dating is too much effort at the moment. I'm going to focus on the café and see what comes along.'
'Good plan,' said Lil and returned her knife and fork to her respective hands.
'Quatsch,' exclaimed Gisela as a blob of chocolate escaped from her pastry onto her lap.
'I don't know why you eat those things Gisela, you always get in a mess,' said Lil.
'I don't, thank you. They are delicious but dangerous.'
Lil huffed as she thrust a corner of toast into her mouth.
We all jumped, as a banger exploded right outside the café followed by a stampede of youth.
'Bloody hell – Why oh why is half-term the same time as banger season,' said Lil.
'Don't worry, it'll be bonfire night next week,' I said.
'Don't – just don't,' said Lil waggling her finger in my direction. She rested her napkin on the table after daubing the corners of her mouth. 'Perhaps we should have a little Sherry to settle our nerves,' she added.
'Didn't you have enough of that at the funeral?' asked Armando.
'You can never have enough Sherry,' said Lil as she extracted a new bottle of Bristol Cream from her trolley. 'Got any glasses Armando?'
I have to say I agree with her last pronouncement and felt quite decadent sipping Sherry at 11am. The only improvement I would suggest would be to have Oloroso. I prefer its dark chocolate taste.


text:
Long threatening came at last for Kildangan in the final of the Junior B Championship on Saturday when they prevailed against a dogged and determined Ballymore side. The game was filled with intensity, hard hitting and flashes of skill.
The Kildangan team were a mixture of youth and experience, featuring six minors who came up through the clubs underage structure, along with a number of players who contested Kildangan's previous Championship final, back in 2005.
Kildangan led from the start and were always in front, eventually winning 2-9 to 1-8. Tenacious defending by Kildangan ensured that Ballymore never got a clean shot on goal, a Ballymore goal in the dying minutes was the result of a free kick which many would have thought should have gone the other way.
Due to a clash of colours, both sides were forced change jerseys, Ballymore wore their blue away, while Kildangan played the game in the white and red of local hurling club Ros Glas.
The opening few minutes gave an idea of how intense the game would be for both teams, with Tom Moran of Kildangan and Ballymore's Gerry Fennell taking hard hits. Nevertheless, both players were keen to keep going.
It took ten minutes before the scoring opened, courtesy of a Stephen Quigley point. Paul Browne registered Ballymore's first minutes later. Shane Fitzpatrick attempted to follow suit, but was unlucky to send it wide. Ryan Moran then gave Kildangan the lead in the fourteenth minute with a well taken point.
Gabriel Murtagh, Kildangan's right corner back, made a jinking run in the his own half that eventually led to Robert Hanley's first score of the game.
A foul on Tom Moran led to a free sent over by Robert Hanley. Enda Stewart Byrne had a chance hit the post, before Mark McCarville sent a rocket of a shot straight into the hands of Colin Christie in the Kildangan goal. Kildangan ended the half three points in front, the score 0-4 to 0-1. However, they still needed a big game in the second half to keep victory in sight.Kildangan: Colin Christie; Gabriel Murtagh, David Christie, Jordan Kaye; Bryan Adams, Luke Barry, Ruaidhri Jacob; Padraig Casey (0-1), Dara Gilbert; Dermot Hickey (0-1), Stephen Quigley (1-1), Eric O'Hara; Ryan Moran (0-1), Tom Moran, Robert Hanley (1-4, 1F).
Kildangan were awarded a penalty in the opening two minutes of the second half for a foul on Tom Moran. Robert Hanley stepped up to the penalty spot, and sent the ball past Ballymore's Kevin McNally. McCarville then scored a point from play, only Ballymore's second of the game. Hanley added two more points through frees, before Keith Murphy of Ballymore scored one of his own.
The east Kildare side began to look threatening (not for the first time this season) as Keith Murphy, Enda Stewart Byrne and Mark Slevin took their chances. Padraig Casey eased Kildangan nerves with a point, sending Kildangan into a 1-6 to 0-5 lead. An Andrew Mahon point ensured that there was only three points between the teams, and as Ballymore had proven to Kildangan earlier in the season, they wouldn't give in.
Following some interplay in midfield Pauric Casey gave an inch perfect pass to Stephen Quigley, who sent a rocket of a shot to the Ballymore net, pushing the KIldangan lead to six. Keith Murphy pulled it back to five. Kildangan were given a bit of security when Dermot Hickey and Ryan Moran added a point each.
Once again, Ballymore made every effort to get within reach of Kildangan, with Paul Browne getting a gift of a goal in the last two minutes after the Referee deemed that Kildangan had touched the ball on the ground. A nervous few minutes followed as Ballymore dropped a number of high balls on top of the Kildangan square. The defence, led by David Christie was up to the task, clearing with some aplomb.
The Ballymore goal was to be the final score of the game, as referee Alan Smullen blew the final whistle to joyous scenes as Kildangan claimed their first championship title in eleven years. Kildangan captain, Padraig Casey, accept the trophy on behalf of his team.
A true championship encounter, neither team left anything behind. In the end Kildangan were worthy winners as they were undefeated throughout the championship campaign. Kildangan now progress to the Junior A Grade. Ballymore can be confident in their ability at this level, as they held Kildangan to four points in the first half and showed true grit in the second half to keep fighting back until the end.
Substitutes: Richard Morgan, John Miller (for Stephen Quigley (black card), 19th minute), Eoin Madigan, Willie Lawlor, Declan McGrath, Andrew Wilson.
Ballymore: Kevin McNally; Patrick Langan, Alan Gilroy, Stephen Fisher; Shane Fitzpatrick, Kieran Doyle, Sean O'Sullivan; Mark McCarville (0-1), Alan Rooney; Keith Murphy (0-3), Gerry Fennell, Enda Stewart-Byrne (0-1); Chris Dowling, Paul Browne (1-1), Mark Slevin (0-1).
Substitutes: Conor Nolan, Andrew Mahon (0-1), David McAtamney, Ollie O'Neill, Ciaran Kelleher, Ciaran Conway, Paul Darby, Joshua Burke Hayes, Adam Murphy, Mark Daly.
By Andrew Wilson
Thanks to Gillian Murphy, the Ballymore Eustace PRO, for the opposition team sheet and scorers.
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