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Amid conservative satisfaction over the Supreme Court's razor-thin recognition of Hobby Lobby's religious freedom, one thing should stand out. The source for praising the ruling should not be agreement with Hobby Lobby's politics.
We should not look for the Supreme Court to advance political interests; we look to it to obey the Constitution. This was done Monday — barely — and that is what makes me grateful.
If a store down the road from Hobby Lobby holds religious views I have no taste for, they too are entitled to liberty. The free marketplace is once again a perfect beacon. Companies may offer insurance including abortifacients, or they may not. Employees may then decide whether to work for those companies if those insurance factors are vital to them. This could not be simpler.
But rushing in to complicate things, we have gaggles of people, not all of them women, prattling that this somehow forces some dark corporate will onto unwitting employees.
Three-word answer: There's the door.
If Hobby Lobby's insurance offerings are a little too scriptural for some tastes, they are free to vacate the break room and hit the parking lot immediately. The job market is not bright, but it is filled with companies offering enough contraceptive benefits to satisfy an army of Sandra Flukes.
The Supreme Court's liberal wing — which is its female wing plus Stephen Breyer — suppressed this concept of liberty under the weight of their personal wishes. In a meandering novella of a dissent, Ruth Bader Ginsberg wandered into a swamp of logic under the essential heading of "Hey, this stuff is expensive."
"It bears note," she writes, "that the cost of an IUD is nearly equivalent to a month's full-time pay for workers earning the minimum wage."
Ginsberg has properly priced the thousand-dollar ParaGard but fails to see that it is irrelevant. Whether IUDs or other devices cost a dollar or a million dollars is of no significance to the Constitution. At issue — the only thing at issue — is whether companies can be forced by the government to offer insurance covering birth control options inimical to their religious beliefs.
It actually goes beyond religious beliefs. Freedom does not require the underpinning of faith. Companies should be free to offer — or not offer — whatever they wish in terms of insurance coverage. Breathless critics of the Hobby Lobby ruling wrung many hands asking what about companies that might choose not to cover child vaccinations or antidepressants.
Well, what about them?
I would suggest a company opting out of vaccinations would have a tough time attracting employees, which might lead it to rethink that policy. If not, it's still the company's call. The system works, and the system is defined by liberty without government interference on matters that are a company's concern.
In the silly world of hashtag activism, #NotMy BossesBusiness grew popular immediately. Their bedroom proclivities are indeed not the boss's business. But the coverage offered to employees obviously is.
If this is the beginning of a renewed era of Supreme Court recognition of what is and is not the purview of government, that is an energizing development, especially when we are led by people testing (and shredding) that envelope on a daily basis.
But optimism is fragile. Note that in the Hobby Lobby case, a company's basic liberties survived on the crapshoot of what side of the bed Anthony Kennedy woke up on. I will never look for the high court to favor companies sharing my values at the expense of those that do not. But we should all expect the justices to focus on the Constitution and not their personal causes and agendas.
The Mark Davis Show airs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays on KSKY (660 AM). He can be reached at email@example.com.


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The Georgia Department of Labor reported that 51,604 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in April, up 21.3 percent from March. The increase in claims came across-the-board in manufacturing, construction, trade and services.
Initial claims, considered to be a good barometer of economic activity because they measure newly unemployed workers, rose by 52.7 percent over the year, up from 33,784 in April 2007.
Also, the total number of individuals receiving unemployment insurance benefits is up 51 percent over the year, from 53,680 in April 2007 to 80,830 in April 2008.
Initial unemployment claims for the Athens metro area, which includes Clarke, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe counties, were down 64, or 10.1 percent, from 634 to 570 in April compared to March.
Manning Brothers sales earn honors
Manning Brothers Food Equipment Co., recently was honored with membership in the "President's Club" of the Supply & Equipment Foodservice Alliance Inc. at the 22nd Annual Partnership Conference held in Indiana.
The President's Club recognizes top SEFA dealers in terms of sales growth and volume for the past year. Manning Brothers sales volume grew by 11 percent. Chuck Day and Ronny Whitmire with Manning Brothers accepted the award at the conference.
Urology clinic gets second accreditation
The American College of Radiology has accredited Athena Urology in computed tomography. Athena Urology is the practice of Drs. Thomas Oliver and John Blankenship and is the only facility in Athens to be accredited by the ACR for the computer tomography, also called CT scan or CAT scan.
CT scanning is an X-ray procedure that uses a computer to produce a detailed picture of a cross section of the body.
The ACR accreditation is the second the facility has received recently. The Athena Urology Surgery Center received the highest accreditation offered by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care in February.
Federation hosts legislative recap
The National Federation of Independent Business will sponsor a 2008 Small Business Legislative Recap from 6-7:30 p.m. May 19 at Hilltop Grille, 2310 Broad St. in Athens.
David Raynor, NFIB/ Georgia state director, will discuss state legislative issues, including health care reform and workers' compensation. Gary Palmquist, NFIB U.S. House lobbyist, will discuss immigration reform. The cost for attending is $10, and the price includes a meal.
For more information, contact Katie Jones at email@example.com or (404) 876-8516.
Shane's marking BBQ month with free food
Shane's Rib Shack, located on North Milledge Avenue, will give away a free rack of baby-back ribs, a large Coca-Cola Zero and a numbered "Shaniac" jersey to the first 100 customers who come in to the store on Saturday in celebration of May, the official month of barbecue.
Nonresidential building up, residential down
McGraw-Hill Construction recently reported on March contracts for future construction in the metropolitan statistical area of Athens-Clarke County, consisting of Clarke, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe counties.
According to the Research and Analytics unit of McGraw-Hill Construction, the latest month's construction activity followed this pattern: Nonresidential building for the month of March ended at $33,646,000, up from $1,426,000 in March 2007. Residential building is at $16,529,000, down 10 percent from $18,279,000 in 2007. Overall, in March, total building is at $50,175,000, up from $19,705,000 in 2007.
For the year-to-date on a cumulative basis, nonresidential building is at $41,231,000, down 3 percent from $42,409,000 last year, and residential building is at $35,318,000, down 68 percent from $108,952,000 last year. Total building is at $76,549,000, down 49 percent from $151,361,000 at this time last year.
Dovetail starts work on Habitat project
Athens-based Dovetail Companies held a groundbreaking ceremony April 25 for a new Habitat for Humanity home, which will be built at 110 Red Fern Circle in the Stonehenge Subdivision in Bogart. Dovetail has donated $65,000 for the construction of the home. Trinity Accounting Group and Connected Technologies are joining the Dovetail Companies in the Habitat effort. The employees of both companies, along with friends and family members, will be donating their time and talent to the construction of this home over 16 consecutive Saturdays.
Arbor selected by business association
Arbor Salon & Spa has been selected for the 2008 Best of Athens Award in the Beauty Salons and Services category by the U.S. Local Business Association.
The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, USLBA members are asked to identify companies they think have achieved exceptional marketing success and overall customer satisfaction in their local market and business category.
The USLBA is a Washington-based organization founded and funded by local businesses that operate in every town across America. The USLBA was established to offer market research, marketing consultation, public relations and advertising to local businesses.
Walton EMC golf event raises $9,000
Walton EMC raised $9,000 from their Charity Golf Classic and donated the proceeds to the John P. and Joyce C. Stevens Boys & Girls Club in Monroe.
The Monroe club currently serves 274 young people. More than 100 golfers participated in the event April 14 at Lane Creek Golf Course to drive, chip and putt so the Boys & Girls Club can continue its mission.
Power Partners celebrates 50th year
Power Partners, formerly ABB, recently marked the 50th anniversary of the manufacturing facility in Athens. Westinghouse built the Athens plant in 1958 to serve the Southeastern region of the United States.
In 1990, Westinghouse sold the Athens facility to ABB and the company has continued making pole mounted power distribution transformers. ABB sold the business in 2002 to Sherrie Ford, founder of Change Partners Inc., a consulting firm, and her partner Steve Hollis. In 2003, the company's name was changed to Power Partners when the acquisition was completed.
In 2008, the company launched a new line of commercial and residential solar water heater systems.
Small-business classes set for next week
The Small Business Development Center has slated two small-business courses this week.
"Starting Your Own Business" will take place from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday. Topics for discussion include the traits of successful entrepreneurs, market research, legal structures for your business, estimating start-up costs and cash flow projection, financing alternatives, failure factors and business planning.
"Writing a Business Plan" is set from 6-9 p.m. Thursday. This course will explain the sections of the business plan, what information is required for each section and the general format for a business plan. Course participants will receive a detailed planning outline and other information to help develop a business plan.
Both courses will be held at the SBDC, 1180 E. Broad St. Each seminar costs $49. For more information, visit the Web site at www.georgiasbdc.org or call (706) 542-7436.
Salon raises $1,030 for memorial project
DRee & Co. recently held a Cuts for a Cause at Holland Park in conjunction with the Athens Little League and raised $1,030 for the Mays Field project, which will be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Allen Mays and his son, Madison, who were killed in a car wreck last year. Little League concessions helped bring the total of donations to more than $2,000 for the project.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Mays Field Fund can send contributions to the Athens Little League, P.O. Box 6122, Athens, GA 30604 and mark the donation to Mays Field.
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PHOTOS — Wives, Fans Invade Miami Dolphins Camp
DAVIE — The Miami Dolphins' training camp is in full swing in Davie, but players' wives and fans got to mingle with the boys on the field over the weekend.
In her overly tight hot-pink pants, QB Ryan Tannehill's wife Lauren received a lot of attention from gawkers and furtive looks from some of the passer's favorite targets.
At least, someone in the family was getting some of the positive stuff.
Lauren's husband was booed a few time for mishandling snaps and throwing some bad passes.
Relax, people, the season is more than a month away!
But don't let that prevent you from checking out the photo gallery:


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Lynda Bellingham on Loose Women: her final interview
It was with great sadness that, earlier this week, we learned of Lynda Bellingham's death. A fine actress and truly inspirational woman, she touched the hearts of many when she spoke of her decision to stop chemotherapy last month. So moved was Lynda by the nation's response, she recorded one last, emotional interview with her fellow Loose Women presenters.
Ruth Langsford: Hello. Welcome back. It's good to have you with us today on Loose Women. As you all know, our friend and fellow Loose Woman Lynda Bellingham sadly passed away in her husband's arms on Sunday.
It was just two weeks ago, actually, she was right here in this very studio talking to Janet and Coleen about her diagnosis, how she was coping, her plans for the future… Obviously, when we did that interview we didn't know that, sadly, it would be her last ever one.
So here is the first part of what was to end up as the last time that we spoke to her.
Coleen Nolen: Now, when our next guest recently revealed she has terminal cancer, we received over 40,000 messages of support within 24 hours, proving that she is truly the most popular Loose Woman of all time.
Please welcome the beautiful and fabulous Lynda Bellingham.
Lynda Bellingham: Aw. Hi, guys.
Lynda Bellingham: Enough! Enough. All right.
We've got so much to chat about. We haven't got time for all this business.
Coleen Nolan: And you do like to chat.
Lynda Bellingham: I do love a bit of a chat, yes.
Janet Street-Porter: I thought of you this morning because I was late for work and Coleen said, "Good job Lynda is not here."
Lynda Bellingham: Yes.
Janet Street-Porter: Bellers would have had your guts for garters.
Lynda Bellingham: I would.
Coleen Nolan: Well, that's one of the things I always remember about you was the morning meeting. She was always first for the meeting, and God help you if you turned up two minutes late.
Janet Street-Porter: She'd give me that look of death.
Coleen Nolan: Yeah.
Lynda Bellingham: Yes. If you didn't have a note.
Coleen Nolan: Yes, yes.
Lynda Bellingham: Come on then, girls. Honestly, what do you want to know?
Janet Street-Porter: I was so proud of the title of your book.
Lynda Bellingham: Yes!
Janet Street-Porter: How long did it take you to come up with that?
Lynda Bellingham: Seriously, I walked in to – and thanks to Hodder for considering even letting me write the book… And can I just say quickly, this book is for everybody. This is not about me.
We might have had this conversation, Janet. I wanted to do a series of documentaries ages ago about death, because people don't talk about it, people aren't ready for it and it's not a very nice thing to talk about. But I wanted to make it funny. But I couldn't think of a title to sell it to the network. Do you know what I mean?
Janet Street-Porter: Yeah.
Lynda Bellingham: I couldn't think of anything funny at the time. Then I thought… When I was diagnosed I had to write down all my medicines. Whew, my medicines! I'd open a shop.
I thought, "Well, now is the time to do it. I'll write a record and then put it all in one and then maybe I could, you know, sell that as an idea."
But something I'm dying to tell you… Actually, as I walked into the room at Hodder to discuss it, it just…
Coleen Nolan: Came to you.
Lynda Bellingham: … kind of pinged into my brain, and I just thought, "Well, yes."
As I say, it's for everybody. If one person who feels on their own… You do feel alone and it is very hard to take on board, obviously. It has taken us a year to absorb it. But once you do, instead of worrying about dying you must enjoy the bits in between.
Janet Street-Porter: I think what shines through from your book is the positivity, and hearing that you've got a terminal illness, instead of feeling sorry for yourself you start organizing everyone. You start communicating with them all and I think that's the thing that shines through.
Lynda Bellingham: Well, I'm really lucky. Can I just say now that the response from the girls… It just meant so much to me. I can't tell you.
As the producer of A Passionate Woman said to me, "Well, at least you get to hear them." It could have been awful, of course, couldn't it?
Coleen Nolan: Yeah.
Lynda Bellingham: "What time is she off?" you know.
But that has given me… I can't tell you how much it has helped, really. Thank you to everybody, really.
Coleen Nolan: And, of course, the reaction from the Loose Women fans as we said, over 40,000 within 24 hours.
Janet Street-Porter: Millions and millions of people sharing it on Facebook.
Lynda Bellingham: Millions and billions of people knowing about Furby.
Coleen Nolan: Oh, I love Furby.
I got your book yesterday and I started reading at two o'clock. I finished at half past seven last night when I texted you. You're right. There's so much positive in there, but also, obviously, the sadness. So you go from laughing to crying. It was so beautifully written.
Lynda Bellingham: Thank you.
Coleen Nolan: The title, for me, Something I Have Been Dying To Tell You… Because you did keep it private for so long. We all kind of heard.
Lynda Bellingham: Yes.
Janet Street-Porter: But that's all we heard.
Lynda Bellingham: When it came out it had to come out because of the play. I was going to do A Passionate Woman. One of the things that upset me last year was that I got no credit as a serious actress. I wanted to go grey for the play because she would be grey and she wasn't trendy or anything. She's about to lose her son. He's going to get married.
And I hate wigs. I don't care how good they are. Wherever you are, you're conscious of your wig. So I carefully went this colour, slowly, slowly over the summer. Had I known, actually, it was gonna be such a nice colour, I would have done it ten years ago.
They forgot all about that. They said I had gone white because of the cancer, which I hadn't. These are the little things that upset you.
But the funny thing about the stoma thing was I was doing really well at the beginning. And I have to say that Professor Justin Stebbings… The life thing is two to five years. Actually, it's nearly two years. It will be. So they have sort of done what they set out to do, and it was going really well.
Sorry, my nose runs. It's not my cocaine habit.
I always forget the tissues. I'm still not quite…
Coleen Nolan: Would you like a tissue?
Janet Street-Porter: She's got a tissue!
Lynda Bellingham: Have you got a tissue?
Coleen Nolan: Yes.
Lynda Bellingham: Just a small one. Just to dab delicately.
Coleen Nolan: Yeah. Try and be a lady during this interview.
Lynda Bellingham: As opposed to on my sleeve.
Yeah. What was I saying?
Coleen Nolan: I don't know. I always kind of shut off, even when you're on Loose Women.
Janet Street-Porter: By the way, Coleen, she always had to have the last word.
Coleen Nolan: She did.
Lynda Bellingham: Just slides them underneath you.
Janet Street-Porter: Every time we went to a commercial break, Bellers would get the last word in.
Lynda Bellingham: No, she would [points to Coleen Nolan].
No, no. Suddenly I had this perforated colon and suddenly I'm into hospital mode and operations. That was another chapter I wanted to write, because if you have never been in hospital, God forbid, it's such a shock.
Janet Street-Porter: Yes.
Lynda Bellingham: Again, you have to hand yourself over and sort of do what they tell you.
Janet Street-Porter: Well it must have been hard for you.
Lynda Bellingham: Very hard.
Janet Street-Porter: You're used to being in charge.
Lynda Bellingham: Well, I am, and I woke up with this strawberry on my stomach. What is this? This has nothing to do with… Michael, bless him. Most men would go, "Ah!" He was amazing and peered at it, a bit fearful at first, weren't you darling?
Then I suddenly thought, "Oh, now we're in taboo territory and we must get this out. People must not be embarrassed."
It's the second biggest killer you know, and actually, unfortunately, in a lot of cases, the minute you're diagnosed it's too late. I knew I was stage four 15 months ago, so it was quite hard when people said, "Oh, your chemo will be finished soon. Don't worry."
Janet Street-Porter: Lynda, what would you say to people watching about bowel cancer? What would you say? How would you say to people what to watch out for?
Lynda Bellingham: Well, the trouble is it's an age thing. We don't do age, do we? But it's breathlessness and indigestion, which are the two things. When I was doing pantomime at Bradford that's exactly what happened.
We went to the doctor, and because we're self-employed and you have to look after yourself, I have always had stool tests. I have always gone and been checked up and everything. But unfortunately, this one hides.
I would say get checked up, but the biggest thing, Janet… if you put a pound away for a colonoscopy when you get to 60, they actually do say that's probably the only way of knowing for sure that you have got bowel cancer.
Lots of people have cysts. So they snip those off as they're going up having a little look around, which is fantastic. That is the only way. I would say, don't rush to the internet. Mine came back clear anyway.
Janet Street-Porter: Yes, yes.
Coleen Nolan: The internet, of course, will scare you to death anyway.
Lynda Bellingham: Well exactly, you be gone wouldn't you, if you looked at one of those?
Coleen Nolan: Yeah. Absolutely.
Lynda Bellingham: So that's the biggest thing.
Then, as I say, having got through the operation, and in order to have the operation because of the chemo… The chemo stops you healing, so that's why, well, they delayed it initially. They could have taken it out then. But if I'd had eight weeks operation time without the chemo I'd be dead.
But they give you all these things to think about.
So I came out of the operation. Scar, marvellous. It's gone, brilliant. Then I remembered, "Oh, right. I've got cancer. I've got to deal with that now."
So I went back into cancer mode, and unfortunately that's when it all kind of fell apart and it started to go to months, and then…
Coleen Nolan: And of course, Michael, your wonderful husband.
Lynda Bellingham: A saint.
Coleen Nolan: I have to call him Mr. Spain.
Lynda Bellingham: I know!
Coleen Nolan: I've never called him Michael.
Lynda Bellingham: He goes everywhere now. "Mister Spain!"
Michael Pattemore: I'm her carer now, aren't I?
Coleen Nolan: You're what?
Michael Pattemore: I'm her carer.
Lynda Bellingham: But we have to give him a round of applause because I have this thing about Christmas, right? Absolutely obsessed about Christmas. The one thing was… And can I put straight also I did not decide to die in November. No.
What I did was, because I was in pain, and I have to say the bad bits are… I could rob a bank because I've got no fingerprints.
Coleen Nolan: Have you thought about this?
Lynda Bellingham: I have.
Coleen Nolan: Yeah?
Lynda Bellingham: Well, I thought I'd come to you, love. I thought we'd have a little smash and grab job.
Coleen Nolan: Oh yeah, because I can be caught and locked up.
Lynda Bellingham: Yes, exactly.
Coleen Nolan: Great. Thanks, Lynda.
Lynda Bellingham: But I'll be very nice about you…
Coleen Nolan: Thank you.
Lynda Bellingham: … and how much we need you.
But, yes. When you're in pain you say things.
Janet Street-Porter: Yeah.
Lynda Bellingham: But again, after the operation, no control. That's what I hate. Your body just throws these things at you.
So I went to the oncologist and I said, "Look. I do not want my husband or my children to remember me ill." We all know I'm ill, but I want to go, just goodnight. So can I have a little box in which I put the ability to make that decision? I know it's really weird, but we talked about it for years, as I say. Me and the boys and Michael… It gave me something.
It was a relief to think, "Well, if all else fails, nobody is gonna have a go at me." I'm gonna turn around and say, "Switch off the chemo and let's see what happens."
That's the biggest thing. As I keep saying, how embarrassing if I don't die? Because people will think I just did it to sell the book.
[laughter and applause]
Janet Street-Porter: Isn't the other thing that it gives you control? You've kept your dignity.
Lynda Bellingham: Thank you.
Janet Street-Porter: You have.
Lynda Bellingham: Well, coming from 'Master Of' I think…
Janet Street-Porter: Well, no. I mean, that's why I loved working with you. You say it how it is, but you say it in a way that doesn't upset people. You're very forthright, you're very direct, but you know exactly what you want and no one is going to deviate from you.
Lynda Bellingham: But you know what's weird? What has been so wonderful about this year is that I have learned so much from people, first of all.
You know when you get a bit cynical in life… When they say yet again, "I'm so sorry. You're not right for this part."
Coleen Nolan: Yeah.
Lynda Bellingham: You learn so much, and the biggest thing… As you know, I'm not very confrontational, am I?
Coleen Nolan: No.
Lynda Bellingham: I'm a bit of a weed.
Of course, I have become very grumpy. But it's amazing to be able to say things to people. It has taken me 66 years, Janet, to find any dignity.
Janet Street-Porter: But Lynda, have you settled scores? Have you rung up a few people?
Coleen Nolan: That's dangerous!
Lynda Bellingham: Well, there's another book if I could quickly fit it in. Oh boy, could I settle a few scores.
No, nor have I. No. The people who have done you down know they have done you down. Let them just sit in their gravy.
Coleen Nolan: Yeah, and they know they have.
Lynda Bellingham: Yeah.
Coleen Nolan: They have to live with that.
Lynda Bellingham: So let them suffer.
Coleen Nolan: Absolutely.
Lynda Bellingham: Neither have I gone… A couple of times have I gone to myself, "It's not fair."
To be honest, we have no right to live forever, you know. This thing about being given a horizon? You know how I love a survey.
Survey says you can live until you're 80. Yes. Lovely. But it's not a written, given… Somebody else decides when you pop off the twig.
Coleen Nolan: Yes.
Lynda Bellingham: Actually, can I just say that it's quite weird? Obviously, work stopped. That was, apart from Michael and the boys, that was the really hardest… 45 years I have worked, and it was just all whipped away from me. Especially the play, A Passionate Woman, which was gonna be my…
Coleen Nolan: Yes.
Janet Street-Porter: Yeah.
Coleen Nolan: You were so looking forward to that.
Lynda Bellingham: …Sort of moment to shine. But Key Mellor has written me a scene in The Syndicate, which goes out next year.
Coleen Nolan: Really?
Lynda Bellingham: Yes.
Coleen Nolan: Oh, fantastic.
Lynda Bellingham: So I'm going to swan in and do a day, which is about what I could probably manage now. I am so chuffed.
Coleen Nolan: Because it's work that drives you, isn't it? Yeah, it has driven you.
Lynda Bellingham: Well, we are all defined by our work, aren't we, really, in a way?
Coleen Nolan: Yeah. Absolutely.
But you love your work.
Lynda Bellingham: I do love my work.
Coleen Nolan: I do it for the money, to be fair.
Lynda Bellingham: I love her. She's just so silly.
Janet Street-Porter: When are you gonna film it? Are you filming it in the next year?
Lynda Bellingham: I'm filming it in November.
Janet Street-Porter: Brilliant.
Lynda Bellingham: I'm going to Scarborough. Who wouldn't want to dine out in Scarborough?
Coleen Nolan: Oh, beautiful. Beautiful.
Lynda Bellingham: So that's really nice, and the cooking continues. I decided, at any time… That's the other thing you must do, anybody who is suffering. You mustn't give in. If you feel like lying down, don't do it. Do it half an hour later. Just don't do it. Just keep going.
I cannot believe… And hats off. I have always said how swiffery is the hardest job in the world and doesn't get half enough praise.
Janet Street-Porter: I could see you still in control in the kitchen.
Coleen Nolan: Oh, she is.
Lynda Bellingham: And I cook. Except Christmas day, of course.
I spent months with my sister, because I love it. I try to recycle the balls, but no, we'll have new ones.
It was the Christmas dinner. Oh my goodness! What are we gonna do? I had ordered this amazing turkey.
Anyway. Mr. Spain, who has never boiled an egg, cooked, washed a lettuce, cooked Christmas dinner for 16 people.
Audience: Wow.
Lynda Bellingham: He only had the odd thousandth text with a picture saying, "The potatoes don't seem to be quite matching up to it."
Michael Pattemore: The turkey cooked quicker than they said it would.
Lynda Bellingham: I know, darling. How were you to know?
So I'm lying there, me and Furby, singing Christmas songs to ourselves. I keep getting these texts. Well, I'd say to him, "Well, I'm now doing a very nice strip for you. If only you could see it."
Coleen Nolan: So you are going to make it to this Christmas?
Lynda Bellingham: Bloody right I am. Oops!
Coleen Nolan: You absolutely are.
It's all right! You can get away from it.
Janet Street-Porter: It's all right.
Coleen Nolan: Don't even apologise.
Lynda Bellingham: It's the cancer.
Janet Street-Porter: Exactly. Cancer card.
Coleen Nolan: She keeps playing it.
Lynda Bellingham: Yes, I do.
Coleen Nolan: But you are going to make it to this Christmas with your family.
Lynda Bellingham: I am. I am.
Coleen Nolan: What are you hoping Santa will bring you?
Lynda Bellingham: Well, I have succumbed to not cooking it and I thought, "Poor Michael. You can't put him through that again."
Michael Pattemore: No.
Lynda Bellingham: So we're going to go to a hotel and have the meal, but just my little bit of control. We're going home for pudding and presents.
Audience: Aww.
Janet Street-Porter: Aww.
Lynda Bellingham: It's exciting. My only problem is getting the presents.
But my sister Jean has been absolutely amazing, and I keep sending him [Michael] out for bizarre things.
The other thing is, you can't taste anything. So you can't even do comfort food acting because nothing tastes of anything. Except sugar, of course.
Janet Street-Porter: Are you decorating the tree by remote control?
Lynda Bellingham: Yes, exactly. Him.
Coleen Nolan: He's your remote control.
Lynda Bellingham: Well, he has spent years trying to put me off having a real one, you see. We're very lucky. We live in a converted psychiatric hospital.
Coleen Nolan: Perfect.
Lynda Bellingham: Which has got a very high ceiling. So all I've ever wanted is a real… No, don't make me sweep up the pine needles. Oh my goodness.
Anyway. I'm getting one. I'm getting a real tree, and he will just have to struggle with it out the window afterwards but that's fine.
Coleen Nolan: This is a hard question, but how would you like… Oh, I'm going to cry!
Lynda Bellingham: No. Don't start. Don't start.
Coleen Nolan: How would you like people to remember you?
Lynda Bellingham: Just as an honest person. I think honesty, and that's why people will say, "Oh, she's tells everything," blah, blah. But we've been through this as Loose Women. You can't do Loose Women unless you're honest.
Coleen Nolan: Yeah.
Lynda Bellingham: You can't hide anything. It really is honest when we answer questions. Anything I have done… That's why I felt I could write about it and people would… Trust is a huge thing. Not just as an actor, not just as a lover, not just as a wife. That trust thing.
Just to say, "Well, you could trust her," probably… As you know, I wanted to win an Oscar at 75 for best newcomer. Sadly that has gone out of the window.
Coleen Nolan: You should have. Absolutely.
Lynda Bellingham: Don't cry. It's gonna be fine.
Coleen Nolan: Really?
Lynda Bellingham: It'll be fine! Yes. It will be fine. Don't worry.
Coleen Nolan: Well, Lynda, can I just say thank you so much for coming in to see us. We love you. We miss you on the show.
Janet Street-Porter: You're an inspiration.
Lynda Bellingham: Thank you for having me.
Coleen Nolan: Ladies and gentlemen, Lynda Bellingham.
Lynda Bellingham: Thank you.
Ruth Langsford: But for now we will leave you with how we'll remember our friend and colleague Lynda Bellingham, the sassy, intelligent, funny, honest and irreplaceable Loose Woman.
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: Sir Kenneth Moore, as in who played Douglas Bader in Reach for the Sky, came up and asked me to dance at this do. I was thrilled. I thought, "This is it! I'm gonna be a star."
Then he trod on it and ripped it.
Jane McDonald: Oh!
Lynda Bellingham: He said, "I'm so sorry! Is it a special dress?"
I said, "Oh, what? This old thing? No."
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: Who's this? Who's this? "Oh, I think I'd rather have that coffee!"
Female Speaker: I have no idea!
Lynda Bellingham: Hello Jane!
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: Especially those ones in a lot of lycra with a helmet. They think they are serious cyclists and they come up beside you and bang on your roof. How dare they!
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: As you know, I hardly swear at all… [bleep]
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: Yes!
Lisa Maxwell: That was brilliant! You've still got it babe!
Lynda Bellingham: Got it in there!
Female Speaker: I know.
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: This is what's called milking the gag.
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: Just make sure your dumplings are not boiling over.
Jane McDonald: No, actually!
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Andrea McLean: Over now to the velvety voiced Lynda Bellingham.
Lynda Bellingham: I needed that love Sherry gave me selfishly. I devoured it to give me strength. I was an animal following my instinct.
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Andrea McLean: No, no. She's a serious actress. She would be absolutely appalled if she could hear you.
Denise Welch: I know she would.
Lynda Bellingham: I never heard that in all of my life!
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: Can't have a phone at my dinner table!
Now I'm going to do my cooking show. Fine idea! Toss in a bit of meat, a couple of vegetables and away you go, honestly. What's difficult about that?
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: The government go on and on at kids about not smoking. They go on about obesity. They should be going on and on about drugs. On and on and on and on and on.
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Lynda Bellingham: Shut up!
[clip of speaker Lynda Bellingham]
Coleen Nolan: How would you like people to remember you?
Lynda Bellingham: Just as an honest person.
[end transcript]


text:
Although you can make an upside down cake with virtually any type of fruit, the most traditional is the pineapple upside down cake. This delicious cake is made by placing a layer of fruit in the bottom of the pan and then covering it with batter. After the cake is baked, the pan is inverted and the sugar and fruit juices combine to make a sweet, caramelized cake topping. This is a classic that every home cook should experience making. I've found two recipes — one that's simple and another that's more complicated — so read both and decide which one suits you and your culinary needs. For the recipes,
Beginner Pineapple Upside Down Cake
From Kraft Foods
- 3 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple slices in juice, undrained
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 6 maraschino cherries, halved
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
- 1 envelope whipped topping mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup cold water
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Drain pineapple, reserving 2 Tbsp. of the juice; set aside.
- Mix brown sugar and butter in 13x9-inch baking pan. Arrange pineapple slices in pan, cutting slices if necessary to evenly fit onto bottom of pan. Place cherry half, cut side up, in center of each slice. Sprinkle with the reserved pineapple juice and pecans.
- Beat dry cake mix, dry whipped topping mix, eggs and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 2 minutes. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes. Carefully spoon into prepared pan.
- Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed.
- Let stand 10 minutes; invert onto serving plate. Let stand 1 minute; remove pan. Serve warm or cooled.
Serves 16.
- Category
- Desserts, Cake
- Cuisine
- North American
Expert Pineapple Upside Down Cake
From Robert Irvine
- Creme anglaise:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, or vanilla extract to taste (approximately 3 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- Pineapple and cherries:
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/2 fresh pineapple, leaves removed, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch rings
- 1/2 pint fresh cherries, halved and pitted
- Cake batter for 2 (9-inch) rounds:
- Canola oil
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1/4 cup sugar, plus 3/4 cup
- 6 large eggs
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the creme anglaise: pour the milk and heavy cream into a heavy bottomed saucepot and scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pot (or add vanilla extract). (If using a vanilla bean, put the vanilla pod in the pot as well.) Add half the sugar to the pot and bring to a simmer (just below a boil).
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar and temper it by adding a small amount of the heated milk mixture to the bowl while whisking constantly (known as a liaison). Now pour the liaison (egg mixture) into the milk pot, stirring constantly. You are only heating it. Do not boil. Do not cook. The idea of a liaison is to incorporate the eggs and avoid making them into scrambled eggs! You want the mixture to begin to thicken so it will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then remove vanilla pod and discard, and refrigerate until chilled.
- For the pineapple and cherries: in a skillet, bring 1 cup of water and the brandy to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the pineapple to the simmering brandy mixture. (Add enough hot water to cover, if necessary.) Poach for about 10 minutes and using tongs, remove to a platter.
- In the same poaching liquid cook the cherries for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature while you are preparing the batter.
- For the cake: preheat oven to 350°F. Oil the bottom of a 9-x-2-inch deep round pan and lay parchment paper over the bottom. Then brush a thin layer of canola oil on top of the parchment paper.
- Sift together cake flour and just 1 tablespoon of the sugar several times to aerate.
- In a separate heatproof bowl combine the eggs and and the other 3 tablespoon sugar. Nest the bowl with the sugar and eggs in another larger bowl filled with about 2-inches hot water.
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar, being very careful NOT to splash any water into it. The idea here is to raise the temperature of the egg and 3/4 cup sugar mixture to between 100 and 120°F. Use a candy thermometer to test the temperature. Once the mixture is warmed, remove the bowl from the water bowl and use an electric beater to beat it until it is about triple in volume and is the consistency of soft whipped cream.
- Sift the 1/3 of the flour and sugar mixture into the bowl of beaten eggs and sugar, and fold together. Repeat for each remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture, folding together after each addition. Then, gently fold in the melted butter and vanilla.
- Arrange the pineapple circles with cherries placed in the center in the bottom of the cake pan. Start the pattern at the middle and work your way out.
- Pour batter over layer of pineapple, spreading evenly, but don't fill pan any more than within 1/2 inch of the top edge of the pan. Bang pan on countertop — 1 or 2 times only — to make sure the batter sinks down between the fruit, but don't overdo it or you will undo all your hard work in aerating the batter!
- Bake in oven until the surface springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes to allow set up, then using oven mitts, press a serving plate firmly on the top edges of the pan, and invert the cake onto the plate.
- Replace any pineapple slices or cherries that become dislodged. This cake can be served warm or at room temperature, topped with creme anglaise.
Serves 6.
- Category
- Desserts, Cake
- Cuisine
- North American


text:
It's moving week! In just a few short days I'll be making the move into my own little studio in Cardiff. I can't wait! But before I start bringing in the boxes it's first things first: clearing the old energy!
It's important to clear and reset the energy in your room or home every so often, and especially before moving into a new place (who knows what went down in there before you got there!). Stale old energy is not ideal and negative energy can become suffocating. Walls are like sponges, they soak up energy and reflect the life of its inhabitants. A few months back I made a day of clearing the energy in my bedroom, and I will never underestimate the power of doing so again!
If you find yourself googling "how to get rid of bad energy in a room", you know you've got yourself an issue. After weeks of feeling anxious, apathetic, weighed-down, and generally "off" when coming home at night, I finally had an epiphany: there is some baaaaad juju in my room! It wasn't always like this; in fact my bedroom usually makes me feel happy, relaxed and inspired. But somewhere along the way something got out of whack, and it took me a while to realize what was going on. After clearing the energy I was happy spending time in my room once again and was able to be productive, inspired, and content while at home. A complete shift!
Don't suffocate with bad juju! If you even think you might need to remove the negative energy in your room, it's time to do it. Here are six things I do to cleanse bad energy in a room:
- Sage. You can usually purchase dried sage smudge sticks where you can incense. With a wet ashtray at the ready to dip into when you're finished, light the sage on fire and wave it around the room, carefully swirling it in a counterclockwise rotation.
- Fresh Air. Open the windows and allow natural sunlight and fresh air to pour in. This can be difficult to do if your room doesn't get much light or you live in a colder climate, but a little is better than nothing.
- High Frequency Music and yes, Clapping. Playing high vibration music and clapping loudly can make a big difference in disrupting the energy of a space. Blast some music and be sure to clap around the room despite how funny you feel (hey, it's actually pretty fun).
- Bring in Plants. Plants are a natural filter for air and negative energy. Be sure to pick up plants that thrive indoors like the Snake Plant and Rubber Tree.
- Absorb with Salt. Place bowls of salt in the corners of the room and remove after a few hours. The salt will help absorb the bad energy and freshen the air.
- Clear Clutter. If you've letter clutter accumulate now is the time to clear it. This goes for paper junk, freebies you will never use, unfolded laundry, etc. If you think you have no clutter to clear, rearranging the room is good too.
The key to clearing bad energy successfully is doing each step with intention and being present in the moment. I hope this helps some of you to create a fresh start for yourself and reclaim the positive energy in your living space!
Any other tips for clearing bad energy in a room?


text:
Recap - Hurricanes Defeat Phoenix 4-3
Cam Ward stopped 36 shots against Phoenix on Saturday, leading Carolina to a 4-3 victory at Jobing.com Arena.
Carolina was an underdog by +115 and came through for bettors backing them. The game went OVER the consensus closing total of 5.5.
Carolina got goals from Sergei Samsonov, Anton Babchuk, Jussi Jokinen, and Pat Dwyer in the victory. Dwyer opened the scoring at 4:17 of the second period.
Cam Ward turned in a 36-save effort for the Hurricanes.
Kyle Turris (2) and Scottie Upshall scored for the Coyotes, finding the net behind Cam Ward.
Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 37 of 41 shots for the Coyotes, but it wasn't enough to earn the victory.
Carolina scored 1 time on 4 chances on the power play, while Phoenix went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
Carolina outshot Phoenix 41-39 in the game.
Carolina looks to continue their winning ways next game with a battle against the Capitals. The Coyotes will aim to get back on the winning track at Montreal.


text:
Another thing wrong with the story would involve the technical aspects of of doing a microscopic exam on the tissue. Cancers are not healthy tissue and start to rot quickly when devascularized so it's unlikely that they could have placed it into fixative early enough for the biopsy to yield information as specific as adenocarcinoma.
Also they said it was metastatic which means there are other sites. This sounds like a made up story by someone who tried tossing in some terminolgy in an attempt to lend credibility.
Peduculated tumors can sometimes avulse, so theoretically someone could cough one out, but I bet what she was coughing up was a chunk of yesterday's hot dog that she inhaled.


text:
Brainstorm: Occupational choice, bipolar illness and creativity
Although economists have analyzed earnings, unemployment, and labor force participation for those with bipolar illness, occupational choice has yet to be explored. Psychological and medical studies often suggest an association between bipolar illness and creative achievement, but they tend to focus on eminent figures, case studies, or small samples. We seek to examine occupational creativity of non-eminent individuals with bipolar disorder. We use Epidemiologic Catchment Area data to estimate a multinomial logit model matched to an index of occupational creativity. Those with bipolar illness appear to be disproportionately concentrated in the most creative occupational category. Nonparametric kernel density estimates reveal that the densities of the occupational creativity variable for the bipolar and non-bipolar individuals significantly differ in the ECA data, and suggest that the probability of engaging in creative activities on the job is higher for bipolar than non-bipolar workers.
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Volume (Year): 8 (2010)
Issue (Month): 2 (July)
Pages: 233-241
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| Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622964
References listed on IDEAS
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- Susan L. Ettner & Richard G. Frank & Ronald C. Kessler, 1997. "The Impact of Psychiatric Disorders on Labor Market Outcomes," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 51(1), pages 64-81, October.
- Susan L. Ettner & Richard G. Frank & Ronald C. Kessler, 1997. "The Impact of Psychiatric Disorders on Labor Market Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 5989, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Frank, Richard G. & McGuire, Thomas G., 2000. "Economics and mental health," Handbook of Health Economics,in: A. J. Culyer & J. P. Newhouse (ed.), Handbook of Health Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 16, pages 893-954 Elsevier.
- Filer, Randall K, 1986. "The "Starving Artist"-Myth or Reality? Earnings of Artists in the United States," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(1), pages 56-75, February.
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text:
For thousands of years, rings have been more than just adornment. They have been symbols of authority, symbols of promises, and even legally binding signatures. Today rings still speak volumes about you. Our round heart rings are as eloquent as they are beautiful and always one of a kind. Choose blue topaz and rose gold or iolite and platinum: it's your choice. Mix and match gems and precious metals for a look that's exactly you. It's jewelry for all life's occasions, from an anniversary or engagement to your own personal milestones and celebrations. Our amazing array of designs by talented jewelry designers like Randy Dixon, Ruzanna Davtian, Martha Gomez Gutierrez, and others means you can find round heart rings that you can't find anywhere else. Gemvara's sweetly expressive collection of timeless heart jewelry is perfect for hopeless romantics. Because all Gemvara round heart rings are made from scratch to your specifications, we can hand-select the finest quality gems and recycled precious metals to perfectly suit your design. Round gemstones are the most brilliant of cuts, with angles and proportions that reflect and refract light to dazzle the eye. When washing your hands, don't leave any rings on the rim of a sink where they can slip down the drain! Clean round heart rings in a bowl of water with mild dish soap: use a soft brush where dust collects. Gemvara's exceptional heirloom-quality round heart rings are designed to be passed down for generations, crafted by hand in the United States.
We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


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Oklahoma City, OK - Saints Dermatology Center of Excellence broke ground Tuesday, April 17, 2012, on its 9,000+ square foot, state-of–the art facility scheduled to open later this year on I-235, just north of Britton Road, in north Oklahoma City. The Saints Dermatology Center of Excellence (COE) will be a specialized skin cancer, cosmetic, and medical dermatology treatment center offering comprehensive and contemporary care to patients. The Saints Dermatology COE will be a one-of-kind facility in Oklahoma and is expected to become the nationally recognized leader in detection and treatment of all dermatologic conditions.The Saints Dermatology Center of Excellence is a part of Saints Medical Group, a physician organization that now includes over 100 physicians practicing in multiple specialties. Through its affiliation with St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, the Saints Dermatology COE will house a teledermatology suite, which will create a portal for state-wide skin cancer awareness and early detection. It will provide a vital link to rural hospitals and clinics to aid primary care physicians in diagnosing and treating patients with various skin conditions.
"We are excited about the opportunity to provide the highest quality skin care to people throughout the state of Oklahoma," said Renee Grau, M.D., board certified dermatologist and Medical Director. "Our dedicated physicians and experienced staff will use this facility to bring an even greater level of dermatological services to our patients.""St. Anthony is pleased to be associated with this visionary group of highly trained dermatologists. The array of comprehensive services they will offer will be unrivaled in the region, and the use of new technology such as teledermatology will result in earlier detection of skin disorders and more convenient access to needed medical expertise for residents outside the metropolitan area," said Steve Powell, Vice President, Healthfirst Physician Management Services.
In addition to providing access to dermatology care in rural, underserved areas, the Saints Dermatology COE will also increase access to care for the Oklahoma City metro area. The average current wait time to see a dermatologist in the area is 60 days.
Saints Dermatology COE will house a light therapy unit (used for psoriasis, eczema, morphea, and lymphoma of the skin), a cosmetic unit offering comprehensive cosmetic procedures, including laser therapy and Ultherapy (one of only two instruments in the state), two Mohs surgery suites (see Mohs reference below), and general and medical dermatology units, in addition to the teledermatololgy suite. Ultherapy is a new type of non-surgical, non-invasive procedure for the face that uses ultrasound and the body's own natural healing process to lift, tone, and tighten loose skin. The FDA-approved device utilizes the safe, time-tested energy of ultrasound to stimulate the deep structural support layers of the skin—including those typically addressed in a surgical facelift—without disturbing the surface of the skin.
More information about the dermatologists practicing at Saints Dermatology Center of Excellence can be found at www.saintsdermatology.com.
SKIN CANCER FACTS:50% of all new cancer cases in the U.S. population annually are skin cancers. Skin cancers are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. The incidence of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers has doubled over the last decade, and best estimates indicate over 2 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually.1
Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon. 2 One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.3
Over the past 31 years, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined. 4
Nearly 800,000 Americans are living with a history of melanoma and 13 million are living with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer, typically diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.5
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer; an estimated 2.8 million are diagnosed annually in the US.8 BCCs are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring if allowed to grow.
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer.9 An estimated 700,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the US,10 resulting in approximately 2,500 deaths.2
Between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have either skin cancer at least once.11 In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancer was $1.5 billion.7
The number of non-melanoma skin cancers in the Medicare population went up an average of 4.2 percent every year between 1992 and 2006.1 In adults 65 or older, melanoma treatment costs total about $249 million annually. About 40 percent of the annual cost for melanoma goes to treating stage IV (advanced) cancers, though they account for only three percent of melanomas.5
The Center will offer Mohs Micrographic surgery for skin cancer treatment. Malignant skin cancers are classified as melanoma (>4% of all skin cancers) and non-melanoma. The non-melanoma skin cancers are: (1) basal cell carcinomas; or (2) squamous cell carcinomas. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It is the leading cause of death from skin disease. Non-melanoma skin cancers have a mortality rate of >1%.
If confirmed malignant then the most frequent treatment is Mohs microsurgery. Mohs surgery involves surgically removing the cancerous tissue. Small skin cancers most often are removed by the Dermatologist in the office, and larger skin cancers are referred to a Dermatology surgical specialist who performs the procedure in a surgical facility.
FACTORS EFFECTING SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF SKIN CANCERSAs in the treatment of all cancer, early detection is the key to successful treatment of skin cancers. Skin-cancer screening is important for detecting premalignant and malignant skin lesions at an early stage when they may be more amenable to intervention.Seven Studies have shown that skin-cancer screening for high-risk populations is associated with high detection rate and improved treatment outcomes.8-10 However, in geographically remote or medically underserved communities, lack of access to dermatologists is often associated with reduced opportunities for skin-cancer surveillance and early intervention. There are 65 Dermatologists in Oklahoma, most of whom have offices in OKC or Tulsa.
1. Rogers, HW, Weinstock, MA, Harris, AR, et al. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States, 2006. Arch Dermatol 2010; 146(3):283-287.2. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2010. Link. Accessed January 24, 2011.3. Robinson, JK. Sun exposure, sun protection, and vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294:1541-43.4. Stern, RS. Prevalence of a history of skin cancer in 2007: results of an incidence-based model. Arch Dermatol 2010; 146(3):279-282.5. Altekruse SF, Kosary CL, Krapcho M, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2007, Link. Accessed January 24, 2011.6. The Lewen Group, Inc. The burden of skin diseases 2005. The Society for Investigative Dermatology and The American Academy of Dermatology Association. 2005.7. Bickers DR, Lim HW, Margolis D et al. The burden of skin diseases: 2004 a joint project of the American Academy of Dermatology Association and the Society for Investigative Dermatology. J Amer Acad Dermatol 2006; 55(3):490-500.8. Rogers, Howard. ?Your new study of nonmelanoma skin cancers.? Email to The Skin Cancer Foundation. March 31, 2010.9. Squamous Cell Carcinoma. American Academy of Dermatology. Link. Accessed November 1, 2010.10. Rogers, Howard. ?Your new study of nonmelanoma skin cancers.? Email to The Skin Cancer Foundation. April 1, 2010.11. Sun Protection. Cancer Trends Progress Report – 2009/2010 Update. National Cancer Institute. Link. Accessed November 1, 2010.
SSM Health complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.
Learn more here.


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Edit Article
wikiHow to Deal With a Friend's Miscarriage
50 percent of women will experience a miscarriage at some stage in their lives. But we are alone when it happens. It's a private thing that we are not encouraged to speak about. Sometimes a woman will tell her closest friends, sometimes she will tell her mum, most often she tells nobody. If you do find out about a friends miscarriage, here are some ways for you to deal with the situation.
1Understand that you will initially be in shock. The first reaction you have won't be your final one. You might not know what to say at all. That's ok. It will take your mind some time to process.'
2Your friend is going to be in a lot of pain - but this is difficult for you too. It may seem that the burden you carry pales in comparison to that of your friends, but, it is there. It's not easy when someone you care for deeply is going through severe suffering. Acknowledge your own emotions.
3Don't avoid your friend - try to be there for them. It's hard, but avoiding them will only make them more upset.
4Try to help your friend with the emotional pain. You can't wave a magic wand and make the pain go away, but you can be there for your friend, and tell them that you wish that you could take the pain away.
5Understand that your friend would be experiencing a lot of other emotions. It's not just sadness. She might not feel like a woman, she might feel that she failed her partner, she might be afraid for her future prospects of being a parent. It's more than just grief for the child. Self resentment, fear, anger, self blame and a whole lot of other emotions are mixed in to the grief.
6DON'T say things like "you can have another child" or "maybe it was sick or something" or "maybe it's better to adopt". Your friend isn't looking for tips or advice. They just want the pain to go away. They want the hurt, and fears, and resentment and anger gone. And you can't take that away. Another child, or anything else, wouldn't take the pain that they are feeling away. All that you can do is say you care and that you wish you could help them get through this.
7Expect the emotional pain to take time to get beyond. Your friend could still be upset in two years time. It could be a long process. Don't push things, don't label them as depressed or anything. It's grief, and grief takes time to work through.
8If it's your partner that has miscarried, be wary about your own emotions. Men often don't express themselves well, but right now things are as hard for you as they are for her. It's a difficult time in the relationship, and the way you communicate now is important. Acknowledge your own struggles and do your best to reassure your partner. Amongst all the grief and pain, she probably also feels like she let you down.
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- Take time to reassure your friend, don't avoid them. Don't give them advice, just tell them that you wish that you could take their pain away.
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School honors
Madeline Carlson, St. Augustine, graduated from Columbia College Chicago during ceremonies May 12.
She received an undergraduate degree in television.
Jovian M. Lee was named to the dean's list for the spring semester at Northeastern University, Boston.
Auditions set
Vox Angelica, the children's chorus of The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach, begins Sept. 12.
Auditions, which are 30 minutes in length, will be held once this month and once next, and will be conducted with a small number of students.
During the audition, a question and answer period will be held for parents.
Cost is $100 for Cultural Center members; $120 for non-members.
The chorus is for ages 9-15, and auditions are July 24 and Aug. 21 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the center, 50 Executive Way.
RSVP for auditions to 280-0614, ext. 204.
Tasteful kids contest
Nestle Ice Cream has invites kids to compete in Flavorologist for a Day. Ten children will receive an all-expense paid trip to visit the Nestle flavor lab in Southern California where they will sample a variety of outlandish flavors and also get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Nestle plant.
To compete, kids are asked to submit their idea for the world's coolest frozen pop -- including a clever name, an interesting shape and a unique flavor description; as well as a resume explaining why they are qualified for the position.
Contestants must be residents of the U.S. and between the ages of 6 and 12. Enter at www.IceCream.com or by sending a submission to Florologist for a Day, Nestle Ice Cream, 5929 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618.
Deadline is July 27.
At the libraries
Teens, tweens and adults are invited to join massage therapist Sharon Sprenger at the Hastings Branch Library at 1 p.m. each Tuesday -- July 17, 24 and 31.
A lunchtime event is planned at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hastings Branch, when Bonnie Rowe of the University of Florida's Family Nutrition Program will share recipe ideas.
The Hastings branch wraps up the summer reading program with an ice cream party at 11 a.m. July 24.
Monday at 10 a.m., "1,2,3 Funny" is planned.
At the Main Branch, Ronald McDonald will be featured at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, it's time for ice cream at the Ponte Vedra Branch.
"Reptile Fun" is the title of the program at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Bartram Trail Branch.
At 2 p.m. Thursday, it's time for Ronald McDonald at the Southeast Branch.
The film festival continues through July 27. Programs at the Ponte Vedra at 2 p.m. Mondays; 10 a.m. Wednesdays at the Bartram Trail Branch; 2 p.m. Wednesdays at the Southeast Branch; and 2 p.m. Thursdays at the Main Branch.
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text:
An interview with Matthew Zapruder '89 and Tess Taylor '00
Wallace Stevens talked in his great essay, "The Noble Rider and the Sound of Words," about one of the things that poets do in their poems is they resist the pressure of the real. And I've been talking about how important it is to me to get everyday life and everyday language into poems. That I think in equal part of what poems do is to create a space for dreaming, contemplation. Whitman would call it loafing, looking at clouds, contradiction, all these things.
- Matthew Zapruder '89
Listen to the interview
Tess Taylor: Hi, this is Tess Taylor and I'm delighted to have the chance to talk to Matthew Zapruder, class of '89, a Russian major, who is the author of three collections of poetry. Most recently, "Come On All You Ghosts" from Copper Canyon, which won a bunch of prizes – The Good Reader's Choice Award for Poetry; it was one of the top five books of poetry from Publishers Weekly, as well as the 2010 Book List Choice Editors Choice for Poetry.
He is also a co-translator for Romanian and has a fascinating background in the Russian language and Slavic languages, and his poems, essays, and translations have appeared in many publications, which writers would aspire to, including Open City, Bomb, Slate, American Poetry Review, Tin House, Harvard Review, Paris Review, the list actually goes on for a long time.
Hi, Matthew, it's great to talk to you.
Matthew Zapruder: Hi, Tess, it's great to talk to you, too.
TT: We are here today to talk about "Come On All You Ghosts" and I thought I'd start by asking you to read one of the poems I enjoyed from that collection, which is "The Prelude."
MZ: Sure, I might just say a few things about it before I get started. Many Amherst grads who took English courses while at Amherst will recognize that the title of this poem is taken from Wordsworth's famous long poem "The Prelude," and the first line of my poem actually emulates Wordsworth's first line, which is, Wordsworth's is, "Oh, there is blessing in this gentle breeze …" and then it goes on to talk a lot about the natural world and landscape and perception.
I'll just say quickly that Wordsworth in contemporary poetry is less balladized (?) than his compatriot Coleridge. Coleridge is sort of the original of the more personal poem, the more familiar, you know, kind of "I-centered" psychological experience poem that resembles more closely contemporary American free verse. So I thought that I would try to spend a little time with Wordsworth and when I did I realized that he has his own incredible virtues, his music and intelligence and syntax. So, anyway, this poem is written after spending some serious time with "The Prelude" and there are quotes from Wordsworth in it.
So, OK, "The Prelude."
Oh, this Diet Coke is really good,
though, come to think of it tastes
like nothing plus the idea of chocolate,
or an acquaintance of chocolate
speaking fondly of certain times
it and chocolate had spoken of nothing,
or nothing remembering a field
in which it once ate the most wondrous
sandwich of ham and rustic chambered cheese
yet still wished for a piece of chocolate
before the lone walk back through
the corn then the darkening forest
to the disappointing village and its
super creepy bed and breakfast. With secret despair
I returned to the city. Something
seemed to be waiting for me.
Maybe the "chosen guide" Wordsworth
wrote he would even were it "nothing
better than a wandering cloud"
have followed which of course to me
and everyone sounds amazing.
All I follow is my own desire,
sometimes to feel, sometimes to be
at least a little more than intermittently
at ease with being loved. I am never
at ease. Not with hours I can read or walk
and look at the brightly colored
houses filled with lives, not with night
when I lie on my back and listen,
not with the hallway, definitely
not with baseball, definitely
not with time. Poor Coleridge, son
of a vicar and a lake, he could not feel
the energy. No present joy, no cheerful
confidence, just love of friends and the wind
taking his arrow away. Come to the edge
the edge beckoned softly. Take
this cup full of darkness and stay as long
as you want and maybe a little longer.
TT: Thank you. So, it's so interesting that you began your prelude to this prelude by talking about many of the literary references that we may or may not get, depending on how well we are steeped in, you know, Wordsworth and Coleridge. But, I wanted to ask you about beginning the poem with the Diet Coke, because a Diet Coke is kind of a, well, very ordinary object, you could say. And maybe it's a transmogrification or translation of something ordinary that Wordsworth or Coleridge might themselves have been drinking. But, does it feel strange for you to start a poem with something like a Diet Coke, I mean something you can order at McDonald's or that maybe Amherst students are drinking right now to study for finals?
MZ: I'm sure they are. No, it doesn't feel strange to me. It definitely feels like a noticeable decision. It's obviously just a kind of initial sort of humorous aspect to, you know, redoing Wordsworth's line, but instead of "breeze," talking about Diet Coke.
But I actually wasn't trying to be funny when I wrote it. What I was thinking about was when you read a lot of the romantic poets, and you don't have to know a lot about poetry to know this. Poets of that time, 19th century poets wrote a lot about nature, and for them nature was an everyday presence in their lives and for them to look at a lake or a mountain or fields or a forest or whatever, those things were sublime to them and wondrous and full of mystery, but they were also very present in their every day.
And for me, I live in the middle of the city. There are trees around, but I don't have the same relationship to nature that those poets did. So I was trying to think about what for me would be an ordinary object that, when contemplated, might lead me deeper into my own life and our lives and, you know, what we actually experience instead of writing about natural things that are important to me but aren't exactly important to me or present to me in the same way they would have been for those poets, if that makes any sense.
So, when I'm working at my desk and thinking about writing a poem, my eyes alight upon a can of Diet Coke and I think, wow, that's something that I see all the time and it is a kind of amazing object. That substance is an extraordinarily weird and interesting substance that we put in our bodies and the can itself is kind of amazing and all the effort and technology that's gone into making it and getting it to us is very, I think, worthy of contemplation, and I decided to try to get my mind in that state, in relation to that object.
So, that just may be a complicated way of saying I just wanted to write for my own experience. And then you write the line and you think, oh, that's kind of funny, but it wasn't just to be funny, if that makes sense.
TT: Well, I actually couldn't keep from laughing when you read the line about the super creepy bed and breakfast. That seems like it probably was designed to be funny.
MZ: Yeah, I mean, I do find bed and breakfasts super creepy. I think for some reason my mind thought again about, for Wordsworth and Coleridge, they would go on long walks. They would walk for 10 or 20 miles. They would go on walks for days and days and days, and for them, going on a walk was a major part of their lives. For me, when I might go for a walk in the countryside, that might be something I do as part of a vacation.
So I think I was trying again to think about how these things function or appear in our own lives. So it was just easy for me to imagine, you know, that you would go on some kind of rustic, country walk and then go back to your bed and breakfast and, I mean, I myself have done that, so I just think that just sort of happened and then my general reaction to bed and breakfasts is, wow, I mean, the whole experience is a little bit odd at best and creepy at worst. So, yeah, it's funny, I mean the words "super creepy" are funny, and it's fun to say.
TT: The words "super creepy" are funny. In a really actually genuinely positive review for The New York Times, David Orr said something about that very few poets are willing to dare banality, and it was a review of you and you were the poet who was willing to dare to be banal. He said that you dared to be banal in a way that was successful. How did that feel, I mean, what did you think of that comment?
MZ: You know, I think actually I know what he means. I think what he means and I think that actually, well, let me back up for a second and say that, you know, poetry has a reputation for being a highfalutin art, a fine art. You need expert training to understand it. You know, it's all about finding feelings and epiphanies, and I think whatever, there's some truth to that.
But, I think that for me, I'm interested in how poetry is part of and interacts with and deepens and complicates our everyday lives. So, that I'm not so interested in the banal in the sense that every day, the things that we encounter. So I take that as a, I think it was a compliment in the sense that I don't feel the need to prove that I'm a cultured, intelligent person at the expense of writing about things like Diet Coke. And if people want to call me not a real poet or something or not cultured enough or whatever, than I will accept that as the price I pay for writing poems for everybody, including myself. You know, I'm willing to accept that. So in that sense, I believe that was a compliment in the review and I took it as one.
TT: Or, you may think also it was a sense that it's kind of, at least from David Orr's perspective, that it can be hard to put a Diet Coke in the beginning of a poem that's sort of a tribute to Wordsworth and have it come off. So, I think maybe it was a compliment that it's something, I think, people try to do, you know, to speak.
I mean, the whole history of poetry is a little about speaking in common speech. Dryden was trying to speak in common speech and William Carlos Williams was trying to speak in common speech, and the question is, do you do it in a way that somehow works because we can definitely have a good poem with a Diet Coke in it or a bad poem with a Diet Coke in it.
MZ: Well, you're right. As I was giving my answer to your last question, I was thinking to myself that I really don't want to make this sound as if I came up with this big idea of writing about the everyday life of the real world or using common language. Certainly, Wordsworth and Coleridge were doing that in lyrical ballads. In that sense, I find myself very much in the tradition.
You know, I think that right now we're in a period of time when a lot of people are trying to do this in different ways, bring all sorts of different language into poetry in different ways and that's what makes it an exciting time. I think part of it is, the more you write, the more words, different types of words, you can use in poems.
It's funny how like with poetry, this is somehow still an issue when it isn't an issue in painting or in music or other forms of art. It's just taken for granted that the whole world can be brought into a painting or into a piece of music or song lyrics or all sorts of other things. Yet, poetry, it stands with needing respect, I guess I would say, fighting old battles.
I was telling a little story about that when I was teaching at NYU and my students, who were wonderful and they were, you know, 15 years younger than I was and really cool, you know, dressed great and going out every night in New York and were these hip kids. Someone brought in a poem that used the word "YouTube" in it and most of the students reacted with a kind of horror, like you can't use that word in poetry. That word doesn't belong in poetry, and I looked at them, and I thought, I should be saying that and you should be laughing at me. You know, I should be the old fuddy-duddy. And I said you have to stop writing like 80-year-old men who live, like, in the forest. You live in New York. Write about the things you see; write about the things that happen to you. You know, and that's what I try to do and I think that's what people should do.
TT: So, I'm going to keep talking about William Carlos Williams because I happen to be reading tons of him lately, like devotedly, and one of the lines that he came up with, and I think in one of his earlier and arguably less good poems, was "How shall I be a mirror to this modernity" and that kind of project that, well I have to say what's in front of me in the words that are useful to me and my landscape now. And, you know, for him it was the poor and the people he was being doctor to and the New Jersey suburbs that were getting slightly ruined by that exact turn-away from nature that you were just discussing. And I'm just wondering if you feel in your poems that there's a kind of a moment that you need to address and you were sort of getting at that with the Diet Coke. But, what is it that you think we need to let in most importantly? I mean, is this a special moment for letting things into poems?
MZ: That's a good question. I don't know if I would say that there's anything particularly different about this moment, except in this way. Stevens, Wallace Stevens talked in his great essay, "The Noble Rider and the Sound of Words," about one of the things that poets do in their poems is they resist the pressure of the real. And I've been talking about how important it is to me to get everyday life and everyday language into poems. That I think in equal part of what poems do is to create a space for dreaming, contemplation. Whitman would call it loafing, looking at clouds, contradiction, all these things.
And I think that our public discourse has really gone in the direction of really a rhetoric that is extreme, one-sided, not related to the actual feelings that people have on an everyday level, which creates a big space for all kinds of art that have to do with language. You know, but particularly poetry, because our language is regularly violated in public discourse. So, there is a space for poetry not to stand up and say, oh, Republicans are bad or Democrats need to do this or whatever, but just say this is life as we know it and as we live it.
What John Boehner or Barrack Obama say, agree or disagree, that doesn't feel connected to my experience of life and in that sense, I think a public space has opened up. I don't know, you know I'm alive at this time. I wasn't alive before, 50 or 100 years ago, so I don't know whether it's worse or better now. But, for one thing the language is so public because of the Internet and all the availability of media constantly in our lives, so I think that it's harder, I know for a fact that it's harder to find a space where you're not being assaulted by whatever's happening in the media. So, a book of poems is an even more precious thing right now.
TT: I wonder if that kind of relates to a certain uncertainty I wanted to ask you about in your poems. I wanted to quote a few lines from various poems, one is "You were born to feel the way you don't have a word for" and "All they really know is it was dirty and that's describing the past" and "Today the unemployment rate is 9.4 percent, I have no idea what that means" and "Each of the fates of our various fathers helps us only partly." And, of course, in "The Prelude," there's this line that says, "All I follow is my own desire." So, it seems like in this "Come On All You Ghosts," which is a great book – congratulations – there's a lot of, sort of, relinquishing of public fear or saying, "There's a fact that I don't understand or I don't relate to it that way." Is that sort of what you were talking about just now?
MZ: All those quotes, I think they feel like very honest admissions of the possibility of knowing certain things, and when I say "the unemployment rate is 9.4 percent, I have no idea what that means," what I mean is, I can't imagine what connection that figure has to the actual reality of the human experiences behind that number. Even if you told me how many people that stood for the 9.4 percent, it's so beyond, I feel, beyond the comprehension of one individual to be able to even understand what tens of millions of people's uncertainty and suffering, and whatever it is, sadness, despair, you know, frustration, whatever, are.
And that's exactly what I'm talking about. I mean the people who are in our constant public discourse, you know, whether they're politicians or people commenting on politics or all those just trying to make sense of what's going on. We constantly have to talk in these shorthand ways, and one thing poems can do is they can open back up our sense of, our respect for the hugeness of experience and the mystery of experience. I feel that is a public utterance that is important to say. I feel it's important to speak that way. I wish that politicians would say more that "I don't understand what it means to be unemployed." And, you know, some of them do maybe, and I think that's one thing poems can do, if we're just talking about the relationship to public discourse at this point.
TT: Is to leave a little bit of space for, sort of, a querulous human experience that's …
MZ: A lot of space for it. And the longer I live, the more I realize how hard it is to understand, to really understand things, and I have a respect for other people's experiences and their lives and I look at people walking around the street sometimes and I think, inside each one of these people is a giant galaxy of thoughts and emotions, ideas, feelings, and private thoughts that are private to others and private even to themselves. The world of the poem is that.
I also write other types of things. I write critical essays and if I want to make a point about something, convince somebody of some point or whatever, I'll be much more likely to write it in an essay than in a poem. A poem for me is opening myself up to the mysteries.
TT: Well put. I think I wanted to ask you actually on that note to read "Lamp Day," which is a poem that has a lot of space in it, a lot of that kind of imaginative space. Would you be willing to read that one?
MZ: Yeah, sure, of course. So, interestingly, this poem, it begins with me remembering I went to graduate school for creative writing eventually at UMass Amherst. I came back to the Amherst area and lived in Northampton. And this memory of when I mention "Summer Street," Summer Street is a street in Northampton and then I start thinking of more of a city environment. OK, "Lamp Day."
but the calendar is blank.
Maybe it's Lamp Day. There is
one very small one I love
so much I have taken it everywhere,
even with its loose switch.
On its porcelain shade are painted
tiny red flowers, clearly
by someone whose careful
hand we will never know.
Because it's Lamp Day I'm trying
to remember where I got it,
maybe it was waiting for me
in the house on Summer Street
I moved into almost exactly
17 years ago. I think
without thinking I just picked it
up from the floor and put it
on my desk and plugged
it into the socket and already
I was working. So much
since that moment has happened.
On Lamp Day we try
not dreamily but systematically
to remember it all. I do it
by thinking about the hidden
reasons I love something
small. When you take
a series of careful steps
to solve a complex problem,
mathematicians call it an algorithm.
It's like moving through
a series of rooms, each with
two doors, you must choose one,
you can't go back. I begin
by sitting on a bench in the sun
on September 21st thinking
all the walks I have taken
in all the cities I have chosen
to live in or visit with loved ones
and alone make a sunlit
and rainy map no one
will ever be able to hold.
Is this important? Yes and no.
Now I am staring
at clean metal girders.
People keep walking past
a hotel, its bright
glass calmly reflecting
everything bad and good.
Blue boots. Bright glass.
Guests in this moment. A child
through the puddles steps
exuberant, clearly feeling the power.
I am plugged in. I am calm.
Lamp Day has a name.
Just like this cup
that has somehow drifted
into my life, and towards which
sometimes for its own reasons
my hand drifts in turn.
Upon it is written the single
word Omaha.
TT: That's a poem that seems to have a lot of internal space and illumination and room for fantasy. I wanted to pick up on that topic that you just brought up about the place where the lamp was, which is Northampton, and ask you, you know, about your, kind of, your two visits to the Pioneer Valley. First, as an undergraduate where you were a Russian major, which is very cool, and then your return when you decided much later, I mean not at Amherst, years after Amherst, that you were going to pursue, not Russian, but poetry in English. Can you talk a little bit about studying Russian and how you did and didn't connect to poetry at Amherst and then what changed?
MZ: What happened basically is that when I went to Amherst, I think … I was born in Washington, D.C., and I grew up in the D.C. area and my father was a tax lawyer and my mother, she works at the Smithsonian now. My parents were part of this, sort of, political class that's very much a big part of the industry of Washington, D.C.
So, I grew up in politics, around politics and business, and so I went to Amherst and I think my instinct was that I should study politics, political science, history, something in that area. There wasn't any, you know, explicit pressure from my parents. You know, I just felt that that's the milieu that I came from.
So my freshman year I took different classes, and it's also important to remember that I came in 1985, which is the height of the Cold War and we were all very afraid of nuclear war, and the Soviet Union was a looming presence for everyone and it seems so old now to say that, but at the time it was a present and everyday fear. And so I decided I was going to study Russian and study politics and try to maybe be a diplomat or some kind of person that would maybe be able to mitigate this situation. You know, it's a kind of idea you have when you're 18, and you know, it's a nice idea.
So, I started studying Russian and over the time I was at Amherst I realized, in fact, I was even going to write my thesis on politics, but my heart wasn't in it, so I switched to literature and I had wonderful Russian professors – Taubman and Stephanie Sandler – but mostly Stanley Rabinowitz was my main person there. So, he, of course, was happy when I decided I wanted to study literature instead and so I ended up doing that.
And my relationship to Russian was mainly through the language and culture eventually in Russian literature, so I studied that and to make a long story very short, the year after I graduated from Amherst, I lived in Moscow for a year on what was essentially the equivalent of a Fulbright scholarship. I had been nominated by the Amherst Russian department and got this fellowship. I lived there and then after a few years of messing around, went back to graduate school to get a Ph.D. in Russian and Slavic languages and literature at UC Berkley.
But again, I just realized that what I really wanted to do was write and so I ended up eventually back getting my graduate degree in poetry from UMass Amherst, which has a very fine program. And I was thrilled to be back in the Amherst area. I love the landscape and I feel very connected to it and close to it, so I felt like I was coming home in a lot of ways. So that's the short and hopefully not too long version of what happened.
TT: Well, you were saying when we talked the other day on the phone that if anybody had told you that you would have been a poet while you were at Amherst, you would have been baffled by that notion. How did you think about poetry then, I mean, say as a 20 year old?
MZ: I mean, I liked it. I took some pretty good courses with David Sofield when I was there. Those were the only English courses I took. And I read some Russian poetry. I think that I liked it, but I was much more into music and songs like most people my age. In fact, I wrote my senior thesis on a Russian folksinger who is sort of the Leonard Cohen/Tom Waits/Bob Dylan-esque figure in 1970s and 80s Soviet Union, and so I was more interested in song and music.
I'm also a musician; I play music. So I think that was to the extent to which I was interested in what words could do in that area, it was through music. I just wasn't a player of contemporary poetry very much, just wasn't something I knew anything about. I mean, I suppose I knew intellectually that there were poets, but I didn't really know them or think about it as something I would do.
TT: When you started to write poems of your own, did you feel as if you pulled back on that Russian inheritance at all? Where did you go to figure out to craft your own way in the world of making poems?
MZ: Really, I didn't really write poems. I mean, I had written here and there a little bit and tried poems a few times. I don't even know why really. I think I was just drawn to it almost instinctively. But I never really seriously tried until I was in my first year of graduate school and I was at UC Berkeley studying Russian literature, and as I said, I realized pretty fast that I wasn't cut out to be a scholar and I had always really wanted to write and be an artist, but I didn't know what kind of writing I would do, so I made myself sit down and write every day. And then what I started to write were poems, to my great amazement. They could have been stories or essays or I don't know what, they could have been anything. But they were poems. I think that was close to my heart without me knowing it, and, of course, I knew nothing, I didn't understand anything, so the only poems I had ever spent any real time reading and studying were Russian poems.
And so the language of Russian, its syntax is so different from the English language. Without getting too technical, because English doesn't have cases for its nouns, it only has them for pronouns – I versus me or whatever. So, you take "Tom hit Harry" or "Harry hit Tom" and the only way you know who hit whom is by the word order. But that's not true in Russian. Russian has cases, so you know who hit whom regardless of what the order of the words is. So, Russian is much more flexible in terms of its word order and syntax, and that word order and syntax can be used to convey emotional nuance.
I was very interested in that and to what extent that was possible in English, and so my earlier poems, my poems from my first and second books are more interested in the material of language and what sort of uses it can be pushed towards. I think that's a great, worthwhile, interesting experiment that came out of a genuine place, but I think it was a long apprenticeship of learning and understanding my material like any artist, sculptor, or musician, you know, photographer, whatever, would learn to use his or her material. I was doing the same thing with words and with language.
TT: Right. I notice that a lot of those poems that are now in "Come On All You Ghosts" actually have a really simple syntax. It's interesting that they begin with "I'm staring" or "I did this" or "I did that," kind of the Franco-Harem (??) mode, a little bit of almost deceptively simple – "I'm staring out the window at an aluminum shed," "I remember the house where I first lived" and "This morning I rode my gray metal bike through the city." What is that person that's doing these sort of simple objects, is that an autobiography? Who is that "I" accounting for there?
MZ: I mean, a lot of the time it's autobiographical, it starts out autobiographically. I mean, it'll come as no surprise to you, Tess, as a poet, it's more interesting or better or more exciting to change the facts of what I was actually looking at or actually doing. I will gladly change them. I'm not writing an autobiography or a memoir, but, yes, basically that's a guy in his 40s living in the city, you know, trying to be attentive.
But, just going back to your question about simplicity, I notice that's true from musicians. When you're learning to play your instrument, you can get, as you should, really into your instrument, playing and seeing what the possibilities are. But then the more mature you get, I guess, as an artist, the more likely you are to be able to convey powerful things in a much simpler, more direct, more subtle way, I guess, and so I think that probably this book is to some extent the product of a lot of hard work, many years of hard work with my material. It's easier for me, or I can see the possibilities more, in a simple bent and making slight adjustments or slight strangenesses.
TT: Slight strangenesses. That's a great phrase. I really like it. Slight strangenesses. This is really great. Since because you have so graciously been explaining your poetry to us, I wondered if you would read the poem in "Come On All You Ghosts" that begins "Dear sociologist, I've been asked to explain poetry to you" and I thought we could finish there.
MZ: Sure.
TT: Thank you so much.
MZ: Oh, thanks, Tess. You're great and you have great questions and it's an honor to talk to the Amherst community. I owe a big debt of gratitude to Amherst and to the professors I had and to my fellow students there, and Amherst is very often in my thoughts in the most positive of ways.
This poem, actually, a friend of mine is a poet and is married to a sociologist and she actually was writing about poetry and sociology in some kind of way and she asked me if I would write something for this sociology conference I was going to. As I'm telling this story, it sounds so preposterous, but it was in fact true.
TT: (Laughs) I thought it was going to be like a stance, but that really is autobiography. Check it out.
MZ: No, it's true. I thought I would try and the poem begins in that way, but then it quickly …
TT: Wanders, just like Wordsworth.
MZ: Well, I'll say just one other thing about it. I was talking earlier about the Cold War and our consciousness in the 80s of the possibility of mass destruction, and in the poem I talk about the air raid sirens going off. And when I was a kid in elementary school, we had an air raid siren in our schoolyard or whatever and it would go off once a month, I guess, and we would all get under our desks, you know, in case of nuclear attack. I mean, that's how old I am. I mean I'm not that old, but I mean even in to the 70s and 80s people were doing these things, so that actually pops up in the poem. But, OK, so this poem is called "You Have Astounding Cosmic News."
Dear sociologists, I have been asked to explain poetry to you. Thus
in the offices of Dazed Lute Press the clicking begins. Lately
we've been conducting field experiments into our private thoughts. One
faction next to the soul-shaped water cooler wonders whether
there's any reason at all to remember the feeling of being a child. Is
it best to imagine one's self again beneath the desk as the rusted
air raid siren explodes with its bi-monthly ritual Wednesday afternoon
fear distribution? Like you, I was always holding particular crayons
in the dimness of certain morning assemblies. I have been told
some of you think the only constant is constant observation. I know
city planners design the city and still there are diffusionists who pace
the deep blue edge of do you know you can never try to discover
why why flowers in the cubicles. Between you and me the buildings
also have a space for the sparrow named never who does not sing
yes the cities die when you leave them, yes no one cares what you do.
The glass-covered-in-dust windows of the thrift store display
a mirror from the 1920s. If you take it it will no longer regard young
lovers with important thoughts pushed towards the mighty river. I
will fall in love exactly about a million times and then I will die. Clouds
playing dominoes agree. At Everest on Grand someone eats yak discussing
the endless undeclared war among the neutral provinces. Long
metallic articulated girders cast thin shadows over thousands of windows.
A photograph of a pacifist smiles. He wore a white suit, was a friend
to the poor and worked for the union of unemployed telegraph workers
who listened for signals pulsing as Joni Mitchell never said from the heart of
a distant star. He was like my grandfather, after he died the city fathers
did not know what there were building when they built a museum
to encase a window in a wall brought from a faraway country where
it once overlooked the sea. Evenings through giant speakers people listen
to troubled sounds whales bounce off continental shelves. Go tell
everyone everything is related, the rich own the clouds, and you can
always locate yourself with so many shadows to instruct you.
TT: That's a lovely piece of daydreaming. Thanks very much. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me and I'm really glad that we can share this with Amherst.
MZ: Thank you, Tess, and thanks to everyone for listening.