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Saturday, February 27, 2010
Watching Marc in the Hong Kong Marathon
He's doing the half-marathon, which is about 22 km, which is really, really long for a non-runner like me.
They start in Tsim Sha Tsui, run past our home in Olympic, and over to Mei Foo, where they turn around, cross Western Kowloon again, then go through the Western Harbour Tunnel (which is pretty funny, because there is usually no way of crossing the "sea" by foot in Hong Kong). They emerge in Western, then traverse the main neighborhoods of Hong Kong Island -- Central, Admiralty, Wanchai and Causeway Bay, to end up in Victoria Park.
If I were to run it, it would take me a week.
Marc is going for a little over two hours. I told him not to stress too much about the time.
First of all, he's doing it for recreation -- to experience what it's like to be part of an official race for the first time.
Secondly, he's still recovering a bit from surgery late last year. And his work schedule is even worse than mine. If he has time to train twice a week, he's lucky.
I told him I was proud of him just for going.
I think he's quite excited. He spent much time tonight getting his shoes, T-shirt, sign, bag, power bars and time-measuring-chip thingie together. He's gone to bed now, as he'll be up at about 4 a.m.
I've set up my own little schedule.
I will try to be at TST at about 6 a.m. to see them take off. God willing, I'll be able to get a taxi to Olympic to catch him running under the bridge near our home. (Wouldn't it be ironic if, due to traffic, it's faster for Marc to run that distance than for me to cab it?)
I will then take the train to Central, grab a coffee, and wait for him after the tunnel.
Then, I will see how close to the finish line I get at Causeway Bay.
He will be joined by a friend, another French chef. And in true foodie fashion -- after showering, etc -- everyone will go to Zuma for brunch.
* The U.S.-Canada men's gold medal match is at 4:30 a.m. Monday, Hong Kong time.
Journalism Opportunity
This media opportunity is pretty specific. But who knows who it might benefit?
My friend Joshua Samuel Brown just finished an arts journalism fellowship at this same center, and he even might have read about it on Joyceyland.
The Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California is offering a fellowship at the NEA Arts Journalism Institute, with a focus on theater and musical theater. It takes place from May 17-27.
It covers most expenses, like round-trip travel to L.A., hotel, meals, reading materials and Internet access. Also, watching alot of musical theater. Sounds like lighter fare than that Reuters thing I did in England.
Applications are due March 11. Details at http://annenberg.usc.edu/nea
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Horses, running and other distractions
A funny thing happened on our way to early-middle-aged-ness.
Marc and I, like most people, did some sports in our youth.
Then -- as we spent our late teens and 20s drinking, smoking, staying out all night and trying to be cool -- we didn't. There were no more school teams to be a part of, and healthy living was put on hold.
But then our 30s hit. We settled down. We also came to the realization that our bodies are not invincible.
Because of his build, Marc will never have to worry about being fat. But he was getting back aches, leg cramps -- all signs of someone who works all day, stressing.
I, on the other hand -- well, I'll probably never be obese, but I do get soft. Plus, there's the asthma, the insomnia, and the perpetually sore neck.
So, I start doing yoga. Marc starts running -- something he hasn't done regularly since high school. I also discover -- by odd fluke while at Oxford -- that I love riding horses.
(I don't love Shredding, but I'm back on that, too)
Anyway, now we're getting all outdoorsy and sporty again.
Marc has just blogged on the fact that he'll be running in the Hong Kong Marathon.
It's amazing how bad I can be at something I love so much. My great enthusiasm for horses is, unfortunately, not matched by any actual ability to ride one.
I said this to an American friend. And she, in that very direct American way, said I should never say I suck or am bad at anything. (I've had this from an American boss, too. Actually, that time I was kidding, but the joke didn't work.)
"But I do suck at riding horses," I told my friend, laughing. "I'm out of shape. I'm unbalanced and uncoordinated. I'm a bit of a wimp. And I'm fine with it. It's not like I plan on becoming a competitive show jumper."
She told me I must believe in myself and not be hard on myself.
"But I'm not hard on myself," I tried to explain. "I'm perfectly happy sucking at this."
Now, here is a funny cultural difference.
America is all about the individual and positive reinforcement. It's a "You go, Girl!" kind of country. It invented cheerleaders, smiley stickers, self-empowerment workshops, grade inflation (so even mediocre students get high marks) and size deflation (so, if you're a chubby size 10, your clothes say you're a slim size 6.)
To say you're bad at something -- even an inconsequential part-time hobby -- is a sign of weakness and low self-esteem.
The Brits, on the other hand, say stuff like that all the time, in their typical dry, dark, self-depricating humor. Listen to a bunch of Brits talk, and you'd think that, any minute now, the entire country is going to tip into becoming an obese, illiterate, chaotic mess.
I rode regularly at a lovely English riding school / horse farm for several months. On my last lesson, I hesitantly asked how I did.
"Well," my teacher said, wryly. There was a pause. "You really did try, didn't you?"
I just laughed. They were very nice to me. When there were no other students, they took me out on rides in the countryside.
But they were not going to lie just to make me feel better. They were quite upfront in the fact that I suck.
I went up to the Lowu Saddle Club yesterday, on my day off.
I love it so much, I don't even mind the commute.
I watch the city slip away on the train, as I go further and further up toward the border. I look at the villages, the mountains, and the encroaching industrialization of the New Territories.
Setting aside the riding, I just enjoy getting the horse out of his stall, untacking him afterwards, feeding him an apple.
I've started doing two hours at a time instead of one hour (which seemed like a waste, because I spend almost 3 hours commuting round-trip).
I finished at 4, but didn't leave till almost 5. I got a coffee and sat outside, in one of the few sunny, mild afternoons we've had recently. I watched the kids do their pony rides.
I might mention that all the kids are better than I am.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Winter Olympics -- Fashion Disaster
After work, Marc and I get a glass of wine (and, usually, my dinner), snuggle on the couch and watch the nightly wrap-up of the Winter Olympics.
Gweipo thinks I've entered a phase of temporary insanity. Maybe I have. This is like my fourth Olympics post.
And you can bet that my alarm is set at 8 a.m. for the Canada vs. German game tomorrow. I mean, they really better win.
Marc the Metrosexual likes all sports. And there is a thrill in seeing those kooky, obscure Winter Olympic ones, with their spectacular spins and crashes, set among Canada's gorgeous snowy mountains.
The Canadians are not doing very well. But we did win in ice dancing -- the first North Americans to take gold in the sport. As a little girl, I loved watching figure skating -- those doll-like figures in their pretty costumes doing leaps and spins.
But as an adult, I raise my eyebrow, at some of the tasteless costumes. (As has my blogger friend Lipstick).
TMZ.com, in their usual cheeky way, have paired U.S. (just to be clear, men's) figure skater Johnny Weir with a photo of the Rose Queen beauty queen. (Top photo, credit: Getty)
Meanwhile, Salon.com has come up with a slideshow of the Worse Figure Skating Costumes.
This would include the phenomenally terrible Australian aboriginal costumes, which somehow managed to be ugly as heck; culturally insensitive; and include what looks like brown face. Brown face! (Photo credit: Reuters)
That is why I am doubly happy that the Canadian pair took the ice dancing gold. They were the only ones with simple, elegant costumes. (Bottom photo by Chang W. Lee for The New York Times)
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir looked like two kids off to a small town church service on a summer morning, her in a simple, flowing white dress (that, ahem, did not show off her underwear), him in a well-cut shirt and trousers. I give a gold medal for the light make-up showing off Tessa's rosy-cheeked, alabaster beauty, and another gold for her sophisticated low chignon.
Plus, the fact that she can balance on one knee on a guy's back while ice skating at high speeds. That, too.
P.S. I am also rooting for figure skater Joannie Rochette, partly because she's a lovely Montreal girl, and partly because she's competing even though her mom just died.
P.P.S. I always say I support women, but then I forget about them in sports. Frankly, the men's hockey team have been a bit disappointing. But the Canadian women? So far they won 18-0 against Slovakia, 10-1 against Switzerland and 13-1 against Sweden.
Monday, February 22, 2010
O Canada. Pulling the goalie?!
In the last 10 minutes, I was standing in the living room, still in my PJs, too excited to sit on the couch.
Oh, the pathos. Or bathos. Whatever it's called -- I know this feeling. If comes from growing up in New England as a Boston Red Sox fan.
Canada was down 4-2, and it looked dire. Then they scored one to make it 4-3 late on. Could they make it 4-4 to force it into overtime?
They suddenly became very aggressive (about 35 minutes too late, I might add). They had alot of good shots, but none worked.
Then they pulled a gamble. They decided to pull their goalie, Brodeur, off the ice, to give the Canadians a one-man advantage in front of the U.S. net. (For those non-hockey fans, that means they added an extra offensive player in lieu of the goalie).
So what happens? The Americans score an "empty net" goal -- since, you know, there was no goalie there.
It ends 5-3.
It's not the end of the Earth, or even the end of Canadian Olympic hockey. It just means that Canada will have to play another game to fight their way into the final round, while America will get placed there automatically. And I think it smarts, because Canada is the host, but the Americans have been teasing with all this talk of their "renting the podium."
I'm sure most Canadians will be drinking away their sorrows tonight. Those big Northern types can really put it away. But me? It's only 11 a.m. here in Hong Kong, and I still have to go to work this afternoon.
There's something I miss about watching hockey, which is the roly-poly, rough-and-tumble aspect of the game. Those boys in their big, padded uniforms -- when they fight, they look like belligerent cartoon characters.
At one point, an American was sitting on a Canadian, who was lying flat on his face. Then there was a three-man head-on collision, which could be seen as an act of aggression, only it was all Canadian.
Toward the end of the game, the whole of Sidney Crosby was actually in the American goal, lying down, curled up in the net. Too bad the puck wasn't in there with him. (OK, I shouldn't be hard on him. He did sneak in that third goal.)
Let's wait and see if Canada gets into the final. I mean, they must? Right?
Then, it's another four-year wait before I watch another hockey game.
Side note: Live blogging does produce many posts about a narrow topic, doesn't it?
O Canada. 2/3 of a hockey game.
Come on, Canada. The second period has just ended and it's 3-2 U.S.
Is it me, or are hockey games higher scoring now? I seem to remember (way long ago, in the distant past of my childhood) sitting in a freezing stadium waiting for a mere goal or two.
Like all sports, hockey is a game of chance as much as it is of skill.
The Canadians have outshot the Americans 31 to 19 so far (and something like 17 to 6 in the first period). But you don't get points for shots on goal, only on shots that go in.
I have to give it to the U.S. goaltender.
The commentators (who are what on this channel? Canadian and British? I'm bad with accents) say that the Canadian goalie, Brodeur, is overplaying, since he's under so much pressure. I don't know enough about goalie-ing to make that assertion, but he doesn't look as sharp and tight as he could.
Both sides are playing well offensively. And, frankly, the puck has been in the right half of the ice for the Canadians, it just hasn't been going in.
But only one side is playing well defensively -- the U.S. I don't know what's wrong with the Canadian defense, but I hope it picks up.
Ooh. Third period starting. I've got to go. God, it's been years since I've watched a hockey game.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
O Canada, how do I love thee?
Do I love thee enough to go to a Wanchai sports bar at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow to watch the men's hockey game against the U.S.?
Do I love three enough to have wildly, wantonly subscribed to Cable TV -- just for two months -- so I can watch the Vancouver Olympic Games? Even though it took, like, six phone calls?
Do I love thee enough to still be sitting here at 8:30 at night, waiting for the Cable guy to bring some piece of necessary hardware, as my French husband rolls his eyes at my extravagance?
Do I love thee enough to have protested (in that gentle way of mine) when an American colleague said it served Canadians right for not winning many medals after "talking smack" about dominating the podium?
(There is a whole New York Times article dedicated to our alleged smack-talking. This would be a follow-up to the 1,200-word essay on the Canadian national character, which is, reportedly, inherently against winning).
Anyway, apparently, I do -- despite my very Canadian insistence that I am not a flag-waving patriot.
And I'm not even a big sports fan.
Addendum: Now that I actually have Cable, I remember how much I dislike watching curling.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
IHT job posting -- better written
This is a truncated version. For the whole thing, go here
Reading this, it should be apparent why we are only considering experienced newspaper editors and not simply being -- in the words of Anonymous below -- sanctimonious.
POSITION OVERVIEW The newsrooms of the International Herald Tribune in Paris and Hong Kong seek editors with at least three years of experience at a major metropolitan newspaper or wire service. You will work with a team of editors from The New York Times - International Herald Tribune family to offer a well-edited, must-read daily newspaper and 24-hour Web report.
FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES -- Smooth copy and edit it to house style, ensuring accuracy and fairness -- Write inviting headlines, captions and summaries for print and digital editions -- Make solid news judgments about international developments -- Write accurate metadata and ancillary items as necessary -- Proofread and correct publishable work
JOB REQUIREMENTS -- Significant deadline editing experience is essential -- Layout, assigning and slot experience is a plus -- Ability to work on all types of coverage, from news to business to culture, to adapt across multiple platforms, and the flexibility to accommodate the 24-hour news clock are highly desirable.
Interested? Send a resume to email@example.com with "Copy editor, Temporary" in the subject field. Please note, only those who pass to active candidacy will be contacted.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Brrrrr.. my paws are cold
I've always teased my relatives and other assorted Hong Kongers for being wimps about the cold.
Anything under about 15C (or 60F) and the Hong Kong Observatory issues a "cold weather" warning. My doormen yell at me for going outside in just jeans and a suit jacket. Chemists stock up on moisturizers, since the humidity level tends to dip below, oh, 70% or so in the winters. (As a side note, obsessive moisturizer use is also why Asian women have such nice skin).
People run around in those big, puffy jackets that Canadians wear on ski trips, while I -- like any other Western-bred person -- am wearing a cardigan.
Well, this time, I have to give it up. It really is cold, with lows in the single-digits Celcius (so, below 50F). That's not bad by Canadian standards, but most Hong Kong buildings don't have centralized heating. And it's a dark, damp cold -- an English cold.
Chinese New Year Day was 98% humidity, with a thick fog / pollution cloud that enveloped my family's village.
We are one of the few people I know who do have indoor heating -- we installed joint cold air / warm air air conditioners in the bedroom and living room. They don't heat as much as, say, centralized heating in a Western house, but they do a better job than those little space heaters that everyone has. (I gave ours away to two colleagues).
Now, I'm being teased by my American colleagues, who think our heating is extravagant and non-eco-friendly. But, hey. I'm warm.
Marc is happy to blast the things till it's 70F. I try to use the heating sparingly and turn it off when it gets warm in the bedroom at night. This morning, when I woke up, it was 15.4C (a little under 60F).
Hugo the Cat has hardly left the bed in the last four or five days. When we are in the living room, he hugs our assorted heat-generating wifi/DVD/cable TV boxes as a paw warmer.
When the NOW TV guy came recently to fix our broken cable box, I declined to tell him that the hardware default might have been because there's usually a 12-lb cat sitting on it.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Journalism opportunities, some sexier than others
I've had it pretty easy recently -- a weeklong stay-cation, followed by a scant four-day-workweek, followed by Chinese New Year.
But I am now firmly back on the work wagon, at least until April.
My office -- the International Herald Tribune newsroom in Hong Kong -- is looking to hire copy editors. (Or "subs," as the Brits say. But if you're speaking that vernacular, you're going to have to change your editing style here).
I hear there are both temporary (a few months) and permanent contracts. All are full-time, meaning you start at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m., and finish at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m, sometimes a bit later.
It's five days a week, but you might not get two-day weekends. For example, I usually have Tuesdays and Saturdays off, but work Sundays.
We are looking for people who are already professional newspaper editors, preferably with experience with world news or financial news. These are not entry level positions. You will get a couple days of training, and then are thrown into live copy.
Our office produces the Asia edition of the IHT (which, in turn, is the global edition of The New York Times.) That means we lay out and edit almost everything in the paper that appears in the version you pick up on an Asian newsstand. So applicants should feel comfortable working with material from all over the world.
Second language is not really that important.
Experience with page design or other newspaper production is a plus.
My work email is firstname.lastname@example.com.
Addendum: The above post has the official job ad.
Speaking of journalism opportunities, freelancers or aspiring freelancers should subscribe to the free service at www.travmedia.com, where editors sometimes post travel-related writing jobs.
I often wonder if some of the assignments there are just a lark, like this one.
"Do people actually ever join the Mile High Club, or is it just an urban legend? I'm looking for any humourous take, or first-hand experience on what happened/who joins/who got caught? Please let me know if you have, or could write, a 1200 word article on this subject!! Guy Hawthorne, email@example.com"
For those who don't know, the Mile High Club refers to people who have had sex in an airplane while it is flying. I guess it's a more exciting work opportunity than IHT copy editing.
Is this job true or not? The deadline of Feb. 7 was the same as the day the assignment was posted. Does the editor expect people to pitch him in one day? It doesn't leave much time to get into trouble in an in-flight bathroom, much less write 1200 words about it.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Chinese New Year!
Firecrackers are, I think, not allowed anymore for safety reasons, but the police turn a blind eye (ha, no pun intended) in the villages during New Year.
Someone thought it'd be funny to drape me -- in obligatory bright red shirt -- in one strand that we later let off on my uncle's rooftop. I've attached the video below, but couldn't figure out how to turn it so it's not sideways. But you get the idea -- lots of noise and smoke to scare away the demons. Marc, my brother Will, my sister-in-law Iris and many others were there too.
Last year, dad did the honors. My aunt says, when dad and his brothers were kids, they spent all their laisee money on firecrackers.
The second photo is of two traditional CNY foods: turnip with preserved sausage; and a sweet New Year's pudding.
The turnip cake requires much shredded and fretting over excess moisture, like a Chinese latke. But it's more complex than a latke, because the turnip has to be shredded, mixed with other ingredients, pressed into a mold, steamed, cooled, sliced, then pan-fried.
There was also a Hakka dish of fatty pork, taro and tofu. And a duck.
Even though I grew up in the West -- and am not as observant of Chinese holidays as my relatives -- CNY means more to me than Jan. 1.
Western New Year's Eve is just a party, really. People might make a few resolutions as they wake up hung over the morning after, but that's about all the commitment and meaning there is.
CNY requires advance clean-up, literally and figuratively. It's important to start the year well, and tradition pushes you to do the things that you might otherwise procrastinate.
* If you're having an argument or conflict with someone, you resolve it.
* You pay off any debts (I made sure to pay my taxes) and make sure everyone pays off debts to you, too.
* In the old days, some people threw out all their furniture, though that is considered extreme now. But we go through our packed closets and bookshelves, and give away things we don't want. I rifled through my filing cabinet and threw away papers and old bills.
* You buy new clothes or furnishings. Marc and I replaced our old IKEA bedsheets, which had ink stains (from when I write in bed) and holes (from Hugo playing on them). We also bought new houseplants and did some minor flat improvements.
* You do spring cleaning, so to speak. The Kitchen God (the deity in charge of things domestic) comes to your home to check it out, and you don't want to anger him with a dirty floor, etc.
I'm not as traditional as my mom and aunt, who spend New Year's Eve scrubbing floors, putting up calligraphy written on red banners, arranging flowers, etc. But Marc and I clean.
My brother is truly having a new start this year, as he and his wife just moved into their flat.
Mom now applies the floor-scrubbing rule to all major holidays.
On Christmas Eve she'll say, "I've got to finish cleaning the house before Santa Claus comes to give his blessing."
Another friend, a gweipo whose husband is Chinese, says her family-in-law refer to Santa and the elves as the "Christmas dieties".
In our childhood house, after Santa consumed his "offering" (cookies and milk), he would sometimes leave a Christmas laisee.
So happy new year! Gong hei fat choi (good fortune) and good health for the Year of the Tiger.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
My friend will be in the Vancouver Olympics!
Not as an athlete, but as one of the entertainers during the Opening Ceremonies. She's a trapeze artist, and I'm so proud of her.
When we were in school, I was the deadbeat. (No, really. You wouldn't guess it now, but really). She was the good student. Double honors poli sci and econ -- I'm not sure, about that -- followed by acceptance to law school.
...And then she ran away to join the circus!
I always wanted to meet someone who would do something like that. Before I knew her, I always thought it was a figurative phase.
She went to the Circus School in Montreal, and has since traveled the world performing for Cirque du Soleil, on cruise ships, in films and in cabarets (which is how I saw her perform in Germany once).
What she does is amazing. I can barely control myself when I feel like having some peanut M&Ms at work. I couldn't imagine the physical discipline she needs to keep going, in a sport that emphasizes youth and lightness, like gymnastics or ice skating might.
But it's she absolutely gorgeous? What I would do to have that body.
You can see her website at www.acrosilver.com, which is where the above photo is taken from.
In case any of Sylvie's friends are reading this and trying to figure out her age, by using my age, just let me say that a) she is much younger than I am and b) we were supersmart and graduated from school really early, at the age of, like, 12. Really.
Because of her, I want to catch the Opening Ceremonies at 6 p.m. Friday Vancouver time which is.... Drat. It's 2 a.m. Saturday Hong Kong time.
Hmmm. Maybe there's a Canadian association or something watching the playback somewhere.
Is Hong Kong too cheap to buy a few wheelchair ramps?
But now it's glaring to me how many Hong Kong places -- even big, expensive, modern skyscrapers -- don't have the most basic facilities. For example, ramps up steps.
I once pitched a story on disabled travel, but it was rejected. Too unglamorous a topic, I guess.
During an interview with a posh Hong Kong designer, I pointed out a lovely terrace in the space we were sitting in. Why didn't he put a ramp in? How could someone in a wheelchair go there? (I didn't mention I had a disabled friend.)
He rolled his eyes. All those stupid restrictions the government puts on designers. (Though, judging from the lack of accessibility here, I can't imagine there are many restrictions at all).
He made up some excuse about the angle of the ramp, the space needed, his "creative vision" etc. This was a several-thousand-square-foot facility, and a multimillion-dollar design job.
Places like Cafe Deco on the Peak, for example, have a simple wooden ramp they pull out when it's needed. Cheap, easy.
BTW, that's where we did the fundraiser, where both Brown and the restaurant earned a pretty penny.
For Brown's fundraiser, I checked out which Hong Kong hotels had disabled-friendly rooms. (If you want a funny image of me, think of me kneeling on a floor measuring toilet-bowl height). It's shocking how few they are, even in very expensive hotels.
Even though Brown doesn't live here any more, I got into the habit of asking restaurants whether they are wheelchair friendly.
It's amazing how ignorant staff are. Most were helpful, but hopeless. Like "Well, we have some strong men here. Maybe we can carry him."
I don't blame the underlings, though. I blame the greedy restaurant, bar and hotel owners who can't be bothered.
It's much better in other places I've visited, like the U.K or Australia.
It's obviously not good in other parts of Asia, but I am a bit forgiving toward poor nations.
Hong Kong? We have no excuse. We are one of the richest, most developed cities on earth. Property developers are awash in cash. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
Update on Brown, who is now in the U.K.
It seems like the money we got from his fundraiser last year was going to run out in two months, in April. So it's particularly fortuitous that the suit as been settled now.
He also writes: "I can now walk up to 1 km, very slowly with crutches; pick things up off the floor; take a flight on my own and even go for short rides on the back of a motorbike taxi (though I have to sit sidesaddle like ladies and ladyboys!). While these may not sound like major achievements, after four years of therapy, for me, they are nothing short of miraculous."
Re: the ladyboys. In case you couldn't guess, Brown is based in Bangkok.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Amazing news about Andrew Brown
The Hong Kong-based CNN correspondent became paralyzed after shoddy post-operative care at a British hospital left him with spinal cord injury. This was back in early 2006. Now, after about a long legal wrangle -- not to mention an incredible amount of physical pain, and loss of years of work and income -- he won HK $55 million in a court case in the U.K.
Brown had a spinal tumor removed in Bath. But his surgeon left for a trip without taking care of the delicate time immediately after such an operation (and, I believe, shut off his phone).
A blood clot formed at the operation site and damaged Brown's spinal chord.
Brown was left paralyzed from the neck down, incapable of breathing or eating without machines. He was put on a respirator and sedated.
I remember his family asking Hong Kong friends to hold off on sending a care package; I think that was their indirect way of saying they were holding their breath on whether he would survive.
He was in intensive care for about two months.
Slowly, he weaned himself off the respirator.
Like a baby, he had to relearn every task we do every day.
I visited twice, after Brown was transferred to an NHS spinal facility.
The first time, he was still working on sitting up straight. He was in this gigantic electric wheelchair, which he controlled with a remote-control-type stick with one hand. He had a brace holding his torso and could not stay upright for long periods of time.
It was desperately hot, as his NHS unit had no air con. He'd joke that, if he were just a little bit more sick, he could be in intensive care, which was cooler.
(The operation didn't at all harm his sharp mind, or sense of humor).
The second time, he was relatively better. He was in a manual chair and could wheel himself around. He could go to the pub, or sit out by the field next to the hospital. He took the train to London for lunch with a bunch of us.
When his NHS benefits ran out, he transferred to Bangkok, where he still does regular physio today.
He is now living relatively independently -- outside of hospital -- but with help. He still uses a wheelchair most of the time, as he can only walk some with the use of crutches.
He is still in pain. As he explained once, pain caused by a nervous system disruption is different and harder to treat than a straight-forward physical injury, like a sprain or a break. He has not been back to work yet.
I'm feeling very happy today, even excited. I've run around telling everyone at work, even though nobody here knows Brown.
I was complaining earlier about the dreary start of my year.
Well, this was the best Chinese New Year's present I could have imagined.
The Standard's article is here. God knows where the SCMP one is.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Alvin Leung at Bo Innovation
Anyway, this is something I did for Morning Calm, Korean Air's inflight magazine. It's too bad I can't upload the the photos and layout here, because they do a really nice job there.
Except for a few green streaks in his black hair, the man who calls himself Hong Kong's "demon chef" doesn't look too devilish.
His restaurant won't be open for hours, but Alvin Leung is already sitting on Bo Innovation's large, fashionable terrace – with a mobile phone, coffee and a stack of documents and orders that need signing.
He looks less like the chef who garnered two stars in the Michelin Guide's first Hong Kong ranking last year, and more like a businessman.*
That, in part, is true. He's been on tour around the world, demonstrating the experimental take on Chinese cuisine that made his name. He is also planning to open another restaurant in London, hopefully this year.
Leung's path to success was as unlikely as his dishes, which include creations like "tomato crystal jelly."
Unlike most chefs, who first attend culinary institutes and then work their way up in restaurant kitchens, Leung spent almost two decades as an engineer, with a degree in environmental science from a British university.
At about the age of 40, he began experimenting seriously in his home kitchen, drawing on some of his scientific expertise. He started hosting food critics and other professionals to try out his creations.
It was only five years ago, when he opened Bo, that he began to consider himself a professional cook.
Ever since he burst onto the Hong Kong restaurant scene, critics have credited him with transforming Chinese food.
Leung, too, pays respect to his roots: "I'm proud of my Chinese heritage. I'd like to think this is my small contribution to the history of Chinese cuisine."
While Leung has been in Hong Kong most of his adult life, he was born in London and grew up in Toronto in an immigrant family.
"I think my parents were homesick. So we went to Chinese restaurants. They weren't so good back then, but they interested me," he said. "Immigrants are innovative my nature -- because they have to be. You've got to survive in a new country. You don't have the right ingredients. You have to cater to the people you see as foreigners."
"My forte is the fact that I come from immigrants. I have that ability to adapt," he says. "When I do demonstrations in Moscow, Sydney, Germany, I adapt. I try to work in their local flavours and ingredients.
Critics have come up with several terms to describe the sort of cuisine that chefs like Leung create: "Fusion," "nouvelle cuisine" or "molecular gastronomy," for when a high-tech approach is used to radically change ingredients with chemicals or machines.
Leung is a fan of Ferran Adrià of the El Bulli restaurant in Spain, one of the pioneers of molecular gastronomy.
"The first time I experienced El Bulli, I had a lot of foams and powders. He inspired me to have the guts to do something like this. After that meal, I knew there was the possibility of an audience for this kind of experimentation."
Leung described his xiao loong bau, which is a traditional Chinese dumpling with a soup filling that explodes in your mouth as you bite into it.
"The two biggest complaints that Chinese have of xiao loong bau is that there is not enough liquid inside and that the skin is not thin enough," Leung said. "So I created a xiao long bau that is pure liquid, using a process called sphrerification. I literally create a capsule of liquid in a very thin layer, or a boundary. You want a dumpling with the thinnest possible skin? I'll give you a dumpling with a virtual skin."
"There are no secrets to cooking, there are only techniques," Leung said. "If you want, you could say that I've broken down cooking into scientific forms. With that dumpling, I took an idea and stretched it to its extreme."
Leung's work is not just about what is on the plate, it's also about the ideas in his head, which is why he is writing a book. It will not be a cookbook in a traditional sense; after all, most of his recipes would be un-doable in a home kitchen.
"I want it to be about food, design, ideas and Hong Kong," he said. "I want to create something that I will be remembered by."
* He was downgraded to one star in the most recent Michelin ranking.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Climbing back on the wagon
In January, I didn't just fall off the wagon.
I fell off the wagon, hit my head, rolled into a ditch, and lay face-down in the mud.
This would be in all aspects of my life: diet, exercise, work, housekeeping, social life and my fiction-writing ambitions.
I'm just wrapping up a week of "stay-cation", so that has helped alot, as I clamber back on.
From Christmas to mid-January, I had bronchitis. I took a record 3 days off work which, combined with my days off, was 5 days off.
But even after the initial infection was gone, the coughing conspired with my asthma to create a chronic condition. Hong Kong pollution acted as an accomplice.
One morning, I even coughed up blood. Like an old-fashioned consumptive, like Keats or something. (Just minus the genius writing and early death).
I worked badly.
I dragged to the end of my shift, then left as early as I responsibly could.
I was embarrassed by my endless wheezing and hacking. I'm sure my colleagues were wondering if I had swine flu.
For a while, I couldn't sleep at all. Then I was sleeping 12, 14 hours a night.
Any exertion wore me out. I walked down the hill from the FCC, then up the stairs to Exchange Square. (You know, the stairs next to Fanda?) I had to stop outside HSBC to take a puff of my inhaler and catch my breath.
This happened twice. It's no coincidence that both times were in traffic-filled Central.
Three weeks. Four weeks. Five weeks. I was getting sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I certainly didn't expend energy to buy healthy groceries, cook healthy food or pack healthy lunches. OK, I made a nice soup for a few friends on a day off, but that was it.
I ate lots of fast, comforting, warming starches, and relied on take-out and (ugh) vending machines at work.
I took far too many taxis, since I couldn't motivate myself to walk to the MTR and go up and down all those stairs.
As for my food diary? Ha! I probably would have been embarrassed to write down what I was eating anyway.
There were endless family events.
Don't get me wrong, I love my family. I love how close Hong Kong Cantonese clans are. I fully understand that, even when they act in ways that seem jarring to Western tastes, they mean the best.
But along with my husband, parents, brother and sister-in-law, I have a grandma, 15 direct aunts and uncles, 15 first cousins, and other hangers-on.
That's alot of people to pay attention to when you're not feeling well.
And, as my relatives never tired of pointing out, I don't have that Hong Kong -born skinny gene. So five big family meals can take their toll. Especially, as I can't even walk up a darn flight of stairs, I definitely cannot Shred!
Over a one-month period, there was
* a Christmas lunch
* a 26-person Boxing Day family reunion in my ancestral village in the New Territories
* a post-New Year's dinner so my family could host my brother's new wife's family
* a 300-person wedding, where -- as always -- I was berated for not wanting to eat environmentally horrific foods, like shark's fin.
* a lunch at Robuchon in Macau as a belated Christmas gift to my folks
* dim sum with grandma, who is recovering from a broken hip
The Chinese have a habit of spooning food you don't want onto your plate. It's supposed to be an act of respect and love, but it's hard to see a sea slug that way. Especially when you're allergic to seafood.
This time, they tried to trick the gullible "foreigner" (i.e. me) by saying that the "sea cucumber" was, indeed a vegetable. I am not so easily fooled.
But really. Is it worth adhering to some cultural norm, and risk my windpipe swelling up?
This may sound extreme, but one of my distant uncles attended a wedding in southern China, in which the family forbade the bride to take some essential medicines, because it would be "bad luck". When she inevitably fell ill, they refused to take her to the hospital, because "face" and "luck" to the communal familial whole was more important than her personal well-being.
(If you think some Chinese women have stopped being objects in Chinese weddings, think again).
Finally, my uncle intervened and had her sent to ER. I'm sure she enjoyed her wedding night.
I digress. Thank God my family are not like that. Their teasing and odd habits are gentle.
I've learned to make it into a joke, laugh at myself for being the "foreigner" and slide the sea slug somewhere else.
Also, Thank God, Dear Old Dad always sits next to me at these events. We have this trick. I slide all the shellfish / endangered species onto his plate, and he gives me his vegetables, chicken and steamed fish in exchange. :)
Back to my failed resolutions.
I can't imagine what my calorie-expenditure is, since, for a while, I was just cabbing it to work, sitting at a desk, cabbing it home, then sleeping.
I'm actually not much heavier on the scale, but I feel... I don't know, kind of dough-y.
So that's where I was about a week or so ago. Grumpy. Dumpy.
I'm better now, since Marc and I both took a week off.
We've decided that -- for financial and other reasons -- we're only traveling every other vacation. Sometimes, we will stay here and enjoy our home and each other.
I'll write more about my stay-cation later. But I went horse riding, which dropped off during my illness. I've been cooking at home, seeing friends, doing stuff around the house, indulging in shopping, and generally feeling more positive.
Sorry about the blogging lull. My Internet connection wasn't working for a few days. And I had recovering to do.


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Former Governors and First Ladies – Members of our Congressional delegation – Statewide officers, members of the General Assembly, local elected officials – Friends of Governor Hearnes and Betty, and those who served in office with them – And, my fellow Missourians –
It is my honor to be here today to help commemorate the life and leadership of Missouri's 46th Governor.
Warren Eastman Hearnes led a life of accomplishment even before he became Governor – not the least of which was marrying his hometown sweetheart, Betty – a marriage that would last more than 60 years.
Together, Warren and Betty raised three daughters: Lynn, Leigh and Julie.
On behalf of the people of Missouri – the people your husband and father loved and served so well – Georganne and I extend our deepest condolences to each of you.
From an early age, Warren Hearnes was already making a difference for our state and our nation. A West Point graduate, he served our country as an Army lieutenant. After his discharge from the Army, Gov. Hearnes continued his service to the public, first in the Missouri House of Representatives. There, he rose through the ranks of the General Assembly to become House Majority Leader – a position to which he was elected twice without an opponent.
During his legislative career, Gov. Hearnes was instrumental in establishing the University of Missouri medical school in Columbia; passing legislation that vastly improved the state's mental health system; and improving public education throughout Missouri. He sponsored the bill to establish the state's teacher retirement system – still considered one of the best in the country.
As a fellow graduate of the University of Missouri law school, I find it especially astonishing that Governor Hearnes was able to accomplish so much in the Legislature by balancing his official duties with caring for a young family and taking classes fulltime in law school.
While other law school students may have been sleeping, he was studying late into the night -- only to get up early to go to class before heading back for another full day in Jefferson City. This was an early sign of the dedication and tenacity Gov. Hearnes would bring with him to the Executive Office.
This dedication would be required as Gov. Hearnes faced the challenges of leadership as Missouri's chief executive during a turbulent era. During the stormy times of the 1960s, he guided Missouri with a steady hand. He made a real difference by signing the state's first civil rights bill – a public accommodations act sponsored by a young state representative named Mel Carnahan – and by strengthening our state's employment discrimination laws and our Human Rights Commission. Although many years have passed since Governor Hearnes left office, his legacy of compassion, action and enlightened leadership endures.
The people of Missouri today are the inheritors of this legacy. His life -- both as a public servant and a private citizen -- was a testament to the simple fact that one individual can make a difference in the lives of thousands.
And what a difference Governor Hearnes made … for Missouri's children, our working families, and all those who fight to overcome the challenges of mental illness.
Governor Hearnes believed that every Missouri child – no matter where they were from, or what their parents did for a living -- deserved a good education, and that without it, our democracy could not thrive. And he did what all great men and women do: He honored that belief with action.
Under Warren Hearnes' leadership, the University of Missouri system was greatly strengthened, and junior colleges in Joplin and St. Joseph joined the ranks of Missouri's excellent four-year public colleges and universities.
With Governor Hearnes leading the way, education funding – at every level – soared to unprecedented heights. Because of his leadership:
- Appropriations for higher education rose 204 percent;
- State aid to public elementary and secondary schools grew 167 percent;
- Funding for vocational education went up 933 percent;
- And funding for Missouri's junior colleges, now called community colleges, increased 812 percent.
From kindergartens, to new universities, to vocational schools and community colleges -- all benefited from his unflagging commitment to making Missouri a national leader in preparing our children for the jobs of tomorrow. Warren Hearnes valued public education.
Gov. Hearnes knew that progress required an educated, trained workforce and having good jobs to put those men and women to work right here in the Show Me State.
In communities both large and small, rural and urban, thousands of Missourians are now working in good-paying jobs Governor Hearnes helped bring to Missouri … at Scholastic and GE, Noranda and Proctor & Gamble, and other businesses in every corner of the state. He was a champion for business and economic growth, and our communities are stronger for it today.
But among his many accomplishments, Governor Hearnes may be remembered best as a beacon of hope for those who suffer from mental illness. At a time when the stigma of mental illness forced many to suffer in silence and live in shadow, he spoke out on their behalf.
Because of his courage, Missouri became a national leader in the diagnosis and treatment of depression, addiction and other mental illnesses.
And it was Governor Hearnes' outspoken leadership that established our network of regional centers, where families could not only find treatment for their loved ones close to home, but also remain engaged and involved in their care.
It was Governor Hearnes who championed the landmark legislation creating a statewide network of Sheltered Workshops for the developmentally disabled. Today, we remain committed to Governor Hearnes' vision that all Missourians deserve the opportunity to lead productive, purposeful lives -- lives filled with dignity, kindness and loving support. Truly, Warren Hearnes valued the life of every Missourian.
Earlier this year, I met a man who clearly embodied the difference that sheltered workshops have made for Missouri families. In 1966, the year Missouri's first sheltered workshops were established, Glenn Cromley's parents enrolled him in the workshop at Sedalia.
Glenn is now 61 years old, but for the past 40 years, he's had the opportunity to work hard and contribute each day by assembling first aid kits for local distributors.
At my State of the State address in January, I asked Glenn to stand and be recognized in honor of all of those Missourians who get up each day and work to their full potential at our sheltered workshops.
That wouldn't have been possible without Governor Warren Hearnes.
In the state House of Representatives, they called Warren Eastman Hearnes "the Gentleman from Mississippi." Throughout his long life in public service – in the legislature and as Secretary of State; as an Army Lieutenant and as Governor; as a circuit judge and as director of legal services in southeast Missouri; as a devoted husband and father and as a rock-solid Missouri Tigers football fan – Governor Hearnes always answered the call to duty. And he showed that, first and foremost, he was a Gentleman for Missouri.
In his work for children, the mentally ill, minority groups, and all Missourians, Governor Hearnes walked the path shown to us in the Gospel … that, "Whatsoever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me." That is Governor Hearnes' legacy, and his example to each of us.
Betty, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Our hearts are heavy with grief, even as our spirits are lifted by the remembrance of his life. Georganne and I -- and the people of Missouri -- thank you for the long, faithful service you and Governor Hearnes have both given to the Show-Me State.
May God bless his loyal servant, Warren Eastman Hearnes, and may God bless our Great State of Missouri.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The role of the freshman in college basketball has evolved a number of times. There was an age when first-year players couldn't even suit up in the games, and now squads like Kentucky have fallen into the habit of stacking Final Four banners on the backs of freshmen-dominated groups.
Since the nation's best 18-year-olds are no longer allowed to head straight to the NBA a la LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, the quality of freshmen players is arguably the best it has ever been.
There is certainly a chance that some freshmen could find themselves in conference or even national player of the year races in 2013-14.
Read on to see the 10 most likely candidates while keeping in mind that this isn't necessarily a list of the top 10 freshmen, just the ones in the best position to put up gaudy individual stats (hence why the Harrison brothers, who will split stats and votes, aren't on here).


text:
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Comics: Revisiting B-Class Heroes
Two weeks ago, I set out to discuss whether or not a B-Class hero could carry their own solo book. I don't think that I fully addressed this issue and I would like to rectify that this week. It seems I left out the part about what can make a book a success.
The first and foremost need for a new solo book is to have a need for its existence. Sometimes solo books are just put out because a random writer comes up with an idea for a character and the publisher runs with it. To some extent these types of books can work. However, one only needs look at Jason Aaron's run on Punisher MAX to see that these types of books can fall flat when no one notices them. They are gaining in popularity now because of the rise in popularity of the writer, but the book's sales were so lackluster that Marvel stopped publishing. Now, what I mean by a need to exist is that the book needs to fill a gap for the publisher, not a sales gap, but a continuity gap. I think the new Captain Marvel book fits in this gap because Carol Danvers is about to become Captain Marvel and the question left in continuity is why she has become Captain Marvel and what that means for her and the rest of the Marvel Universe. I think that something similar could have been done with Marvel Boy/The Protector, if Marvel had really wanted to back that character.
On the other side of the gap coin is where the other two upcoming solo books (Hawkeye and Gambit) lie. This side of the coin is where there has been enough of a fan outcry for a solo book that the publishers can no longer ignore it. Wolverine continues to carry his own solo book on his popularity alone no matter how good or poor his creative team is. Marvel has said before that sales jump when Wolverine is on a cover of any given book, no wonder he has a solo book, but popularity can sustain no man, that is why Wolverine has had a number of secondary solo books crash-and-burn over the last few years. Let us not forget Wolverine: The Best There Is.
This is where the second need of a successful solo book comes in. The book has to have a stellar creative team. Again, this cannot work on its own that is why it is the second need and not the first. Yet, I don't think Batman would be where he is today if it wasn't for the likes of Grant Morrison, Judd Winick, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Jeph Loeb, Ed Brubaker, Geoff Johns, Neil Gaiman, and the most recent fan favorite arc being written by Scott Snyder. It almost never happens that a no name writer is put on a book and it takes off, but there are exceptions.
The third and fourth needs of a successful solo book really fit under one hat, the hat of luck. I know that sounds lame, but the last two needs are that the book needs to fit a niche not currently filled by another book and the book has to come out at the perfect time for that book to come out. I think that Captain Marvel fills both of these needs, but I'm not so sure about Hawkeye and Gambit. Captain Marvel fills a void of interstellar or cosmic comic books; Marvel has a few of those floating around, but not a book that is consistently in that realm. This book also comes out at a time when comics are in need of positive female role models, this is a current point of contention with some fans and this is a great move by Marvel to satiate those that feel left out.
I don't think that Hawkeye is filling a niche; I think that we currently have plenty of espionage/secretive comics coming out from Marvel. But, I do think the timing is right because he is one of the main characters in the Avengers movie coming out and that might help him gain a reader fanbase. Gambit fits a niche void because the writer says that he will be playing up his thieving skills and, as far as I know, there are not any "thief" books being put out by Marvel. That kind of fits under espionage/secretive books, but it is different enough to become its own niche. I don't think that it is coming out at a particularly great time though. There is nothing out in the mainstream to make outside readers really care about a Gambit book. The only movie he was in was out a few years ago and he isn't currently in any cartoon on television. Bad timing on Marvels part, but maybe they don't think so.
These are all great things to help a book sell, but none of it can happen without us, the readers. So, when it all boils down to it, all a new solo book really needs is for us, the fans, to care about it. You can't show you care if you don't buy it. Buy one. Buy all three if you can afford it, but at least give one a try.
Random DC Comic of the Week
Teen Titans #8
First off, when you review a random book, you sometimes pop into a series that makes no sense to you. I remember the Titans from pre-reboot and these are not those Titans. In fact, Tim Drake doesn't even really seem like himself, but we'll get to that in a minute.
Scott Lobdell is one of those guys that continuously turns in great work, but most of the time it isn't anything to write home about. He did a pretty good job with this issue, but I just felt that the pacing was too swift, I think he could have delved into his characters a little more than what he did. It feels like what happened in this issue should have been drawn out over two issues and some of the material should have been mined for more coal. A lot of this material felt very superficial.
Ig Guara did a fantastic job on pencils. I really enjoy his Kid Flash and whoever this Miguel kid is. I really wish DC did some kind of "Previously in Teen Titans…" kind of page where I could find out these characters' names and what they have been through up to this point. Anyway, Guara knows when to be super detailed and when to scale back the detail in his work. I felt sorry for him that he had to draw the characters in those Tron-esque suits though because those things are stupid. Didn't work for Marvel and it certainly doesn't work here either.
!!!Spoiler Alert!!!
Back to what I was talking about earlier…I felt that the quickness with which Lobdell handled these characters' worst fears was a cheapening of what he could have done by slowing down the pace and opening up these characters' feelings during the process. I think that we could have found out more about why Wonder Girl is afraid to show the world her powered armor and why in the world Tim Drake would be afraid of turning into a robin. He was one of the best Robins; I guess I just don't get it.
I found Omen and Harvest lacking as well. I don't understand why these people should be feared. Again, I think a lot of these problems could have been overcome by a "Previously…" page at the beginning of the book and DC wonders why it had to do a reboot to get rid of continuity. It wouldn't hurt to just give readers the most critical information to go off of so that they can understand what they are reading, makes it less accessible to new readers.
!!!Spoilers Ended!!!
I felt that this was a lackluster book.
Grade:7 out of 10
Fanboy Moment of the Week
Grant Morrison's interview with Playboy is awesome! Morrison just puts it all out on the table and you have to hand it to the guy because he knows what he is talking about.
Question of the Week
What other attributes do you deem necessary for a solo comic book to be successful?
Weekly and Upcoming Comic Events:
If you are a comic shop owner and would like your weekly or upcoming events listed here just email me and I'll add you.
Upcoming Events:
Black 7 Comics – 1110 W Main St., Lewisville, TX, 75067 – 972-420-0161
Magic the Gathering – Avacyn Restored Releases on May 4th.
Weekly Events:
Cosmic Comics – 728 E. Marshall @ Beltline, Grand Prairie, TX 75051 – 972-264-0617
Friday Night Magic every Friday
Cost is $ 7.00
4 round magic tournament from 5:00-10:30
Prize support for top 8
Saturday Yu-Gi-Oh tournament
Cost $7.00
4 or 5 rounds from 12:30-4:00
Prize support for top 16
Sunday Yu-Gi-Oh tournament
Cost $7.00
4 or 5 rounds from 2:00-7:00
Prize support for top 8
Pre-Release tournaments every 3-4 months
Cost $30.00
2 weeks before regular release of new product
Black 7 Comics – 1110 W Main St., Lewisville, TX, 75067 – 972-420-0161
Friday Night Magic – 7PM
Saturday Yu-Gi-Oh – 11AM
Saturday Magic EDH/Commander Tournament – 3PM
Sunday Magic Legacy/Booster Draft Tournaments – 1PM – Alternating between Legacy and Booster Draft Formats
Saturday 4th Edition D&D – 7PM. Seating is limited


text:
SOUTH PLAINFIELD – Most people who walk in the door of Weight Watchers here in a strip mall on Hadley Center Drive come in wearing protective armor, said Dayna Miller, a weight loss coach.
The armor is a metaphor for their emotional withdrawal, but it manifests itself physically, too, in the pounds of fat that they hope to lose.
Dozens of people have shed those protective layers – in some cases, more than 100 pounds worth, and in one case, almost 200 – and showed it off Saturday at an event to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary.
"They've really transformed themselves," said Miller, who works at the South Plainfield Weight Watchers. "They saved their lives."
Incredulous readers can put their skepticism aside: That really is Miller standing in front of a photograph of herself, 90 pounds and 10 years ago. Miller has had time to prove that she can keep it off, which will be the next challenge for the people who attended Saturday's event.
"If I didn't look like that before," she said, gesturing like Vanna White to the picture of her former self, "they wouldn't trust me."
A half-dozen women shared their success stories at the event to a capacity crowd – Miller joked that more people were able to fit into the room after their transfigurations. One woman still hadn't taken the price tag off a new outfit that she was wearing for the occasion. Family members took After pictures as they passed the Befores, marveling at the change. Attendees got cooking lessons and, befitting their snappy dresses and high heels that stood out in a strip mall, makeovers.
Nobody uttered the words "calories" or "sit-ups." Instead, the talk revolved around support from friends and family.
Lauren Camasta, of Union, thinks she knows why.
"A lot of it is emotional," Camasta said. "We all know what to do: eat less, move more. It's actually wanting to do it and being in a mental place where you can do it."
Camasta, who has lost 80 pounds and her man-sweater-wearing habit since she started in 2009, said that in September, she talked with her longtime boyfriend about change: about marriage, about eating better. He was in the hospital, preparing for surgery related to his diabetes.
It was the last time they spoke. His death could have knocked her off her path, sent her into a spiral of bad habits. That would have made her feel all the worse. It didn't happen.
"I had to learn how to deal with this new life, and deal with not going back to the old me, where I would comfort with food," Camasta said, adding later: "For me to sink back, it would be going against what he would have wanted."
The Weight Watchers customers who were there on Saturday said that the program, and any weight-loss regime, can't be a diet. It has to be a new way of life, not a temporary fix.
Easier said than done.
"Sometimes you feel like it's over," said Roselle resident Courtney Wheeler, who likened Weight Watchers to "food (Alcoholics Anonymous)." "But it's never really over. It's a struggle."
Weight Watchers encourages clients to eat according to a point system, which takes into account carbs, fat, fiber and protein. Those who want to lose weight step on the scale at meetings among fellow travelers to keep them focused on their goals.
Anna Simonitis, of Iselin, decided in 2008 to join Weight Watchers because she wanted to be around for her newborn grandson, and to be able to play with him, to run around with him in the yard, which seemed impossible before she lost 125 pounds.
She's constantly vigilant – she's lost weight on the program before, but relapsed.
"It could happen at any meal," Simonitis said. "It's gotta be a way of life."


text:
Peru -- Brick Makers
Ernesto Bazan, photographer
© Ernesto Bazan/The Photo Project
Miriam, 13, smoothes off the top of a mud-filled brick mold. Her sister, too young to make bricks, sits on the ground behind Miriam and holds a doll, next to their younger brother.
Around the world, children and their families make bricks out of clay packed into simple molds. The clay is dried, and then baked in a kiln. In three Latin American countries -- Peru, Argentina and Ecuador -- brick factories are concentrated on the outskirts of large cities, according to a report by the International Labor Organization. Workers are often unskilled immigrants from rural areas. Fresh water and electricity are scarce. Pay is low, while production quotas are high, and so whole families work together. Some efforts, funded by the ILO, are being made in the three countries to modernize brick production, eliminating middle-men between workers and the kilns, and supply social services, especially education. The ILO's goal is to withdraw children from brick-making work.
Location: Huacipa, Peru


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Parents anxious to get their children out of Muskegon Heights Public Schools have been turned away by neighboring school districts because of rules regarding schools of choice.
Mona Shores and Muskegon superintendents said dozens of parents have asked if their children can transfer to the school district.
"We have people who have come over and want to get in tomorrow," said Mona Shores Superintendent Dave Peden. "Our schools of choice window is closed. You can't take nonresidents at this time of year."
Peden said fewer than 20 have made such inquiries.
At Muskegon, about 35 to 40 families from Muskegon Heights in the past month have requested immediate enrollment in the district, said Muskegon Superintendent Jon Felske.
"We just remind them we don't take schools of choice at the semester, only at the beginning of the year," Felske said.
Schools of choice transfers are regulated by state law, which allows such transfers only at the beginning of the year.
However, school officials can choose to accept students from another district at any time during the school year as long as the student's home district agrees to release the student, said Dave Sipka, the superintendent of the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. He is also serving as interim superintendent at Muskegon Heights.
Sipka said he would release any student from Muskegon Heights whose request for release was due to concerns about the district's future.
"We sent the message out to parents to try to stay with the (Muskegon Heights) district," Sipka said. "But how do you say 'no' to parents who are concerned about things that are happening."
Muskegon Heights Public Schools is struggling with an overwhelming budget deficit and unpaid bills. It is under review for an emergency manager and the interim superintendent has said he can't guarantee the district's schools will remain open until the end of this school year.
Part of Muskegon Heights' troubles are tied to enrollment that has dropped by more than 600 students in the last five years. Between 2008 and 2011, nearly 350 students left via schools of choice, according to statistics kept by the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. Of those, 174 attended Muskegon and 92 went to Mona Shores.
State law dictates the schools of choice process. The districts are currently determining how many openings they will have for next year and must report those numbers to the intermediate school district next month.
Parents can fill out applications for the schools they want to apply to between the second Monday in April and the second Monday in May, which this year are April 9 and May 14.Schools notify parents by July 1 if their students are accepted. If there are more applicants than openings, law requires there be a drawing of names.
"If you get up above 20 (percent) it creates problems by creating a different dynamic," Peden said. "We need to determine once and for all what do we want this place to look like. We could bring in a zillion kids, but is that what we want education look like?"
Less than 5 percent of Muskegon students are from other districts, most of them from Muskegon Heights, Felske said.
Muskegon is looking to close some schools to save money and address empty seats in school buildings. At the same time, Felske said Muskegon officials realize they may have to keep all schools open if there's an influx of students from Muskegon Heights.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carnegie Avenue has an edge to it these days.
Eastbound drivers on Carnegie often dart around "a gaping hole" with a jagged rim as they cross the bridge over Interstate 90, reports Road Rant watchdog John Greppin. There's also zigging and zagging around a Carnegie crater just east of East 30th Street. Greppin worries about the potential impact of all this maneuvering.
"Carnegie is a pretty busy street," he emailed. "The need to swerve will eventually result in damage."
The same can be said at these downtown spots:
• A deep pothole lurking on Chester Avenue westbound at East 17th Street looks nasty enough to eat a wheel. Conveniently, there's a tire center on the same corner.
• Think potholes are tough on four-wheeled vehicles? Try hitting or dodging one while balancing on two bicycle tires. Crumbling concrete along Euclid Avenue's bike lane -- especially from East 36th Street heading west -- continues to put riders at risk, according to Road Rant cyclist Ian Hoffman and others.


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MOBILE, Alabama –Rouses Market at 4350 Old Shell Road in Mobile will open its doors officially at 8 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 16.
Construction delays postponed the store's opening by four days, but now the Spring Hill location will join the Thiboduax, La.-based grocery chain's 7361 Theodore Dawes Road location to become only the second of five Alabama stores.
The Rouse family has not yet confirmed opening dates for the remaining three stores to be located at 112 Saraland Loop, 6729 Spanish Fort Blvd. and 1545 Gulf Shores Pkwy.
Rouses Markets originally took ownership of six former Belle Foods locations in Mobile and Baldwin counties after the Birmingham-based chain filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, renovations at each of the five new locations have stayed within the projected $2 million budgets, and the company is on track to hire "at least 150" per store, Rouses Managing Partner and third-generation owner Donny Rouse told AL.com.
Founded in 1960 by Anthony J. Rouse Sr., Rouses operates 43 – including the five new locations – across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Both full- and part-time positions remain available, and Donny Rouse confirmed applications are currently being accepted both online and in each of the five Alabama stores.
AL.com will offer live coverage of Sunday's grand opening festivities.
Rouses ranked seventh on Supermarket News' recent "Top 10 Small Chains and Independents" for 2013, climbing three spots from No. 10 one year ago.


text:
MILLERSVILLE - He is the reigning L-L League Section 1 Linebacker of the Year.
And at this rate, he's well on his way to keeping that title for a second year in a row.
Friday night, he was a key cog in a defense that kept Penn Manor QB Adam Sahd scrambling and throwing off balance.
And twice in the fourth quarter he chased down and sacked Sahd in Wilson's riveting 14-7 victory.
He is Bulldogs' senior linebacker Dominic Moyer.
And against the Comets, he spent most of the night in the backfield, making Sahd uncomfortable and piling up tackles.
Chatted with Moyer about Wilson's clutch win and everything Bulldogs' football, particularly that gnarly defense.


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ANIMAL ABUSE: Police responded the morning of March 17 to a Watson Street location after hearing of a female who was kicking a dog as she walked it. Nothing was spotted.
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ASSAULT ARREST: Police arrested and booked one person the afternoon of March 16, the result of a domestic violence/assault incident. The suspect's vehicle was impounded as evidence.
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El Ran® "Naples" Reclining Sofa
About this product
About this product
Product features
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Founded in 1967, EL RAN is a Canadian company that specializes in motion furniture, but now offers a full range of reclining chairs, loveseats and sofas, The designs are comfortable and timeless, and the products reflect the very latest trends in comfort and lifestyle features. Motion furniture has changed a great deal over the years, so EL RAN continually fine-tunes its recliner mechanisms and offers a terrific range of flexible styles and collections. Many of EL RAN's features will combine to ensure a comfortable piece of furniture, and the multitude of styles, colours and finishes will ensure that you can find the perfect piece for all of your décor decisions. Today, recliners fit right in with the way comfort is defined – relaxing at home in your favourite chair and spending time with loved ones
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text:
This week, you'll notice that Augusten Burroughs has landed directly at the top of the arc, threatening to make us happy or cranky. I've read "Running With Scissors" and "Dry," liked them, but I never found them as funny as the back-cover blurbs suggested.
Rather, what stayed with me most in Burroughs's writing were the sad and desperate parts. The stuff everybody interpreted as funny I read as more utilitarian, description-and-detail work. At moments Burroughs can be very funny, sure. But I never found him to be "screamingly funny" the way, say, USA Today and Harper's Bazaar's reviewers have. "Screamingly funny" has been attributed to Burroughs at least 3 times by reviewers, but what does 'screamingly funny' actually sound like? Does it sound like a man reading in a room alone, quietly, before shrieking so violently with amusement that the sound vibrates the room's metal fixtures and glassware, leaves him breathless, and becomes its own form of terror? Or does it sound like this week's ARC OF JUDGMENT!
[Download the PDF here.]


text:
I've always been a big awards show person. What I liked about this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards, which was broadcast both on TNT and TBS live Jan. 30 is there's no designated host, just different pairs and trios of actors making presentations to other actors.
The awards themselves are called "actors," so it's all about acting, nit critics, press, or some nominating committee.
I can't help but feel like actors are the best judge of other actors and their performances, because they've been there and know what it's like.
As the SAG website states:
"The Screen Actors Guild Awards are also unique in the size of its voting body. Two randomly selected panels of 2100 SAG members each from across the United States choose the nominees for television and motion pictures. The final ballot then goes out to the full guild membership - approximately 100,000 members -who select the outstanding performances of the year."
I wasn't sure of this fact myself, since I was only a candidate for SAG, based on the fact I didn't have enough movie film credits to qualify. My MS appeared too early in my stay in Los Angeles for me to rack up more film credits, or for me to care enough to pursue acting hard enough to secure parts by then.
As Lorne Michaels said on Oprah Winfrey's new Masterclass show on the OWN network, you have to have talent, luck and perseverance to make it in the entertainment field, and when the MS hit, I ran out of perseverance.
A couple of the wins made me ecstatic, in that I watch the TV shows and adore them. One such show is "Hot in Cleveland," my hometown, incidentally, which stars veteran actress Betty White who won in the best comedy actress category. In the best dramatic actress category, Julianna Margulies won for her role in "The Good Wife." I was disappointed in the picks for best male actors, liking Hugh Laurie of "House" and I would have preferred one of the three nominated from "Glee" and "Modern Family" to win, although I do like Alec Baldwin and used to watch "30 Rock" regularly before I tired of the concept.
I'm glad Betty White won, but I also have a personal connection to Edie Falco of "Nurse Jackie," since I worked with Edie in New York City as a waitress before she made her big hit in "The Sopranos." I also think Jane Lynch in "Glee" is fantastic and would have been a strong contender as well as Sofia Vergara of "Modern Family."
Suffice to say, the Oscars will be on ABC on Feb. 27, and I will be rooting for my favorites at that time. I think the SAG Awards were a strong preview with a good tell on who may win at the Oscars.
Kathryn Spira, a native of Cleveland who pursued an acting career in New York City and Los Angeles, now pursues freelance writing from Caroga Lake in Fulton County. Previous columns and contact information may be accessed at her website www.kathrynskorner.com


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By Author Links
Other publications by Phillip Sollins
Binkley, Dan, Bell, Randy, Sollins, Phillip 1992
Comparison of methods for estimating soil nitrogen transformations in adjacent conifer and alder-conifer forests
Pub No: 1304
Binkley, Dan, Sollins, Phillip 1990
Factors determining differences in soil pH in adjacent conifer and alder-conifer stands
Pub No: 1079
Binkley, Dan, Sollins, Phillip, Bell, Randy, Sachs, Don, Myrold, David 1992
Biogeochemistry of adjacent conifer and alder-conifer stands
Pub No: 1080
Binkley, Dan, Sollins, Phillip, McGill, William B. 1985
Natural abundance of nitrogen-15 as a tool for tracing alder-fixed nitrogen
Pub No: 886
Boone, Richard D., Grigal, David F., Sollins, Phillip, Ahrens, Robert J., Armstrong, David E. 1999
Soil sampling, preparation, archiving, and quality control
Pub No: 2706
Boone, Richard D., Sollins, Phillip, Cromack, Kermit, Jr. 1988
Stand and soil changes along a mountain hemlock death and regrowth sequence
Pub No: 2130
Christy, E. Jennifer, Sollins, Phillip, Trappe, James M. 1982
First-year survival of Tsuga heterophylla without mycorrhizae and subsequent ectomycorrhizal development on decaying logs and mineral soil
Pub No: 1715
Cohen, W. B., Harmon, M. E., Wallin, D. O., Ferrell, W. K., Homann, P., Sollins, P., Fiorella, M. 1993
Modeling the effects of land use on carbon storage in forests of the Pacific Northwest: a test of methods
Pub No: 1434
Cohen, Warren B., Sollins, Phillip, Homann, Peter, Ferrell, William K., Harmon, Mark E., Wallin, David O., Fiorella, Maria 1994
Using a GIS to model the effects of land use on carbon storage in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA
Pub No: 1600
Cohen, Warren B., Wallin, David O., Harmon, Mark E., Sollins, Philip, Daly, Christopher, Ferrell, William K. 1992
Modeling the effect of land use on carbon storage in the forests of the Pacific Northwest
Pub No: 1305
Cromack, K., Jr., Fogel, R., Todd, R., Sollins, P. 1975
The role of fungi and associated bacteria in cycling of calcium and other cations within terrestrial ecosystems [Abstract]
Pub No: 1722
Cromack, K., Jr., Sollins, P., Todd, R. L., Crossley, D. A., Jr., Fender, W. M., Fogel, R., Todd, A. W. 1977
Soil microorganism-arthropod interactions: fungi as major calcium and sodium sources
Pub No: 1723
Cromack, K., Jr., Sollins, P., Todd, R. L., Fogel, R., Todd, A. W., Fender, W. M., Crossley, M. E., Crossley, D. A., Jr. 1977
The role of oxalic acid and bicarbonate in calcium cycling by fungi and bacteria: some possible implications for soil animals
Pub No: 529
Edmonds, Robert L., Binkley, Dan, Feller, Michael C., Sollins, Phillip, Abee, Albert, Myrold, David D. 1989
Nutrient cycling: effects on productivity of Northwest forests
Pub No: 949
Furrer, Gerhard, Westall, John, Sollins, Phillip 1989
The study of soil chemistry through quasi-steady-state models: 1. Mathematical definition of model
Pub No: 1020
Graustein, William C., Cromack, Kermit, Jr., Sollins, Phillip 1977
Calcium oxalate: occurrence in soils and effect on nutrient and geochemical cycles
Pub No: 532
Griffiths, Robert P., Caldwell, Bruce A., Sollins, Phillip 1993
Effects of vegetation regime on denitrification potential in two tropical volcanic soils
Pub No: 1467
Grigal, David F., Bell, James C., Ahrens, Robert J., Boone, Richard D., Kelly, Eugene F., Monger, H. Curtis, Sollins, Phillip 1999
Site and landscape characterization for ecological studies
Pub No: 2707
Harmon, M. E., Franklin, J. F., Swanson, F. J., Sollins, P., Gregory, S. V., Lattin, J. D., Anderson, N. H., Cline, S. P., Aumen, N. G., Sedell, J. R., Lienkaemper, G. W., Cromack, K., Jr., Cummins, K. W. 1986
Ecology of coarse woody debris in temperate ecosystems
Pub No: 42
Hart, Stephen C., Sollins, Phil 1998
Soil carbon and nitrogen pools and processes in an old-growth conifer forest 13 years after trenching
Pub No: 2491
Heath, B., Sollins, P., Perry, D. A., Cromack, K., Jr. 1988
Asymbiotic nitrogen fixation in litter from Pacific Northwest forests
Pub No: 885
Homann, P. S., Sollins, P., Chappell, H. N., Cohen, W. B., Ferrell, W. K., Harmon, M. E., Wallin, D. O., Fiorella, M. 1993
Contribution of soils to organic C storage in western Oregon forest ecosystems [Poster]
Pub No: 1574
Homann, P. S., Sollins, P., Chappell, H. N., Stangenberger, A. G. 1995
Soil organic carbon in a mountainous, forested region: relation to site characteristics
Pub No: 1626
Homann, P. S., Sollins, P., Fiorella, M., Thorson, T., Kern, J. S. 1998
Regional soil organic carbon storage estimates for western Oregon by multiple approaches
Pub No: 2543
Homann, Peter S., McKane, Robert B., Sollins, Phillip 2000
Belowground processes in forest-ecosystem biogeochemical simulation models
Pub No: 2638
Jandl, R., Sollins, P. 1997
Water-extractable soil carbon in relation to the belowground carbon cycle
Pub No: 2422
Kimmins, J. P., Sollins, P. 1989
Modelling long-term forest productivity
Pub No: 968
Lajtha, K., Crow, S. E., Yano, Y., Kaushal, S. S., Sulzman, E., Sollins, P., Spears, J. D. H. 2005
Detrital controls on soil solution N and dissolved organic matter in soils: a field experiment
Pub No: 3524
Lajtha, Kate, Jarrell, Wesley M., Johnson, Dale W., Sollins, Phillip 1999
Collection of soil solution
Pub No: 2712
Perry, D. A., Borchers, J. G., Turner, D. P., Gregory, S. V., Perry, C. R., Dixon, R. K., Hart, S. C., Kauffman, B., Neilson, R. P., Sollins, P. 1991
Biological feedbacks to climate change terrestrial ecosystems as sinks and sources of carbon and nitrogen
Pub No: 1268
Powers, Jennifer Sarah, Sollins, Phillip, Harmon, Mark E., Jones, Julia A. 1999
Plant-pest interactions in time and space: a Douglas-fir bark beetle outbreak as a case study
Pub No: 2579
Preston, Caroline M., Sollins, Phillip, Sayer, Brian G. 1990
Changes in organic components for fallen logs in old-growth Douglas-fir forests monitored by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Pub No: 1140
Radulovich, R., Sollins, P. 1987
Improved performance of zero-tension lysimeters
Pub No: 2166
Radulovich, R., Sollins, P., Baveye, P., Solórzano, E. 1992
Bypass water flow through unsaturated microaggregated tropical soils
Pub No: 1306
Radulovich, Ricardo, Sollins, Phillip 1991
Nitrogen and phosphorus leaching in zero-tension drainage from a humid tropical soil
Pub No: 1302
Robertson, G. Philip, Coleman, David C., Bledsoe, Caroline S., Sollins, Phillip 1999
Standard soil methods for long-term ecological research
Pub No: 2705
Robertson, G. Philip, Sollins, Phillip, Ellis, Boyd G., Lajtha, Kate 1999
Exchangeable ions, pH, and cation exchange capacity
Pub No: 2709
Sachs, D., Sollins, P. 1986
Potential effects of management practices on nitrogen nutrition and long-term productivity of western hemlock stands
Pub No: 888
Sachs, Donald L., Sollins, Phillip, Cohen, Warren B. 1998
Detecting landscape changes in the interior of British Columbia from 1975 to 1992 using satellite imagery
Pub No: 2429
Silvester, Warwick B., Sollins, Phillip, Verhoeven, Thomas, Cline, Steven P. 1982
Nitrogen fixation and acetylene reduction in decaying conifer boles: effects of incubation time, aeration, and moisture content
Pub No: 2003
Sollins, P., Bringmark, L., McCorison, F. Michael, Johnson, D. 1977
Contrasting element cycles in taiga and temperate coniferous forests [Abstract]
Pub No: 2006
Sollins, P., Cromack, K., Jr., McCorison, F. M., Waring, R. H., Harr, R. D. 1981
Changes in nitrogen cycling at an old-growth Douglas-fir site after disturbance
Pub No: 594
Sollins, P., Goldstein, R. A., Mankin, J. B. 1980
10. Analysis of forest growth and water balance using complex ecosystem models
Pub No: 2008
Sollins, P., Grier, C. C., McCorison, F. M., Cromack, K., Jr., Fogel, R., Fredriksen, R. L. 1980
The internal element cycles of an old-growth Douglas-fir ecosystem in western Oregon
Pub No: 135
Sollins, P., McCorison, F. M. 1981
Nitrogen and carbon solution chemistry of an old growth coniferous forest watershed before and after cutting
Pub No: 604
Sollins, P., Spycher, G., Glassman, C. A. 1984
Net nitrogen mineralization from light- and heavy-fraction forest soil organic matter
Pub No: 1351
Sollins, P., Waring, R. H., Cole, D. W. 1974
A systematic framework for modeling and studying the physiology of a coniferous forest ecosystem
Pub No: 2009
Sollins, Phillip 1982
Input and decay of coarse woody debris in coniferous stands in western Oregon and Washington
Pub No: 907
Sollins, Phillip 1991
Effects of soil microstructure on phosphorus sorption in soils of the humid tropics
Pub No: 1303
Sollins, Phillip, Brown, Alfred T., Swartzman, Gordon L. 1979
CONIFER: a model of carbon and water flow through a coniferous forest. Revised documentation
Pub No: 2007
Sollins, Phillip, Cline, Steven P., Verhoeven, Thomas, Sachs, Donald, Spycher, Gody 1987
Patterns of log decay in old-growth Douglas-fir forests
Pub No: 720
Sollins, Phillip, Cromack, Kermit, Jr. , Fogel, Robert, Li, Ching Yan 1981
The role of low-molecular-weight organic acids in the inorganic nutrition of fungi and higher plants
Pub No: 1067
Sollins, Phillip, Glassman, Carol A., Dahm, Clifford N. 1985
Composition and possible origin of detrital material in streams
Pub No: 669
Sollins, Phillip, Glassman, Carol, Paul, Eldor A., Swanston, Christopher, Lajtha, Kate, Heil, Justin W., Elliott, Edward T. 1999
Soil carbon and nitrogen: pools and fractions
Pub No: 2708
Sollins, Phillip, Homann, Peter, Caldwell, Bruce A. 1996
Stabilization and destabilization of soil organic matter: mechanisms and controls
Pub No: 1374
Sollins, Phillip, Means, Joseph E., Ballard, Russell 1983
Predicting long-term effects of silvicultural practices on forest site productivity
Pub No: 737
Sollins, Phillip, Robertson, G. Philip, Uehara, Goro 1988
Nutrient mobility in variable- and permanent-charge soils
Pub No: 1006
Sollins, Phillip, Sancho, Freddy M., Mata, Rafael, Sanford, Robert L., Jr. 1994
Soils and soil process research
Pub No: 1301
Sollins, Phillip, Swanston, Christopher, Kleber, Markus, Filley, Timothy, Kramer, Marc, Crow, Susan, Caldwell, Bruce A., Lajtha, Kate, Bowden, Richard 2006
Organic C and N stabilization in a forest soil: evidence from sequential density fractionation
Pub No: 4183
Spycher, Gody, Rose, Sharon L., Sollins, Phillip, Norgren, Joel, Young, J. Lowell, Cromack, Kermit, Jr. 1986
Evolution of structure in a chronosequence of andesitic forest soils
Pub No: 1098
Spycher, Gody, Sollins, Phillip, Rose, Sharon 1983
Carbon and nitrogen in the light fraction of a forest soil: vertical distribution and seasonal patterns
Pub No: 2011
Strickland, T. C., Sollins, P. 1987
Improved method for separating light- and heavy-fraction organic material from soil
Pub No: 2185
Strickland, T. C., Sollins, P., Schimel, D. S., Kerle, E. A. 1988
Aggregation and aggregate stability in forest and range soils
Pub No: 2186
Strickland, Timothy C., Sollins, Phillip, Rudd, Nathan, Schimel, David S. 1992
Rapid stabilization and mobilization of 15-N in forest and range soils
Pub No: 1299
Swanston, Christopher, Caldwell, Bruce A., Homann, Peter S., Ganio, Lisa, Sollins, Phillip 2002
Carbon dynamics during a long-term incubation of separate and recombined density fractions from seven forest soils
Pub No: 3209
Swanston, Christopher, Homann, Peter S., Caldwell, Bruce A., Myrold, David D., Ganio, Lisa, Sollins, Phillip 2004
Long-term effects of elevated nitrogen on forest soil organic matter stability
Pub No: 4339
Vaché, Kellie, Breuer, Lutz, Jones, Julia, Sollins, Phil 2015
Catchment-Scale Modeling of Nitrogen Dynamics in a Temperate Forested Watershed, Oregon. An Interdisciplinary Communication Strategy
Pub No: 4912
Wagai, Rota, Sollins, Phillip 2002
Biodegradation and regeneration of water-soluble carbon in a forest soil: leaching column study
Pub No: 3103
Wallin, David O., Harmon, Mark E., Cohen, Warren B., Ferrel, William K., Sollins, Phillip, Homann, Peter, Fiorella, Maria, Daly, Chris 1993
Modeling the effect of land-use on carbon storage in public and private forests in the Pacific Northwest: 1972-1992 [Abstract]
Pub No: 1582
Yano, Y., Lajtha, K., Sollins, P., Caldwell, B., Spears, J. 2000
Characteristics of DOC and its stabilization in forest soils [Abstract]
Pub No: 3023
Yano, Yuriko, Lajtha, Kate, Sollins, Phil, Caldwell, Bruce A., Spears, Julie D. H. 2001
Characteristics of dissolved organic matter and its stabilization in forest soil [Abstract]
Pub No: 3019
Yano, Yuriko, Lajtha, Kate, Sollins, Phillip, Caldwell, Bruce A. 2004
Chemical and seasonal controls on the dynamics of dissolved organic matter in a coniferous old-growth stand in the Pacific Northwest, USA
Pub No: 3671
Yano, Yuriko, Lajtha, Kate, Sollins, Phillip, Caldwell, Bruce A. 2005
Chemistry and dynamics of dissolved organic matter in a temperate coniferous forest on andic soils: effects of litter quality
Pub No: 3867
Copyright © 2011 - 2016 Andrews Experimental Forest LTER. All rights reserved


text:
The Jan. 31 letter finds Mr. Tim DeClaire explaining his reasons for a former letter as, "an attempt to dishing out to Mr. Archambeau, what he (Mr. Archambeau) was dishing out to Mr. Gay?" Also, something about not being factual, though Mr. DeClaire does no elaborate? Mr. DeClaire claims "enjoyment" of my "attack" on O.I.S.M. I only wish he would have used stronger and more virile language such as withering, blistering, savage, etc when describing my critique of O.I.S.M. and Art Robinson. Mr. DeClaire's letter of Jan. 19 used this dubious institute, O.I.S.M. to bolster his argument about climate change. He then adds more dubiety in this recent letter, suggesting "I check on some Wall Street Journal articles on the subject?" No specificity is offered on what articles, the authors, are they in a science section, opinion pages, features, etc? The Wall Street Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch (Fox News) however. I did the Google search on the Weather Channel's "Inventor," one John Coleman, who graduated from the University of Illinois in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. John Coleman along with media titan and billionaire Frank Batton (Landmark Communications) launched this enterprise. Coleman led this venture in its first year and then went on as a weatherman in many parts of this country, including Good Morning America (ABC). Coleman is another who has done no climate research or study and is not regarded with having any scientific acumen. The Weather Channel is now owned by NBC, the Blackstone Group, and (Mitt's outfit) Bain Capital.
Mr. DeClaire cited as a source O.I.S.M., "as it was compiled into a readable document for non-scientific types." I will only add this document may have been produced by non-scientific types. I made no attempt in my former letter to prove or disprove the climate change question. I did render an opinion that we ignore this issue at the peril of ourselves and generations to come. I made no assertions nor did I twist any of Mr. DeClaire's words. I gave as accurate an account on O.I.S.M. and Art Robinson as I found the facts to be. The readership is more than capable to explore and decide any and all positions in the climate debate. Many on the right are ultra sensitive with easily hurt feelings when their ideology is challenged and confronted. And yes Mr. DeClaire you did associate yourself quite broadly with the leading climate change deniers, (O.I.S.M. - Art Robinson), your go to guys in your Jan. 19 letter. I did not say that you were a donor to O.I.S.M., but stated would you ask not to be included on their donor list? Please read carefully. A bit of insensitivity was also shown by Mr. DeClaire in his Jan. 19 letter where he stated "if you are afraid of rising sea levels, move to higher ground." I wonder how people on the East Coast would view this statement when considering the events of Superstorm Sandy, and loss of life, property, etc! I doubt they would have the cavalier attitude you display.
Jim Morrison
Garden Corners


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Cataracts, Optic Atrophy, Strabismus, Cataract Evaluations, Cataract Implant Surgery, Eye Examinations, Lens Implant
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Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Adult Strabismus, Double Vision, Giant Cell Arteritis, Hemifacial Spasm, Horner's Syndrome, Optic Atrophy, Papilledema
Tufts University School of Medicine
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- Spatial delocalization and perfect tunneling of matter waves: electron perfect lensMário G Silveirinha
Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Phys Rev Lett 110:213902. 2013..The results are the electron analogue of a perfect lens for electromagnetic waves proposed in an earlier work...
- Transporting an Image through a Subwavelength HoleMário G Silveirinha
University of Pennsylvania, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Phys Rev Lett 102:103902. 2009..The proposed concepts hold promise for an unprecedented manipulation of the electromagnetic and optical fields in the nanoscale with potential applications in imaging and sensing...
- Anomalous refraction of light colors by a metamaterial prismMário G Silveirinha
Department of Electrical Engineering Instituto de Telecomunicações, University of Coimbra, 3030 Coimbra, Portugal
Phys Rev Lett 102:193903. 2009..quot; This phenomenon is fundamentally different from conventional anomalous dispersion effects, which are invariably accompanied by significant loss and are typically very narrow band...