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Sek Koh Sam (释高参 Shi Gao Can) 1886 – 1960
Monnik Shi Gao Can is van grote invloed op het Noord Zuid Kungfu van heden ten dage doordat hij de stichter is van het Zuid Shaolin (Sao Lim) Kungfu in Maleisië.
Hij is geboren in China en begin twintigste eeuw reisde hij naar Zuid Oost Azië, alwaar hij zijn kennis over de Shaolin vechtkunsten verspreidde. Hieronder zijn door mij gereconstrueerde levensverhaal.
Names inverted are transcripted after a dialect or English intepretation. If available also transcripted in pīnyīn.
He was a mysterious man, not even his disciples knew a lot about his life and background. After his death a lot of effort was made to research his life. Especially by Mr Liang Junyi, who wrote a big article on Shi Gao Can's life. The information presented here is largely based on his work.
When he was alive, nobody talked about these things and nobody asked him about it. It has been said that is name was Zhen Hechang, others say Xue Baochang and still others say his name was Lin, given name unknown. His real name was difficult to find, but he indeed had the family name Lin (林)before he became a monk. His given name was Ah Hoong (林亞鴻 Lín Yàhóng), which means 'Welcome' and another name was Dien Pah (天豹 Tiān Bào), and he had the nickname of Fēitiān Bào 飞天豹, which means 'Flying Leopard'.
He was born on the 27th of December 1886, and his hometown was Hailou Village, Lingtou Town, Northern Gate Outskirts, Huian County, Fujian Province, China. 福建惠安北門外嶺頭.
There were four brothers in his family, and he was the second son. Master Gao Can was a kindhearted person from a young age on. He was determined to help the distressed and succor those in peril in his childhood. He was very fond of medical science. During a long period of arduous time, Gao Can had studied many medical books energetically and practiced assiduously. He knew that if he wanted to help the distress, he must weed out the wicked; and if he wanted to weed out the wicked, he must learn Martial Arts well.
So he left his parents in tears when he was only 13 years old in 1899, and went to find a famous South Shaolin Martial Arts Master named Cho Pew (Cáo Biāo 曹彪 (or Cáo Bào曹 豹). He was a ace escort, an profession in ancient China, who protects others' properties for a fee. Gao Can learned Ngo Cho Kun ( Wǔ zǔ quán 五祖拳) and most likely also Lo Han Kun ( Luóhàn quán 罗汉拳 ) vigorously for 3 years and 4 months (time should be until min 1901). He was very proud to have Cao Bao as his master. Cao Bao adopted 5 students and Shi Gao Can was the top one. He became an outstanding student who mastered the Hing Kung (High Leaps) and the use of different types of Ying Ju (hidden weapons).
Shi Gao Can traveled to Singapore (新加坡) for the first time accompanied by his elder brother Lin A Ya 林亞尖, making a living as a boatman at the age of 16. In 1903, when his brother died when boating, he returned to China. He was so sad, he didn´t eat for 3 days.
At the age of 18 (in 1903/04) monk Xing Liang (行亮) shaved the head of Shi Gao Can at the Huian Qingxing Temple 惠安清興寺. Or at the Wai Onn Ching Hing (Hui Ann Cheng Yim) Temple.
He was ordained at the Putian Meifeng Temple 莆田梅峰寺 by the temple abbot Wei Jia 微嘉. Monk Wei Jia came from Xi Shan Chan Qing temple in Fuzhou 福建州怡山西禪寺.\
Xing Liang was his teacher for Buddhist culture 文事.
He also went on to study Buddhist scripture at the Fu Tin Mui Fung Temple from the chief abbot Mei Kar and was to become one of the most outstanding monks of his Chan generation.
As he became a Buddhist monk he was given a new, Buddhist name. His name was from now on Gao Can, or Shi Gao Can (Sek Koh Sam). 'Shi' 释 is short for Shijiamouni 释迦牟尼 which is the Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit 'Sakyamuni'. And Sakyamuni was the original name of the first Buddha, before he became an enlightened being. 'Shi' can be translated as 'Reverend'. In fact when you become a monk you leave your family behind and you are given a new family name: 'Shi' . A respectful way of addressing a Buddhist monk is using the word Dashi, which can be loosely translated as Great Master. Reverend Gao Can is sometimes also referred to as Gao Can Dashi.
Almost all sources agree on that Shi Gao Can studied Chinese Medicine (中醫 Zhongyi) under Master Chee Leow in Cheng Tai Mountain Temple. The location of this temple remains unknown. Not clear is when this happened; some say this was during his 6 years of travel around China.
In around 1905 Gao Can started his 6 year travel around China. He visited many places in China: Putian, Yishan Mountain, Zhaowa, Wutaishan Mountain, Zhentaishan Mountain, Jiuhuashan Mountain, Huangshan Mountain, Emeishan Mountain and Yuanluoshan Mouintain. During his travels he not only made a lot of intimate friends, but also called on many Martial Arts experts, thus enriching his knowledge of the (Shaolin) Martial Arts. It is unkown to the public exactly how many styles he studied, but among them are: Hup Gun, Phoenix (Hong Nnan; similar to the Chukka style), White Crane (Peh Hok 白鹤 ), Five animal element styles and the styles previously mentioned.
Besides the places mentioned he traveled in Shandong Province and in Zhejiang Province, in the latter one he was going to stay for 10 years.
It was the Reverend Hung Leong (Hui Jing) 慧精 of the Poh Jai Temple (Nánhǎi Pǔjì sì 南海普济寺 ) on Putuoshan Island 普陀山岛, Zhejiang Province 浙江省 who would accept Shi Gao Can as his disciple for martial teachings 武事 in 1909. Reverend Hui Jing was of the 48th generation 2nd chamber of the South Shaolin Tradition. He had just three students and only Seh Koh San fully mastered the art of Shaolin Kung Fu.
On August 6 and 7 2001 I (Scholten) visited the Zhejiang Nanhai Puji Temple (Chek Chian Nan Hai Pooi Chee See) on Putuoshan Island. I visited this temple in search of traces that might be left behind by either Reverend Hui Jing or Reverend Gao Can. But unfortunately there was nobody left to remember either of them; the last monks from the Qing Dynasty passed away 3 years ago. All the monks living at this moment in the temple were installed there after the rehabilitation and re-legalization of Buddhism in the beginning of the eighties. Temple records were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. I would like to thank Reverend Shi Yanquan of the Putuoshan Fojiao Yiyang Tong (Yangzhi Buddhist Monastery) for his warm welcome and his corporation in this matter.
Shi Gao Can practiced Martial Arts in the Shaolin tradition. Nobody is claming that he was an monk from the actual Songshan Shaolin temple in Henan province. Martial arts were (are?) practiced in many temples in China, since the Shaolin Martial Arts and Buddhism are one. There are many different schools of Buddhism, and Buddhism from Shaolin (Chan Buddhism) incorporates the Martial Arts as a way of cultivating the mind and spirit. So, although the actual teachings left the Shaolin temple a long time ago, Shi Gao Can Martial Arts can still be called Buddhist style. Therefore many other styles of Martial Art can be called 'Layman Styles' (Su Jia Pai). Even the Martial Arts at Songshan Shaolin temple today are a mix of Buddhist and (modern) laymen styles, since after the last destruction in 1928 there were no qualified and fully trained successors left to reintroduce the complete Martial Arts to the Shaolin temple in the beginning of the eighties.
South Shaolin and North (Songshan) Shaolin come from the same sect. Songshan Shaolin in Henan Province is the forefather of Chan. Bodhidharma is the legendary founder of the sect. After Bodhidharma there were another 5 patriarchs; together they are known as the 6 forefathers of Chan Buddhism.
They can roughly be divided into a South school and a North school. There are 5 Chambers in the style of Shaolin. These chambers are correlated to the five branches of 'Chan'. After the fiftht patriarch of 'Chan', after the founder Damo, the practice of 'Chan' went south in China. Huineng 惠能, the sixth and last forefather and sixt patriarch, was the leader of the South school.
This style is seen as the second chamber or style/school of Shaolin, also called the second chamber of Shaolin. This school was very prosperous till the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. According to Bodhidharma's will, sixth forefather Huineng did not 'hand down the Mantle' anymore. From then on, the names of the Chan Masters are no longer recorded. It is unknown to me who started the lineage of Shi Gao Can or the lineage names of the monks were.
But the 'Door to enlightenment' was passed on to the Nanhai Puji Temple in Zhejiang Province. Master Hui Jing was assumed to be the 48th generation after Huineng.
For ten years, until 1919, Shi Gao Can trained the martial arts in the traditional Shaolin tradition. Eventually he was going to represent the 49th generation. Besides Buddhism and the martial arts, he was also taught traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. In the end he got superb medical skills and he tried to eliminate disease for everybody in the world and relieve people in need. Hui Jing had only 3 adopted students and Shi Gao Can was the only inner circle disciple (入室弟子) of his master. Shi Ga Can took a sacred oath and promised never to disclose the art to the outside world.
In 1926 he started travelling and visited Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore and Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). In every place he visited he treated the sick and spread Buddhism, for which he eventually would gain his greatest fame. He stayed in the Royal Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) for 21 years and became the abbot of the Cheng Yuen Kong (Zhènyuán gōng 镇元宫 ) temple in Medan (now Zhènyuán sì 真元寺). He was responsible for the construction of nine Buddhist temples in the area.
Only when he was becoming older (56) he asked for permission to spread the Shaolin teachings. He learned so many Martial Arts and considered it to be a waist if he didn't teach others. He send a letter to his teacher in China asking his master for permission to teach, only to find out that Reverend Hui Jing had already passed away years ago. Then he made an important decision; he broke the promise to his teacher not to teach. This is where he really broke the mould and broke the secrecy of the Shaolin Martial Arts.
Others say that he got a reply from an ' older brother' telling him their master had died and gave him permission to teach (as he was his senior)
This was at the beginning of the second world war (1940?).
From then on he started spreading his teachings all over Southeast Asia. The style would become famous under the name Hood Khar Kun (Fó jiā quán 佛家拳 ), which means Buddhist Boxing, (Cantonese would write 'Fat Gar Kuen') Hokkian Hood Khar Pai 佛家派, which means Buddhist Style. In Medan he adapted only 5 students. They were an Indonesian prince and: Huáng Jǐnzhāng 黃錦章, 莊慶錦 Zhuāng Qìngjǐn (nicknamed 'old monkey'老猴), Zhuāng Shùnlái 莊順來 and Lín Jīnjù 林金聚.
The Martial Arts of Shi Gao Can, though, can be called true 'Buddhist Style' 佛家派 because it was practiced by (Shaolin) monks only. (Although he learned martial arts during his travels in China; one might assume that he people he learned from were not all monks) Shi Gao Can was the only fully trained and closed door disciple Hui Jing Dashi 慧精大师 , and therefore the only 49th generation successor in this lineage. After 49 generations of cultivating and refining the art, it left the Buddhist society as Shi Gao Can was the first in the lineage to teach his complete knowledge to non monk disciples (Sujia Dizi). One exception would be Monk Fachuan in Medan, Indonesia.
As said before; his teachings compasses many different topics. As we may assume he spread and taught Buddhism everywhere he came. But preaching Buddhism also means, in this case, preaching Martial Arts and other related subjects.
Shi Gao Can taught many different things to many different students. Although he did taught many students (at least 50 in Singapore alone), the number of his actual disciples is said to be restricted to 18. In Chinese Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha had 18 disciples (of which Bodhidharma was one), so in the Buddhist tradition Shi Gao Can was said to have had 18 disciples only; that tradition is observed by all true Buddhist teachers. It is my belief that the students were trained in the 'athletic associations' set up by Shi Gao Can and that the disciples were taught in the temples. The disciples were probably also living in the temples.
After the second world war, in 1948, master Song hui (松輝), the abbot of the Singapore Shuanglin temple (Siong Lim See 双林寺) asked Shi Gaocan to become the "Zhuchi" 主 of the Shuanglin temple. Zhuchi is the one with the highest position in a temple. Initially he practiced martial arts privately in Singapore. Friend witnessed this and encouraged him to accept disciples in Singapore.
From 1949, aged 63, he started teaching Shaolin martial arts in Singapore. Here his teachings spread readily.
The disciples of Shi Gao Can in Singapore who lived and resided in the Shuanglin temple, who were responsible for cooking, cleaning maintenance of the buildings and premises. In addition to these disciples there were many students, however they studied differently and were usually supervised by some of the disciples rather than by Shi Gao Can himself who was primarily a Buddhist Monk and being busy with other tasks rather than teaching martial arts. Shi Gao Can had the habit of teaching different things to different people, this created differences amongst the group (so often one school to another teaches different things).
Millions of people there, including both monks and laymen, praised him for his merits. On May 6th, 1954, the Great Master was promoted to the rank of "Fangzhang" Abbot. With thousands of monks, shouts of joy, firecrackers banging and music, Gao Can ascended the throne of "Fangzhang" rank.
All over South East Asia Shi Gao Can is especially known for the martial arts teachings. Different from what one might expect, he taught different things to different students. This implies that there is not one set curriculum of movements. How it was decided to teach different curriculum is unknown to me, but important factors were the capabilities and talents of the different students. Because his teachings were so different, there are now many schools which, after so many years, all have developed in different directions.
As mentioned before; Shi Gao Can taught different disciples different skills. Apparently there are two exceptions to this rule; Yizhimei 一枝梅 and Luohan Quan 罗汉拳 are the only 2 common forms. These are the only 2 sets that can be found amongst almost all the students of Shi Gao Can, albeit in many different versions. For example, Erzhimei 二支梅of the Penang Sao Lim Athletic Assaciation. Though they vary in their appearance, these to sets can be seen as the core of the Martial Arts teachings of Shi Gao Can.
But a few aspects almost all the school share. One, and I think the most important one, are the foundations of the Martial Art. As far as I can judge the foundations are practically the same everywhere. This also implies a way of thinking, a theory, closely related to these foundations. A way of reasoning and a guideline for further development, thus causing many separate, but related, schools. This is, what I think, what the Martial Arts of Shi Gao Can are all about.
In the summer of the 1954 Shi Gao Can founded the Singapore Sao Hua San National Arts Association 少华山国术健身社, which opened up a new way propagating Chinese Martial Arts in Southeast Asia. It was the first school outside the Shuanglin temple where Shaolin Martial Arts were practiced. The school is now located at 276B MACPHERSON RD. He also founded the Seow Tin San Athletic Association 少雄山國術健身社 in 1954.
On 16 September 1954 the third successful renovation of the Shuanglin temple was completed with a big celebration.
Later about 10 other schools founded by his students, followed. Many of the associations had the words 'Sao' (or Seow 少) (and 'San' 山)in them, and almost never use the term 'Shaolin' in the name of the association. It is not certain why this was, but even to this day it means that the schools are easily seperated from other branches of Shaolin, although there are exeptions to the 'Sao .. San' rule. Note that in the past years some of these associations have closed due to lack of financial support. Shi Gao Can's organizations are non-profit.
Other associations sprung up that can be traced back to his teachings like the Hui Hwa Pugilistic Association 星州惠华国术研究社 , 少南山, 少忠山, 少林得英堂, 少林佛山堂… etc. Some of the students still run martial arts schools, many of them have already passed on and others lead lives in which the martial arts no longer play any role. He accepted approximately 50 students and disciples, all of them living in or in the direct vicinity of the temple.
In 1955 Shi Gao Can had already passed 70, his hair was completely white, but still the traveled to Malaysia in order to develop the Shaolin Martial Arts there. There he founded the Penang Shuang Qing temple (Pinang Siong Kheng See 摈城双庆寺 ) on 59 Jalan Perak.
In Penang Shi Gao Can again accepted students and taught the Shaolin martial arts and Chinese medicine. He started teaching to his disciples inside the temple grounds.
" The original students who went to Shaolin to learn kungfu were solemnly initiated personally by Master Sek Kok Chum; they had to burn and eat the ashes of a "fu"(yellow paper) each signifying obedience, accepting disciplinary actions, not to follow another teacher/master and not to disgrace the name of Shaolin*. And if they did leave due to bad conducts or get "kicked-out" of Shaolin by the Master, they were forbidden to use the name Shaolin in the schools they formed nor say they practise Shaolin kungfu.
Master Sek kok Chum used to teach his students at night at the Siong Kheng See. The temple is still there and can be found behind the Zhulin Temple, but it has changed a lot since the time of Shi Gao Can's presence. Sadly there are now no traces of Shi Gao Can or martial arts left inside the temple grounds. Even the name Siong kheng See is no longer there at the back."
Koay Ah Kean 郭亚建师傅 in 2018:
"I think those whoe really did baisi (traditional initiation ceremony) to Sek Koh Sam are not more than 5 (still alive) today. I went out when there was any event in the Seng Kean Si (双庆寺) temple. Due to Sik Koh Sum was not permanently staying in Penang to teach kungfu, many people left the class in Seng Kean Si after a few years but some of us still continued to train at there. Then, Sik Koh Sum told us to train at the Saolim Association which was taught by Sik Koh Sum's diciple from Singapore. Sik Koh Sum requested him to teach in Penang. That senior is Zhuang Ke Bu and he was the first Chief Instructor of Penang Saolim Association. He also formed Sao Hua San Association in Singapore. Then we went to the Penang Saolim Association to learn from our senior, Zhuang Ke Bu. He was the Chief Instructor before Phng Chye Khim. When I started to train in the association, Phng Chye Khim has not joined the class yet.
Sik Koh Sum only taught in Seng Kean Si temple. Those who learned at the temple were his close diciples. We took care of our sifu. Sik Koh Sum told me not to register my name at the Penang Saolim Association because during that time, it was very difficult to get the association registration approved by the government and those registered were rich people. My sifu did not want to affect the association so he asked me not to register my name in the association.
There was a photo of ex Penang Police Chief in the temple. In an occurence, someone has made a police report against out class in the temple. But when police came and saw the picture of their Chief, they went away and did not come back again. The brother of the chief police was learning kungfu in the temple too.
Our responsebility was to protect and guard the association. Last time, the Saolim Association has recieved bullets, threatening letters, request for money etc. from triads. I went to deal with them with some buddies of Saolim. We did not let Zhuang Ke Bu to involve in this as this will affect the association name. He (Zhuang Ke Bu) stayed on the second floor of the Penang Saolim Association and he was a Tit tar physician. Sik Koh Sum explained to us how to treat injuries.
When my sifu was promoted as abbot of a temple in Singapore, I went to Singapore for 18 days. When the Singapore Saolim headquarter has an even, I also went to Singapore for 10+ days.
Those who learned at the Saolim Association were students and those who learned in the temple were diciples. We took care of our sifu. When there was a problem, we helped to settle it such as fighting. The Saolim Association registered members can't help to do this. For example, if the instructor involve in fighting, then the association will be closed by the government. That was why, we, those have no names in the association, helped to do this job.
There was only one sifu who was Sik Koh Sum. We adressed the chief instructor Zhuang Ke Bu as senior. After my sifu passed away Phng Chye Khim became the Chief Instructor of the Penang Saolim Association. Zhuang Ke Bu was hired as a bodyguard in Kuala Lumpur and that was why he needed to stay in Kuala Lumpur and can't teach in Penang anymore.
Sik Koh Sum did not teach lion dance. (Many Sik Koh Sum lineage have lion and dragon dance) I think it was not taught by Sik Koh Sum. He said if we want to learn lion dance, we must have good kungfu and we need to use green lion. Green lion with white eyebrows means that we welcome any challenger, means I am the greatest. It is not easy task so we did not have any lion dance. After that Sik Koh Sum lineage people have lion dance, I really don't know whether they learned it. "
With the help of his student Quek Heng Choon 郭逢春 he opened the Penang Sao Lim Athletic Association 槟城少林国术健身社 which he founded in 1956.
" The Penang Sao Lim Athletic Association had a Grand Opening ceremony at the New World Park and Shi Gao Can and all his students incl. monks were there to perform various feats. One performance by Shi Gao Can was "contraction" of his bone structures … he was a tall man and in the feat he became quite small, this was a very advanced form of kungfu I was told."
" A storm was brewing and Shi Gao Can did a "special" prayer, he had compassion on the huge crowd attending, whether it was coincidence or not the skies cleared; everyone there was able to stay for the whole occasion. Then, there was fantastic kungfu using just umbrellas etc to demonstrate one can use anything as a weapon."
"He instructed his students not to eat beef as long as they are active in kungfu ; apparently beef caused the body to be "heavy". When his students got injured in practices, he healed them using herbs, acupunctures. My dad was one who got injured in the left chest area while doing a somersault in the air; Master Sek used 2 knuckles of the index and middle fingers to punch and pluck several times at the injured area, then used acupuncture and then 2 applications of whole-freshly steamed crushed crabs together with some herbs to apply to the area, 2 days in a row. "
Other schools were opened by his students in Penang, and the same structure in the names was used as in Singapore. The art still flourishes in Penang, and all over Malaysia for that matter, until today. Some practice in privacy and behind closed door, other promote the art more openly. Other schools opened by Shi Gao Can are: the Penang Seow Chu Sang Association, the Penang Seow Seet San Health Culture Association, and the Persatuan Jasmani Seow Hay San Pulau Pinang.
Here a short anecdote from Pei from Penang, whose father was a student of Shi Gao Can at the time he was residing in Penang:
"Yes, my encounter with the old master (the monk from China):I was just a young kid then, I don't know his name but my dad asked me to address him as "tse-kung" (grandfather), my dad was a student there. Used to go early in the morning and evening to practice.
My dad came home from practice one day and told my mom: When he first joined SaoLin the old master observed his students during the practice; that's when my dad got injured (I think either his shoulder or knee). The old master rectified the injury right there on the spot using acupuncture and manipulation. Then he told him that his body built was not suitable for the kungfu they were practising and advised that he used the twin swords instead; since then he taught my dad that.
One day my dad took my mom and me to a temple-like building with a big courtyard to meet with this old master (not the building in Muntri St) (Shuang Qing Temple). I guess he wanted to meet with us. There we performed some rituals and had tea and in the conversation he said when I'm a little older he'll teach me kungfu too. Unfortunately, before I was "old" enough he passed away. My dad was very sad and he left the twin swords in the Muntri St Bld in memory of him.
I got injured as mentioned and my dad went to the bld. on Muntri St to get help and it was the 5th disciple (the 5th disciple used to live at Muntri St with his wife and children and I've met them all when my dad took me there occasionally) who came to our house. I was in pain and had problem breathing and lying across the sofa chair; this "tse-heng" (elder kung fu brother) of my dad pressed on pressure points on my body and that relieved my pain and discomfort. Then I had to take Chinese Medicines for sometime. I heard from my dad that the 5th disciple learned alot from the old master."
After one year, in 1956, Shi Gao Can returned to Singapore. Until his death he travelled back and forth between Penang and Singapore.
In 1958 Gao Can initiated the Nanyang Siao Lim National Arts Association 南洋少林国术总会, in Singapore and he himself took up the post of the Chief Instructor, teaching the students in Southeast Asia the orthodox Shaolin Martial Arts. The Association is located at 54 SOMME RD (Jalan Besar).
They are one of the oldest Wushu association in Singapore and was well known in the 60's, 70's and even 80's as the Head Quarters of all Wushu Associations teaching the Shaolin form as taught by the late grandmaster Shi Gao Can.
Teaching there greatly contributed to promoting the Shaolin Martial Arts and building up the health of many people from different countries of Southeast Asia. It also serves as the headquarters of many, if not all, the different schools opened by Shi Gao Can's students in Singapore.
Shi Gao Can's actions contributed to in heightening the unity of the Shaolin students in Southeast Asia, to make making friendly contacts between people and Shaolin students from different nations. To build people bodies and catering to the needs of different people in the society.
The Great Master came from a poor family, he had gone through all the vicissitudes of life, he had scaled mountains and forded rivers, traveling thousands of kilometers to relieve people in need. But at last, he broke down from constant overwork, failed to respond to any medical treatment. Unfortunately, on May the 16th 1960 Shi Gao Can parinirvanaed (passed away), aged 75.
His mortal remains were placed in the temple for a period of 7 days for his students, disciples and Buddhist monks to pay their last respect. His cremation took place on the 22nd May 1960 on the Guang Ming Shan (Kuang Ming Hill) crematorium and was attended by more 5 to 6 thousand mourners. He was cremated and there were some white balls of bones left after cremation(apparently only found in people of very advanced levels of kungfu) and they were sent to different schools in remembrance of him.
His memorial tablet was set up in the Singapore Shuanglin Temple.
"Teaching and explaining the method by using my own experience as an example, being magnanimous and tolerant, helping the needy and relieving the distressed will make everybody happy."
The Great Master always regarded this verse as the maxim of his life. He often economized on food and clothing, raised money to buy medicines and donated them to the poor. He also taught the poor Martial Arts for free, and never thought about fame or wealth. He practiced the Martial Arts to the highest degree, he got excellent medical skill, profound knowledge and noble character, so he was admired and respected by millions of people.
People still cherish the memory of him, the Great Master is immortal! Portraits of Gao Can were hung up in all the branches of the Nanyang Siao Lim National Arts Association for people to remember the Great Master. His student mourned for him, and made a poem for him:
"Gao Can was born in Fujian Province, he had experienced a time of tribulation in his childhood. He left his hometown in tears, traveled across the ocean to get a livelihood. He was proclaimed a Buddhist, then studied the Buddhist Sutra energetically, and studied the Martial Arts and medical science assiduously. His charitable and pious deeds was spreader all over Southeast Asia, and he had performed immortal feats. He worked his heart out in Shuanglin Temple and initiated the Sao Hua San National Arts Association. He taught students in Nanyang Siao Lim National Arts Association painstakingly, and he had students everywhere. His heroic posture was known by all the Martial Arts learners in China. He will go down in history as a shining example in Songshan Mountain."
Abbott Shi Gao Can was respected by countless individuals mainly for his Buddhist compassion and medicine, also for his martial arts traditions and pure spirituality.
Shi Gao Can life's is mysterious even to Singaporeans. They were told that he sleeps on the roof top of Shuanglin temple, he was able to leap 10 feet walls etc…
Traditional Shaolin Kungfu nowadays is not so popular in Singapore for reasons unknown, perhaps I guess maybe too difficult to learn and not enough Shaolin masters. It seems it is dying art there…
One of the last wishes of Shi Gao Can was that the Shuanglin temple continuous to promote the Shaolin martial arts and that within the temple grounds the Damo Hall would facilitate training.
"I met a few of the "old" students and that's all I'm allowed to disclose. They all have great reverence for their Master and very fond memories of him. "
The life story I present here has been reconstructed from different sources. Fact is that his course of life was filled with mysteries; the story above is most likely full of mistakes and inconsistencies. So if you have ANY additional information (including anecdotes) to give me (being legend or fact), or wish to correct some errors, please do so! All mistakes are mine: please forgive me …


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The Office of Unfair Trading and Profit Control was established under the Unfair Trading and Profit Control Act 1956. The objects of the Act were to prevent unfair profit taking and unfair methods of trading. The Office investigated allegations of unfair trading or profit taking.
An Advisory Council was set up consisting of representatives of primary producers, Chambers of Manufacturers/Commerce/Retail Grocers Association, and of the general public. The role of the Council was to advise the Commissioner on relevant matters.
Under an Amendment Act in 1958 the name of the Office was changed to that of Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Control. In 1959 the Trade Associations Registration Act repealed the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Control Act. It did not provide for the continuation of the functions of the Commissioner or Director of the Office, or of the Advisory Council which also ceased to meet.


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[Extra-bonus episode 'cause I just won NaNoWriMo! -BB]
Tarcuna obviously loved the Museum of Visible Experiments. "I haven't been here since I was in school. Prof. Wulpmegarn was running an exhibit on intrascopy. Kangbok was my special friend at the time, we were taking Wulp's class. She talked me into helping out setting it up." Tarcuna peered at me as though she had said something secret and significant. I didn't know what and didn't feel like asking; she'd probably tell me. "That exhibit is long gone, but the permanant exhibits are still there, and they've surely got something fun in the rotating exhibit hall."
And the word 'rotating' was quite correct. The rotating exhibit hall was on torque batteries. Those are tiny squat cylinders which store torque. You can wind them and wind them and wind them and wind them with a big red plastic crank using some big red plastic gears. Then you flip a big green plastic lever and scoot the battery into one of four positions. And then you push a big blue plastic button, and release the torque more or less quickly in a violet beam. They don't do the full mighty twistor beam in a science museum with children around! But they do make a heavy wheel spin, just as if you had been cranking it by paw. Or hand, if you're a hoven or something.
They even showed us the insides of a battery. Something about a self-polarizing niobium slush. I didn't understand it very well. Tarcuna had studied it in school a lot, so she explained it all to me. My brain was a non-self-polarizing non-niobium slush and I didn't understand it any better. Fortunately I don't have to think, I'm on vacation.
After an unmemorable lunch, we went to the St. Cheerior Amusement Park. It's what I was hoping to see on Hove in the first place: small people playing games with technology. So there were engines projecting spirals of rainbow energy, or floating and bounding balls in the air, or whirling hovens around at alarming speeds, all for no better reason than being pretty or having fun.
So Tarcuna and I sat in a big plastic cart shaped somewhat like a huge-toothed lion and somewhat like a cow and adorned with some holy symbols, and got spun around in the air. It's not much like flying, not even like barrel rolls. If you try hard, you can persuade your kineception that the plastic cart is standing still with you in it, and the whole rest of Hove is whirling madly around you. I don't think you can do that kineceptive trick if you're flying by yourself. It goes reasonably fast, measured in body lengths. And of course you don't have to flap anything. Except for your clothes and your hair, and they flap themselves.
I think that it feels fun somehow, too. I'd rather snarl than talk about that.
St. Cheerior has some more sedate rides too. We rode the iron wheel, which is huge and tall and not very dramatic, but gives one of the best views of the city that one can have without flying.
Oh, and there are games too. They are not built for dragons. I played the Brick Lift, where you lift one huge brick on a rope pulley sort of thing, then two bricks, and so on to ten bricks. Not very many real hovens can lift ten bricks; Tarcuna could lift four, and she's reasonably strong. I won a six-legged blue-green stuffed animal with big plastic bubble-and-bead eyes and a hideous crimson tuft on its tail. I wore it on my head for a while. Then it fell off and knocked over a child's ice cream, so I bought the child more ice cream and give her the stuffed animal too. Everyone was happier that way, including the stuffed animal I'm sure.
We went back to the hotel to clean up before dinner. Tarcuna changed clothes to a sinuous sparkly-black sheath sort of thing that clung tightly to her hips and udder. I stared at it long enough for her to notice.
"Like it?" she asked.
"It's quite nice. I was thinking of copying the sparkles."
She stuck glittery metal and paste gemstone things into holes in her ears. "I don't quite understand, Spotty."
"Well, I'm flat black," I started. Tarcuna looked me over, but of course I'm not flat black as a hoven, I'm brick red. "Which is nice and feminine of course. But sometimes I like to look a bit more interesting than that. I was just thinking I could go shiny sparkly black, like that, um, garment thing that you're wearing. Still feminine, but more glamorous. Not like wearing glowing blue spikes or something."
Tarcuna stared at me, either trying to keep a straight face, or trying to figure out what answer would give her the best tip. Then she twirled around right under the light, to make it sparkle more. "That would look beautiful on you." I had to wrinkle my nose at the sewage impression of her lie. She continued, "You're welcome to borrow this tonight if you like. I can pin it to fit you, I'm sure."
"No, this is fine. I don't like wearing clothes much."
She looked at my face, and at my dress (which isn't clothes, it's shapeshifted scales), and at my face again. "Well, if you're naked enough to suit you, let's go to dinner. The restaurant won't mind you being completely nude under that dress, I don't imagine. We're a bit late as it is, even for someone with a regular appetite."
We were a lot late for dinner, actually, and went to the opera first.
Originally published at Mating Flight. You can comment here or there.


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Armada Series
Please contact us for more available sizes.
welcome to nerval
Nerval Corporation supplies products and services to the hospitality, multi-family, student housing, senior living, workforce accommodation, and commercial office industries.
Nerval offers a very wide range of products such as hospitality furniture, dormitory furniture, senior residence furniture, cabinets, counter tops, shower doors, mirrors, blinds, closet organizers, plumbing fixtures, bathroom hardware, shower surrounds, deck railing, Demountable office partitions and more.
At Nerval Corporation, all products offered are NERVAL brand, and either manufactured or imported by Nerval Corporation. We carry over $10 million dollars of inventory in our state-of-the-art warehouse facility.
Have a look at our website, and see for yourself!
Jessy Singh Nerval


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Posted: Jan. 25, 2013
I first made contact with Jason and his business partner Chris Woodrum in August 2010 via a message Chris sent me wanting to know if I desired to try their wine. I took them up on the offer, and was very glad I did. To-date, I have truly enjoyed every Evidence wine I've tasted. Additionally, everyone I have introduced the wines to has the same reaction, which is always something akin to, "absolutely excellent," and, "holy cow what a great price for this wine!" Some of my past reviews have included the following gushings: "Oh my! Wonderfully complex nose for a Zinfandel - devoid of flabby-jam notes - just pure and delicious aromas" and, "Only 250 cases made. Get yours now." Jason's path to wine crafting is quite unique, and his answers to my questions among the most entertaining I've received. Please get to know more about Jason, and Evidence Wines, below…
24 Questions
1. What were you before you were a winemaker? An actor.
2. If you weren't a winemaker you'd most likely be a: Micro Brewery / Restaurant owner, might still be one day.
3. Happiest moment(s) during the wine crafting process (besides "finishing")? It's funny. When you are knee-deep into harvest, and you are starting and finishing your days with pump-overs, you actually develop a relationship with each individual tank, as they develop and go through the fermentation at different rates. Sounds strange, but it is true. After several weeks of that closeness, the wine goes dry, and it is time to barrel it down. Rinsing new barrels and then filling them with wine is awesome. As the wine flows into the barrel, it displaces the air inside the barrel out of the bunghole, and the smell of fresh, new French oak wafts out into the air. It is like candy! That smell is awesome, and is a Pavlovian association that you have finished with the hard physical stuff.
4. Worst moment(s)? That darned pump-over word again. My worst moment was accidentally pumping over one tank into another tank without knowing it, thus blending two tanks together, that were at a different stages of fermentation, and totally different varietals. No bueno.
5. For the rest of your wine-crafting days, if you could only make wine from one red grape variety what would it be? I would go with Zinfandel…with Sangiovese a close second. So many things you can do with this fruit. ;-)
6. For the rest of your wine-crafting days, if you could only make wine from one white grape variety what would it be? Without a whole lot of knowledge and background with whites…I'd go with Sauvignon Blanc.
7. First wine-related thing you think about when you wake up, monthly, during the year.
January = Bottling
February = Rack and backs
March = How are the vines looking as Spring is nearing?
April = Sell
May = Sell
June = How do we sell this stuff?
July = Fireworks and beer
August = Brix
September = Crush
October = Pump-overs
November = More pump-overs and barrel down
December = Can we be done now? I'm ready for Christmas vacation!
8. Of all the winemaking tasks you currently perform, what one do you wish you had a capable intern doing instead of you? Nothing! If anything, I miss NOT doing ALL the things associated with making wine. I say that now….but in the middle of harvest, I'm really glad I'm not doing pump-overs anymore!
9. What, if any, liquor do you enjoy neat? Scotch!
10. If you had to pair a wine with a mild cigar, what grape or style would you suggest? I almost will always go with a zin when it comes to cigars. The spice that's associated with zin, the higher alcohol that zins tend to come in, and the late pick, high brix zin, is always a good tobacco marriage.
11. What is your biggest gripe about the wine, and/or adult beverage, industry in general? Understanding "trends." It's one thing to "make" wine, it's another to sell it, and that seems to be one of the biggest hurdles. Until the last decade or so, Americans were the last to incorporate wine as an actual "food" product and part of the culture. Therefore, it has always been marketed and sold as a "lifestyle" product, that is/was heavily influenced by trends and critique. Look what the movie 'Sideways' did for Pinot sales, and how it influenced Merlot negatively.
12. What did you drink to ring in the new year? 2002 Lokoya Mt Veder.
13. If you somehow knew fate, and that you only had one more bottle to enjoy before you died, what wine would you pick? 1945 Chataeu Petrus…..then a 1947. I drank an 1975, and I think it's still is the one wine I remember being the best wine I ever had in my mouth. So many things come into play with wine and the enjoyment of it though….so that's a whole other show ;-).
14. If you could no longer work in the AVAs you currently do, where would be your top AVA relocation choice? Great question! As I get older, I am finding that I would want to set up where NOBODY else really is/has. Perhaps even be the Maverick that starts it all in that place. With some disease issues, and how to deal with those put aside, along with higher than normal sulphur content, I think the upper valley of Ojai to be an almost "promise land" of future wine production. Elevation, hot, dry, acidic, loamy soil.
15. How do you define "bottleshock"? So you have this liquid that is sitting quietly and mostly undisturbed in a barrel for two years. All the while, its all coming together in a beautiful balance of acid, alcohol, tannins, wood, and all the earthy, soulful characteristics of the actual fruit. Slowly binding together to reach the point where you want it to be. Then, because of sudden and dramatic movement through pumps and hoses, and filters, and tubes, and then being shoved into a bottle, it is no longer the same wine it was when you tasted it before bottling. It's shattered broken apart, muted and needs to BIND back together to be what it was prior to all that movement. Bottle Shock!
16. How long do you let your purchased wines rest after they have been delivered? Ok, this is a tough question to answer, too, because it really depends on the producer. How extracted or tannic is the wine, and how structured is it? What kind of wine have you learned to like? If you like to drink "young" wines, as I do, sometimes ya crack em' a little early! Otherwise, the choice is based on depth and structure!
17. Please list a few words to describe Mega Purple. Cheat. Cheap. Manipulative. So, think about cooking shows over the last decade, and how far they have come! In the same right, viticulture and enology have evolved rapidly too. There is always a scientific, supplemental, way to make a lower quality product / project, better, by virtue of how to scientifically manipulate it! Mega Purple is a way to that!
18. What is your favorite beer(s), and why? Open Mind! Always finding new ones. Hoppy diehards like 'Pliny The Elder'….the status Reg, Laguanitas IPA for mass consumption and cheap availability. Too many great little producers to name. ;-)
19. Your favorite cocktail(s), and why? The occasional 'Rusty Nail' (that's a whole "other" show) and, on a hot summer day, a Henricks Gin and Tonic with a squeeze AND a twist. Mint if it is around! It just polishes off a good summer day…or even maintains one…lol.
20. Choose one or more of the following to describe vacuum aerators and similar apparatus: A. Gimmicks; B. Useful, have a positive effect on the wine above and beyond what decanting can accomplish; C. Same effect as decanting, just quicker. Anything the aerates the wine is good! Just "glug glug glugging" it into a decanter will aerate it to where you want. Not gimmick, but tchotchke!
21. Choose one or more of the following to describe metal dipping devices and similar apparatus advertised to almost instantly "age" wine. A. Gimmicks; B. Useful, have a positive effect on the wine above and beyond what decanting can accomplish; C. Same effect as decanting, just quicker. Metals interact with one another on different charge levels. It affects it, but……it's why we only use non-reactive metals in wine production. I say gimmick or unimportant! Slow down and take the time! Why speed up time? ;-)
22. Have any wine/food pairing(s) that seem odd, but really work? Deep fried olives, stuffed with garlic puree. ANYTHING deep fried actually…goes well with ….well…anything!. ;-0
23. What work do you suppose you will do after your final wine is made? Open a Micro-Brew/Music Venue with great food! Host a party every day!
24. If you could give any beginning wine drinkers one sentence of advice, what would it be? Remember to identify what you LIKE, and what you DON'T LIKE, and just remember the difference. Never be influenced by other peoples' opinion. Trust yourself to learn what you like and don't like.
About Jason
"Since the age of twelve, Jason has been involved in all aspects of film and its many related industries (Print/Editorial Advertising, Commercial and Feature Film and Television Production).
In early 2001, the film industry experienced extreme changes that made it a very difficult business to be a part of, and in the process, a more difficult one to pursue. Because of this change, and a growing detachment from the only business he was ever involved in, he began to look outside of his real frame of knowledge to find other fields to be involved in and learn from, those that added challenge, insight and passion. In his life-long pursuit of growth and personal experience, Jason went north from Los Angeles to Napa, to be involved in the production of a documentary on wine making, and its influence in the American culture. During that 5 week exposure, he became enthralled with northern California, and the specific geography of Napa and the winemaking process.
Discovering a new interest, at the age of 40, he accepted an offer to work the harvest at the Cardinale winery in Oakville in 2002. After that proving experience, he was offered a full-time position with the Artisan Estates brands (Cardinale, Lokoya, La Jota & Atalon), working in production, and started his continuous education by pushing pumps, hauling hoses, and asking a lot of questions. Working his way up the ladder through the cellar, under the tutelage of two different winemakers, and performing all hands on aspects of their winemaking protocol for the brands of artisan estates, he developed a hands-on, learn through osmosis approach to his new passion, all the while dreaming of one day, starting his own brand.
By 2008, while completing his final year of employment with Artisan Estates, he ventured outward with an old friend (Chris Woodrum), to create and establish the 'Evidence' label and brand with their 2007 Knights Valley Cab, which won a silver medal at the 2009 San Francisco International Wine Competition, for quality to price ratio entry ($35 and under category).
Proving it is never too late to reinvent oneself, Jason bellies the belief that as long as you are involved in something you are passionate about you can never avoid happiness. His favorite creed is "Be a human BEING, not a human DOING."
Along with his partner in business/crime the two hope to create and establish a long healthy line of ultra-premium wines at affordable prices, under the 'Evidence' brand, while also throwing an unorthodox approach to the making and understanding of wine."
Visit Evidence Wines online, follow Jason's crew on Facebook and tweet them on Twitter.
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Good news homophobes! According to an article by one Richard Thompson Ford in World Net Daily Lite, you're not homopobic at all!
Reviewing recent same-sex marriage thumbs-downs from the state Supreme Courts of Georgia and New York, Ford opines–
"But what if these gay-marriage bans were not animated by anti-gay bigotry? What if they represent a deeper-seated anxiety about gender and gender roles? What if popular aversion to gay marriage has less to do with hating same-sex couples than with a deep psychological attachment to a powerful symbol of sex difference: the tulle-covered bride and the top-hat-and-tails groom? "
Now fancy that — wedding cake decorations have Power! No doubt some "primitive" cargo cultist might imagine so. But even the African Villagers who aped their colonial rulers in ritualistic rites captured by Jean Rouch in Les Maitres Fous did so with tongue in cheek — thus making it possible for Jean Genet to elaborate on the cream of the jest in his seminal The Blacks: A Clownshow.
But then Genet was gay so for the likes of Ford what he says doubtless doesn't count.
"No one clearly admits this, perhaps because most people aren't sufficiently self-aware to name their deep anxieties—if they were, psychotherapists would be out of work. But you can hear the longing for secure gender identity in some of the comments of same-sex-marriage opponents. After San Francisco's same-sex marriage experiment, one observer in a red county nearby complained: "God made marriage for Adam and Eve; not Adam and Steve." It's telling that this objection to same-sex marriage doesn't rely on moral condemnation of same-sex couples but instead on the most primordial account of natural sex difference. "
No one "clearly admits this" for do so so would invite gales of derisve laughter, especially regarding the question of just how "natural" gender differentiation might be. (That's Kate Borenstein's cue.)
"Of course, some opponents of same-sex marriage are just anti-gay. But to dismiss all opposition to gay marriage as pure bigotry is to miss an important point"
And that important point would be?
"The key to evaluating the real stakes here is to think of gay rights in terms of two major categories: gay marriage and everything else. Because for gay rights other than marriage, the news isn't nearly so dire. Many states forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and a handful have codified domestic partnership status for same-sex couples. In 1992 only one Fortune 500 company offered employee benefits to same-sex domestic partners; today hundreds do. And polls show consistently growing support nationwide for gay rights other than marriage. Gallup found that 90 percent of Americans support equal employment opportunities regardless of sexual orientation. And 79 percent support the idea of homosexuals serving in the armed forces, a profound change in public opinion since the 1990s, when President Clinton thought it politically prudent to abandon his push for nondiscrimination in favor of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
But somehow same-sex marriage is a different story."
Different only for the Heterosexual Dictatorship (as Christopher Isherwood so accurately called it). For the gay rights movements insistence that same same-sex oriented desist in lying and hiding by standing up for their rights has brought about that shift in poll numbers and Fortune 500 practices. Resistance to same-sex marraige is simply the sort of line Yosemite Sam used to draw in front of Bugs Bunny and warn him that he should never consider crossing.
And what was Bugs' response? All together now — "Oh Prunella!"
"The numbers here are murky but still highly suggestive: A 1996 Gallup poll showed that 27 percent of Americans supported same-sex marriage and 68 percent opposed it. In 2005 a similar poll showed that 28 percent of Americans supported same-sex marriage and 68 percent opposed it. And so far, every gay-marriage victory—in Massachusetts and for a few shining weeks, in that Camelot by the Bay, San Francisco—seems to spawn same-sex marriage bans in a few other states. As of today 18 states have written same-sex marriage bans into their constitutions, making change by the legislature or the judiciary at the state level impossible. Several other states have such bans on the ballot for November.
How to reconcile the growing support for equal rights for gay Americans with the seemingly hardening opposition to gay marriage? It certainly suggests that homophobia is only part of the explanation for the widespread resistance to same-sex marriage. A lot of the resistance is less about sexual orientation than about sex difference. In other words, it's not about the difference between gay and straight; it's about the difference between male and female. By this logic, conventional marriage doesn't exclude gay couples from a special status reserved for straights; it excludes women from a special status reserved for men—that of husband—and excludes men from a status reserved for women—that of wife."
Well things have always been murky for the straight and clueless. When the nice young man at the draft board noticed that I'd checked "yes" on the Whoopie Box ("Do you have homosexual tendencies?") the first thing out of his mouth was "Do you play the man or do you play the woman?"
What a question! I of course said both, leaving him with a puzzled expression as he scribbled a note sending me off for an interview with the staff psychaitrist.
But they were understaffed and overloaded at the draft board that day, and so as the afternoon came to a close another official simply rubber-stamped a nice 4F on my card AND THUS I AVOIDED VIETNAM !
Instead I stayed on the homefront and entertained our Brave Fighting Men (especially sailors) in other ways that Thompson would dubtles disapprove of.
Does this sound purely semantic? It's not.
Oh of course it is darling. And you know it.
"When San Francisco undertook its short-lived experiment with same-sex marriage, it confronted marriage certificate forms with blanks for the names of the "bride" and "groom." The city hastily rewrote them to read "first applicant" and "second applicant." And this is telling. Many people get married because they want the established sex roles the institution provides: a blushing, beautiful, white veil and miles-of-lace bride set off against her dashing, handsome, chivalrous groom."
Really? No wonder Brittany Spears first marriage went south — not enough lace!
And we all rememebr the mountains of lace Diane Von Furstenberg wore when she married Barry Diller.
Or maybe it was the other way around.
"Same-sex marriage seems to undermine these very sex-specific statuses, leaving everyone a sex-neutral "applicant." Sure, we could say same-sex marriages involve two brides or two grooms, but something really is lost in this translation: At that point the terms do not describe distinctively gendered roles but are merely gendered descriptions of the same role. We could just as well say "male applicant" and "female applicant." This might explain why so many straight people think same-sex marriage will change the nature of marriage for them. "
Or maybe they're just homophobic assholes scrambling for a cheap excuse to diss fags –like you darling.
"If I'm right, there are two reasons someone might oppose same sex-marriage: anti-gay animus or a desire to protect traditional sex roles. It's no secret that traditional sex roles are in crisis."
It's no secret that traditional marraige is in crisis. Divorce rates have skyrocketed and everyone from David Letteramn to Brangelina to Johnny Depp has given it the go-by. And Johnny has been especially enthusiastic about upending traditional sex roles while playing the lead in the biggest box office bonanza of all time
"They've been battered by feminism's attacks on male privilege and feminine mystique. Macho women have mocked female virtues (consider the gun-toting Thelma and Louise, the oversexed Samantha Jones of Sex and the City, or the wooden-stake- and holy-water-wielding Buffy). And house husbands, Mr. Moms, and "metrosexuals" have similary rejected or lampooned traditional masculinity. Today both men and women reject the constricting and unequal sex roles of past generations, but most still desperately want meaningful sex identities."
Boo Fucking Hoo.
" So they cast about, all too often buying into crude stereotypes, such as those offered in books such as The Rules, which counsels the single girl to deploy the catty feminine wiles and emotional manipulation learned in junior high school; or The Game, which counsels the single boy to use psychological manipulation and deception to wrangle sexual favors from reluctant women. Marriage fills that gender gap: It is one of the few social institutions left that rigorously and unapologetically divides the sexes into distinctive, almost ancient, gender roles.
Remind me why I should give shit, won't you dear?
"It should go without saying that the state should not advance anti-gay prejudice through the force of law."
Except that's precisely what you want.
"And as far as I'm concerned, the state has no business propping up distinctive sex roles in any context—that's a job for Wonderbras and Viagra. But a hunger for distinctive sex roles is just not the same thing as anti-gay bigotry."
Don't you just love the "and as far as I'm concerned"? Especially when it's followed by an "it is because I say it is!"
"So, the good news for gay-rights activists is that this string of same-sex marriage defeats doesn't suggest that civil rights for gay men and lesbians in other contexts are doomed. Opposition to same-sex marriage can be perfectly consistent with strong support for gay rights elsewhere. The bad news is that the fight for gay marriage may be much more daunting than they had imagined. Proponents may need to fight not only anti-gay bias but a deeply ingrained desire for stable sex roles, too.
Don't you mean a "deeply ingrained desire for cake ornaments"?
" Some gay-rights activists have begun to ask whether the fight for marriage is worth the resources they've been devoting to it. It's a good question: If same-sex marriage provokes a distinctive form of popular resistance that isn't anti-gay bias, maybe it would be better to avoid a war on two fronts and shift focus to civil unions and domestic partnerships. "
Except it IS anti-gay bias, as the New York State Supreme Court decision made crystal clear. (see my previous FaBlog post.)
"And if, despite all this, marriage remains at the top of the gay-rights agenda, proponents should try to respond to the inchoate fears and legitimate concerns of a large and potentially movable nonbigoted opposition, rather than attacking them as hateful bigots."
But ya are a hateful bigot, Blanche — ya are a hateful bigot. And there's no better proof of that than —
"Richard Thompson Ford teaches at Stanford Law School. He is the author of Racial Culture: A Critique. His forthcoming book is titled The Race Card."
Do you have that card in Teal?


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Plain and perfect, these bagels are the ideal chewy canvases for your choice of toppings, a customizable bagel experience for those who want an assorted spread. But any way you top them, these ringed beauties are primed for lox, schemers, and plenty of butter.
Basic Bagels
- 7 cups (889 grams) bread flour
- 2 tablespoons (18 grams) kosher salt
- 1¾ teaspoons (5.25 grams) instant yeast
- 2⅓ cups (560 grams) warm water (120°F/49°C to 130°F/54°C)
- ½ cup (170 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (42 grams) barley malt syrup, divided
- 8 cups (1,920 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water, divided
- 1 large egg white (30 grams)
- Toppings: everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, freshly grated Asiago cheese
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast by hand. Add 2⅓ cups (560 grams) warm water and 2 tablespoons (42 grams) barley malt syrup, and beat at low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until dough pulls away from sides and bottom of bowl, about 8 minutes. (Dough will be elastic but may not look completely smooth.)
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Place a large sheet of parchment paper in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C); dust parchment with flour.
- Divide dough into 12 portions (about 107 grams each). Shape each portion into a ball. Place 1 ball in your hand. Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch a hole in center of ball, and stretch hole to about 3 inches wide. Place on prepared parchment. Repeat with remaining dough. (Once dough contracts, the hole should be 1 to 1½ inches wide.) Cover and let rise until puffed, 15 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a large stockpot, bring 8 cups (1,920 grams) water and remaining ½ cup (170 grams) barley malt syrup to a very low simmer over medium-low heat. (Do not boil.) Carefully drop bagels, 1 to 2 at a time, into water. Cook for 10 seconds per side; immediately transfer to prepared pans.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water. Brush dough with egg wash, and sprinkle with desired toppings.
- Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on pans for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


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SAVING FOR A RAINY DAY is an important way to cope with financial problems. You can tap into the extra cash when you lose a job or suddenly have to shell out money to fix your car. So wouldn't it be great if you could apply a rainy-day savings plan to your brain and have a healthy reserve that kicks in when neurons go south due to old age or dementia?
Scientists believe it may be possible. The concept is called cognitive reserve. "It's an active coping process that's built up over a lifetime. What you do in life can contribute to it, even in older age," says Yaakov Stern, a cognitive neuroscientist at Columbia Medical School who has studied cognitive reserve for decades.
Secret Brain Stash
Cognitive reserve describes neural networks that are resilient and can maintain function even when there's damage to brain cells.
Researchers began studying this phenomenon in the 1980s, when they noticed in autopsy studies that some older adults had plaques and tangles in the brain (the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease), even though they hadn't shown any signs of the condition when they were alive.
This finding has been confirmed in subsequent research, including the famous study of almost 700 Catholic nuns in the U.S. Many of the nuns, like Sister Mary – a feisty woman who was able to remember short lists, grasp explanations and recall recent events right up until she died at age 101 – had high cognitive test scores before death, despite having abundant signs of Alzheimer's disease in their brains. "There's a significant percentage of people who have plaques and tangles but never (appear to) suffer the disease in their lifetime," Stern explains.
[See: Easy Ways to Protect Your Aging Brain.]
Today it is widely accepted that cognitive reserve may be the secret sauce enabling some people to continue functioning when age-related brain changes, such as shrinkage or disease, set in. "Some people can cope with damage or change to the brain more than others. They have more efficient or resilient cognitive networks that can cope with the damage," Stern says.
This cognitive reserve or resilience is thought to either delay dementia or reduce its effects, although it's not clear how long that lasts, and it doesn't mean these people won't eventually get dementia.
Possible Contributors to Cognitive Reserve
Why do some people seem to have high levels of cognitive reserve when others don't? Many studies have associated high cognitive reserve with high education levels and intellectually challenging jobs, such as being an attorney or an accountant, as opposed to manual labor. The idea is that challenging the brain may help stimulate and promote connections between neurons.
But there are other possibilities for what creates a higher cognitive reserve, like the genetic luck of the draw. People seem to have higher cognitive reserve when they have higher than average:
- Intelligence
- Brain size
- Memory capacity
In September, an international group of scientists that included Stern came up with an official list of influences that may contribute to cognitive reserve over a lifetime. In addition to intelligence, education and occupation, they listed:
- Physical exercise. Getting quality and consistent exercise is associated with better brain health.
- Leisure activities and social engagement. "It doesn't matter what kind of activities, it just needs to be more activities. The more the better. It can be brain-stimulating activity or just getting together with friends," Stern says.
[Read: What Are the Secrets to Aging Well?]
Boosting Your Cognitive Reserve
Some of the suspected contributors to cognitive reserve are now part of the recipe used by academic brain performance clinics to build more of it. One of the main ingredients is exercise. "Exercise stimulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which helps new connections grow. If you have more connections in the brain circuits, then if some are lost or damaged by disease, you have additional connections that can still do the work for the brain without losing function," says Ian Robertson, a research professor at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas—Dallas.
Robertson says exercise also helps improve the insulation of the brain's wiring that can become faulty with age or disease.
While we don't know yet exactly how much exercise is required to help build cognitive reserve, Robertson suggests going with the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking or water aerobics.
Another promising but not yet proven approach may be cognitive training, which uses computer programs and other strategies to improve memory, attention and processing speed. Robertson is a fan, but the method is not supported by all experts. "The question," Stern says, "is does it transfer to your everyday life? There are some labs working with more complex games, and it looks like they are showing the transfer of training." He recommends seeking out an academic center if you're considering it.
Other approaches to try to build cognitive reserve include:
- Stress reduction. Robertson says chronic exposure to stress hormones can cut brain connections and cause the memory part of the brain (the hippocampus) to shrink. Reducing stress helps your memory improve. Tried and true stress relievers include exercise, meditation and yoga.
- A healthy diet. Strong evidence suggests a Mediterranean-style diet promotes brain health. The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, olive oil and whole grains, plus moderate amounts of fish, poultry and wine and low amounts of red meat and meat products.
- Proper sleep. Aim for seven or eight hours per night. "During sleep our brain clears out amyloid (plaque) that's accumulated throughout the day. More amyloid contributes to the disease process," Robertson says. "Long-term sleep problems can diminish cognitive reserve."
- Social interaction. "Complex mental activity builds cognitive reserve through the use-it-or-lose-it principal. The best form of complex activity is interacting with other complex human beings," Robertson notes. "And when you spend time with others, you get the release of oxytocin, a bonding hormone that is a wonderful antidote to stress."
- Having a sense of purpose. Find something that motivates you to get out of bed in the morning, such as a hobby or volunteering. "We don't know why yet, but it may be that a sense of purpose makes you inclined to stay active, and if we do something for someone else we get a release of oxytocin and dopamine, which is like a natural antidepressant," Robertson says.
- Learning new things. "Learning something new, like how to play a new instrument or speak a second language, is incredibly powerful for the brain and helps form new brain connections," Robertson notes.
- Maintaining a positive attitude. "If you have negative expectations about aging, your cognitive function declines slightly and it may indirectly diminish cognitive reserve," Robertson says.
[See: 11 Simple, Proven Ways to Optimize Your Mental Health.]
The Big Payoff for Your Health
We don't know for sure if attempting to build cognitive reserve actually works. Most studies on the subject are observational, so the findings cannot prove cause and effect.
But since the recommended actions are also good for overall health, you have nothing to lose by trying to bank your cognitive spending power. And you may wind up with an old age ledger that has a few extra years of better thinking skills and improved quality of life


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text: These 10.5" Caribbean blue paper plates are great for serving your guests. You can match them with almost any color and they are easy to dispose of when it comes time to clean up. Disposable for easy cleanup and fun to coordinate with your decor. Perfect for weddings, birthdays and work events. Includes 20 round paper plates.


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Witch with White Owl
A witch, a Jack-O-Lantern a moon and an owlall the symbols of Halloween pictured together. The white owl is particularly large and handsome.
Our prints are created by a process named for a French word for spray'. The inks used in this process have a much higher resistance to fading than lithographic printing inks, which makes this kind of printing particularly suitable for prints being used in wall decor.
These prints are made at our location in Seattle, WA. They have a thick, white backing board and are sealed in clear bags. Each is suitable for framing at 11 inches x 14 inches or can be used as is for wall display. Our goal is to bring back to life these wonderful illustrations from old-fashioned, children's books and from early advertising art.
- Product Code
- Binding
- Bagged w/ Backer Board
- Width
- 11
- Height
- 14
- Pages
- 1


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Archive for the 'Screenings' Category
Change Comes Knocking to screen at NC State University
North Carolina State University's Black History Month Event will feature a screening of Change Comes Knocking on February 21, 2011 at 4:30pm, in the Poole College of Management Auditorium, Nelson Hall room 3400, located at the corner of Hillsborough Street and Dan Allen Drive. You can find directions and a map here.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion about poverty and race, and the challenges we are currently facing in America. Participating in the conversation will be Ann Atwater, Rubye Gattis and Joyce Nichols, three women who have been fighting for justice and equality for the past 40+ years, and will be moderated by Rebecca Cerese, the producer of the documentary. Additional people may be added. There is visitor parking available in the Dan Allen Deck – they take cash or credit cards.No comments
Change Comes Knocking screening at National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis!
Change Comes Knocking will be screening in Memphis, TN as part of Indie Memphis Freedom Series. We will be screening at 6pm on September 9th, 2010 at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. The Museum is built around the Lorraine Motel, the very place where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered. Since he was working so vigorously on poverty issues at the time of his death, I am confident that this screening will be one to remember. If you are out in Memphis on the 9th. Please come and join us for this amazing event.
Here is a link to the poster and schedule of the entire film series.No comments
Howard Fuller returns to NC to address Poverty!
Howard Fuller, who is prominently featured in our documentary, Change Comes Knocking will be in North Carolina on April 2-3 to address poverty and education issues as part of the 3rd Annual Poverty Awareness Week at Hanes Art Center on UNC-CH campus. The film screening and panel discussion will be on April 2nd at 7pm. You can park in the Swain Lot off of Cameron Ave, near the N. Columbia Street intersection, since it is after school hours, however, there may be a charge. On Friday, April 3rd, Poverty Awareness Week will culminate with a keynote address, delivered by Dr. Fuller entitled, "Community Organizing and Local Change: Creating Solutions to Poverty. The keynote will be at 4pm, preceded by a reception at 3:30, also at Hanes Art Center. There may be parking available at the Swain Hall Lot, because it is technically a "Visitor Lot," but it is often reserved for other events. If this lot is not open, then I suggest parking in one of the Franklin Street Parking decks and walking to Hanes Art Center. If you are unable to walk long distances, the attendant at the Swain Hall lot will allow for you to pull in and drive up to Hanes Art Center for drop off. Dr. Fuller will also be appearing on WUNC'sThe State of The State of Things on Friday, April 3rd at noon, tune in to hear what he has to say about being back in North Carolina.
No comments
See note from Linda Booker, the organizer of the Race in NC Film Forum:
The Film Forum has a New Location. The Race in NC film forum will be now be held at the historic Pittsboro Courthouse in the town circle (the intersection of 15-501 and Hwy 64.) Although we are disappointed that things didn't work out at the other location, there's something about showing these films within the walls of our old courthouse that takes on a whole new meaning and thankfully there is still a bar right across the street! For more information visit the Chatham Arts website.
Parking will be available at lots located around the circle near the courthouse.1 comment
NEW LOOK for Change Comes Knocking!
Change Comes Knocking –The Story of the North Carolina Fund, the latest award winning documentary produced by Video Dialog Inc, has a new look! The film will re-premier on Saturday, March 21 in Pittsboro at the Race in NC Film Forum, with updated visual elements, that offer a fresh aesthetic to the engaging story of the North Carolina Fund. Please join us at the 2:30 screening of the new and improved Change Comes Knocking! The screening will be followed by a discussion panel that will include Ms. Ann Atwater,
If you can't make it to the screening in Pittsboro, we have another screening on April 2nd at 7:00pm at
Also, Dr. Howard Fuller will also be giving the keynote address for Poverty Awareness Week, on Friday, April 3rd, also at
Update on Spring Screenings
There has been a change of date and time for our UNC Screening. The film will now be screening on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 7pm at Hanes Art Center. Dr. Howard Fuller and Ms. Ann Atwater will both be at the screening and participate in a Q&A following the screening. Dr. Fuller will also give the keynote address for Poverty Awareness Week on Friday, April 3, 2009 at Hanes Art Center. More information coming soon!No comments
Race in NC Film Forum, Pittsboro, NC March 21-22
Change Comes Knocking will be screening as part of the Race In North Carolina Film Forum in Pittsboro, NC on March 21, 2009. The screening will be at 3:00pm at 50 West Salisbury Street , Pittsboro, NC 27312. Doors open at 2:30 or earlier. The film will be followed by a panel discussion facilitated by Producer, Rebecca Cerese. Participants to be announced. For more information and to see other films that are screening please click here: Race in NC Film Forum flyerNo comments
**UPDATE**Upcoming Spring Screenings!
There has been a change of date and time for our UNC Screening. The film will now be screening on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 7pm at Hanes Art Center. Dr. Howard Fuller and Ms. Ann Atwater will both be at the screening and participate in a Q&A following the screening. Dr. Fuller will also give the keynote address for Poverty Awareness Week on Friday, April 3, 2009 at Hanes Art Center. More information coming soon!
Two exciting screening of Change Comes Knocking coming in the Spring!
Happy New Year everyone!
We are once again partnering with UNC Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity and the Campus Y to put on a bigger and better Poverty Awareness Week. The film will be screened on
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 7pm at the Student Union Auditorium on UNC-Campus. Howard Fuller, former Durham community organizer and educator who is featured prominently in the film, will be joining us for several activities around the issue of poverty and education. On April 1, he will participate in a discussion following the screeing of thef ilm. On April 3, he will appear on the State of Things on WUNC at noon, and later that day will deliver the keynote address for Poverty Awareness Week. Hope you can join us for this very special event!
We have also been invited to take part in a conference sponsored by the N.C. Community Action Association, which includes many of the Community agencies, originally started by the NC Fund. The conference runs from May 18-22, and will be in Raleigh, North Carolina. Check back for more information. We are very excited about this screening, which will be followed by a 30 minute dialogue because we see it as a great opportunity to create relationships with organizations doing anti-poverty work across the state.No comments
Change Comes Knocking to play at 19th Annual New Orleans Film Festival!
I am proud to announce that we have been chosen to screen our film at the 19th Annual New Orleans Film Festival, Oct 10-16 2008! To find out more check out the Film festival website: http://www.neworleansfilmfest.com/No comments


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The High Country is truly a culinary destination. With award-winning restaurants featuring everything from local favorites to European cuisine,
the High Country offers something for even the most discriminating palate. Here is our list of must visit restaurants.
High Country Destination Restaurants
Peddler Steak House
Offering quality cuisine in a relaxing atmosphere. Featuring gourmet soup, salad bar, lobster, crab legs, salmon, sword fish, tuna, chicken and, of course, steak. When only the best will do...located in Boone NC
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Chick-fil-A Boone
Serving the original Chick-fil-A sandwich. Conveniently located in Boone NC within walking distance of the Fairfield Inn and Holiday Inn Express. Indoor Playground.
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Woodlands Barbeque
Woodlands Barbeque Restaurant in Blowing Rock NC specializes in North Carolina Barbecue Pork and Ribs, great food, nightly entertainment and catering.
Featuring chopped and sliced beef, pork, ribs and chicken. Wide selection of sandwiches and Mexican daily specials. All ABC permits, wide-screen TV. Carry-out service and catering available.
Kitchen closes at 9pm Sunday thru Thursday, 10 PM on Friday and Saturday.
Learn More
El Rincon Blowing Rock
Southern cooking meets authentic Mexican Cuisine!
Traditional American style breakfast served daily until 11am, offering a full Mexican and American lunch and dinner menu. Try our Jose Quervo margaritas!
Located in downtown Blowing Rock on the main street. Private parking area, convenient walking distance to all town attractions.
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Blue Ridge Theater & Event Center
Bringing family friendly entertainment and fun to the High Country of NC. We host Nashville headliners as well as special events and local entertainment. Visit us at blueridgetheater.com for upcoming events!
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Pepper's Restaurant
Pepper's has served great food in the High Country since 1975. Sandwiches, homemade desserts, fresh seafood and steaks. Check out our menu on our web site. New bar with live entertainment now open.
Learn More
F.A.R.M. Cafe
F.A.R.M. Cafe is a non-profit, donation based pay-what-you-can community cafe where we feed all regardless of means. Every Monday-Friday for lunch we serve REAL.GOOD.FOOD. produced from local sources when available.
Learn More
The Historic Orchard at Altapass
Unspoiled family fun! Enjoy free live mountain music Wednesday through Sunday (May 1-November 1), hiking trails (open year-round), storytelling hayrides and guided walks, children's programs, craft demos, butterfly exhibit and garden, heritage apples in season, fudge, country store, breathtaking views, and more!
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Stick Boy Bread Company & Kitchen
Visit the Stick Boy Kitchen to enjoy many breakfast options like bagels and breakfast plates or fresh pastries delivered daily from our bakery location.
Also choose from our many lunch sandwiches - hot or cold sandwiches made with high quality fresh sliced deli meats and unique vegetarian options all served on Stick Boy bread.
House made soups made daily, and fresh salads made with local ingredients. Everything goes great with fresh roasted coffee and real fruit smoothies!
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The Gamekeeper Restaurant
We feature locally grown harvests, farm-raised meats, game & fresh seafood. Our menu changes daily and you never know what you'll find. Shark? Octopus?
We are located on beautiful Shull's Mill Road across from Yonaholossee Inn in an eclectic, stone cottage. Enjoy beautiful deck views with one of our specialty cocktails. All ABC permits.
15 years and still doin' it!
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The Speckled Trout
The Speckled Trout Blowing Rock
Kitchens are often described as gathering places, the heart of a home. We like to think of The Speckled Trout in a similar sense. Located in downtown Blowing Rock at the corner of Main Street and Highway 221 is the newly renovated and reinvented restaurant and bottle shop. We explore the roots of Appalachian food and beverage culture, and re-create it in our kitchen by preserving and reviving ingredients of our local heritage. Menus are more than a list of ingredients, they show how people live and what they value. And as the seasons change, so does our menu.
To accompany the celebration of our regional dishes, our beverage program focuses on terroir-driven libations. The term terroir evokes a sense of place, and in our shop this is evident in everything we do. The bottle shop emphasizes traditions of fermentation practices by offering some of the best home-grown beers and ciders around. In addition, our wines highlight small producers from old world to new.
In the 1950s, The Speckled Trout was a place to stop and fill up your gas tank. Now, you can fill up on fresh mountain trout, soup beans and hoecakes, and wash it down with local farm beer or fresh rose. Join us at The Speckled Trout for a taste of regional fare and warm hospitality that will keep y'all coming back!
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Rowland's at Westglow
Experience world-class culinary fare in our historic mansion, where the elegance of fine dining can be rediscovered amid gracious hospitality and the comfort of home.
Mountain views and romantic fireside dining create a magical setting where you can enjoy the flavors of new American cuisine prepared with a flare of Southern sensibility. Rowland's features an indulgent dinner menu with an array of eclectic dishes including fresh seafood, prime steaks and savory game meats. There is also a delicious gourmet spa dinner menu for the health conscious.
On the wine list, you will find bottles from all over the world, including rare wines and some little-known gems from North Carolina vineyards.
Find out why Katherine Stefan of Charlotte Taste Magazine writes "no trip to Blowing Rock is complete for foodies" without a meal at Rowland's.
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The Horton Hotel & Rooftop Lounge
Downtown Boone's only boutique hotel and rooftop lounge, boasting modern decor and a down to earth, local vibe.
Our 15 uniquely decorated guest rooms feature the comfort of Kingsdown mattresses, 100% fine cotton and plush down bedding, custom wood slab furniture, and special amenities to make your stay in Boone one you will never forget. Our intimate space is curated with beautifully handcrafted designs and historical artifacts, referencing the story of our building and its original owner, Walter Horton. Our luxurious suites overlook King St and downtown Boone and we have a few pet-friendly rooms for those who love to travel with their pups. Many of Boones popular local restaurants, retail stores, and the Appalachian State campus are within walking distance, right outside our doors. Room rates include our complimentary artisan breakfast bar and free parking in downtown Boone.
Relax in our rooftop and lobby lounges, serving craft beverages, specialty beers and wines, as well as delicious shared plates. Cozy up to our fire sphere and unwind, wrapped in a warm blanket, surrounded by breathtaking 360 degree views of Howards Knob, Appalachian State and historic downtown Boone.
Learn More View Active Deals & Packages!
Boondocks Brewing
Two locations in West Jefferson.
Tap Room & Restaurant - 108 S Jefferson Ave
Brew Haus & Events Center - 302 S Jefferson Ave.
Our Tap Room & Restaurant offers full service dining as well as take-out, Custom Catering & Banquet services. Covered outdoor seating, two fully stocked bars with over 30 craft beers on tap.
Our Brew Haus is our Brewery and events venue and is the perfect place to book your special event or private party. We hold monthly Wine Pairing Dinners as well as monthly Beer Pairing Dinners at the Brew Haus. We specialize in Weddings, Corporate Events, Reunions and Birthday parties. We have a full Commercial Kitchen, all ABC permits and can leverage our Restaurant support staff to handle any size event.
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Dan'l Boone Inn Restaurant
Serving family style since 1959, the Dan'l Boone Inn serves throughout the year. Please call for seasonal hours and price information.
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Timberlake's Restaurant at Chetola
Beloved North Carolina artist Bob Timberlake is the inspiration behind this unique dining experience. Mr. Timberlake, who is known for creating things of exceptional artistry and imagination, used his deeply rooted love of food as the impetus behind the distinctive menu. From Mesquite-dusted shrimp and salads of mountain-grown spinach, to Carolina-raised trout and roasted Carolina quail, each dish will be one worth savoring. Breakfast is served daily in Timberlake's Restaurant; lunch is served daily in Headwaters Pub (seasonal hours apply). In addition to serving dinner nightly (seasonal hours apply), we will offer our outstanding buffets on Mother's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and during special events such as Symphony by the Lake. Seasonal outdoor dining.
Learn More
Art of Living Retreat Center
Relax with spa getaways, hotel rooms with incredible views, delicious dining, daily yoga and mediation and weekend Art of Living retreats.
Located near Boone, NC by the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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Many who are in the divorce process never even considered filing for a legal separation. They felt it was unnecessary or were not even aware that it existed. In truth, it not only exists, but can also be the most beneficial legal move for many who are experiencing marital ...Read More
Featured Article
Blog posts in January, 2016
5 Best Financial Divorce Tips
When you obtain an Arizona divorce , you sever ties in your relationship and start over – simultaneously. One of the most important things you can do ...View More
Divorce Tips for Women
Have you ever gone out to lunch with friends and realized once you were out that you happened to be the only non-divorcee at the table? Did divorce ...View More
Things I Wish Somebody Told Me Before I Got Divorced
Countless men and women who have gone through a divorce have a list of things they wish they knew before they got divorced. In decades past, divorce ...View More
Tips for Divorcing Parents: Stress Reducing Coping Mechanisms
All families are different. So it's hard to state one hard and fast rule or set of rules regarding what is best for the "family" when attempting to ...View More
Things to Consider When Relocating with Children After Divorce
Consider this scenario: Your hometown is in California. Your spouse's hometown is in Georgia. When you fell in love and got married you were both ...View More
Rights and Responsibilities of Unmarried Parents
If you are the biological father of a child born to a woman you are not married to, you may need to take legal steps in order to establish your rights ...View More
Adoption Issues: When the New Brother or Sister is Not a Baby
There's something to be said for adopting an "older child." They come to you with a distinct history; a personality already formed in a life before ...View More
Adoption Issues: Your Child's Medical History
Knowledge about your family's medical history is an important part of addressing your own potential health hazards. A family medical history can serve ...View More
Waiting to Adopt & Preparing to Be a Parent
Because the adoption waiting game can be quite long, here are a number of things you can do to prepare for parenting your newly adoptive child. Update ...View More


text: Shaker kitchens are a timeless style that seems more popular than ever. Strong yet simple designs are featured in our shaker kitchens collection. Available in a wide selection of colours, stains and paints, these ranges can be mixed and matched to create your own unique kitchen. Shaker kitchens are characterised by uncluttered and streamlined designs that epitomize quality, style and sophistication.


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Out of respect for the privacy of the children and families we serve, children who may be eligible to receive a wish can be referred by one of four sources:
We will only contact you after a wish referral has been submitted by an approved source. Make-A-Wish® does not cold call or telemarket.
If you are not eligible to refer a child, please share the referral inquiry form with the family or ask them to visit our website.
* Please keep in mind that Make-A-Wish does not cold call the families of potentially eligible kids. We ask you to please exercise compassion and suggest to families that they contact us directly. A second-party introduction can be unsettling for a child or the family, and we would prefer that the process be as comfortable, inspiring and private as possible. Thank you for your consideration in this regard.
Wish Referrals in the United States
To learn more about referring a child who lives in the United States or one of its territories, use our online referral inquiry form. The inquiry form is not the official referral - it is a request to receive additional information.
International Wish Referrals
If you would like to learn more about referring a child residing outside the United States, please contact Make-A-Wish® International.
You hold the ticket to a child's wishsm. Donate your Delta, United or American Airline miles to help make magical wishes come true.
Stay in Touch!
Read wonderful wish stories and learn more about local activities and accomplishments happening right here in Idaho.


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This is a hockey checking and angling drill. It is a skill that is often overlooked and should be worked on and taught. P1 starts the drill by taking a few strides with the puck and transitioning backwards to make a pass to the second player in line. P1 transitions forwards into the slot and receives a pass back from P2 for a quick shot on net. After the shot P1 continues around the circle. P2 chips the puck off the boards to P1 and then chases them down the ice. P1 has to carry the puck around the far cone and their goal is to carry the puck into the offensive zone for a scoring chance. P2 chases P1 and they have to go around the near cone and try to angle P1 into the boards before the blue line. P2 has to at least match the speed of P1 and stay on the back shoulder to eliminate a cut back to the middle. At the very least P2 needs to keep P1 to the outside and not allow a quality scoring chance.
$14 per month
Billed $14.00 every month


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designers.lk is a professional website design and web development company offering a variety of web services from basic Website Design to complete e-commerce websites including high-class website development, custom web programming from a simple web page to the complex solutions, e-commerce solutions, CMS (Content Management Systems) and search engine friendly website design – SEO (Search Engine Optimization) allowing you to sell products online. We have designed, for many different types of businesses.
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Photo by Romulo Yanes
Thanks to Simon and Garfunkel, the fresh herbs in this dish are forever linked. But the folk duo probably never knew how good they are on top of al dente bucatini, a thicker-than-spaghetti hollow noodle.
- Yield
- Makes 4 to 6 (main course) servings
- Active Time
- 30 min
- Total Time
- 30 min
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a baguette)
- 1 pound dried bucatini or spaghetti
- 2 teaspoons chopped sage
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
- 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- Heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant and pale golden. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, reserving skillet.
- Meanwhile, cook bucatini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
- Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook sage, rosemary, and thyme, stirring, 2 minutes.
- Add pasta, 1/2 cup reserved water, and parsley and toss well. Add more water to moisten if necessary. Serve sprinkled with bread crumbs.
Per serving, based on six servings: 446 calories, 17g fat (4g saturated), 10mg cholesterol, 88mg sodium, 63g carbs, 3g fiber,11g protein (nutritional analysis provided by Nutrition Data) See Nutrition Data's complete analysis of this recipe ›