Saturday, August 23, 2025
Home Blog Page 1007

June, 2010 – Body Mass Index

0

Health & FitnessCheryl Alker

 

Final Component – Body Mass Index

 

by Cheryl Alker

 

Over the last few months our health and fitness column at AroundWellington.com has been providing you with detailed information and advice on how to achieve physical fitness. We have so far discussed flexibility, cardio, muscular strength and endurance. And now, last but not least, in this issue we are addressing Body Mass Index.

 

The body mass index (BMI) is a statistical measure which compares a person’s weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the percentage of body fat, it is used to estimate a healthy body weight based on a person’s height. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool to identify weight problems within a population, usually whether individuals are underweight, overweight or obese.

 

Body mass index is defined as the individual’s body weight divided by the square of his or her height and is based upon the following formulas:

 

Measurement Units

Formula and Calculation

Kilograms and meters

(or centimeters)

Formula: weight (kg) / height (m) 2(squared)

 

With the metric system, the formula for BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height meters squared. Since height is commonly measure in centimeters, divide height in centimeters by 100 to obtain height in meters.

 

Example: Weight = 68 kg  Height = 165 cm (1.65 m)

Calculation: 68 divided by (1.65) 2(squared)  = 24.98

 

Pounds and inches

Formula : weight (lb) / height (in) 2 (squared)

 

Calculate BMI by dividing weight in pounds (lbs) by height in inches (in) squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703.

 

Example: Weight = 150 lbs  Height = 5’5” (65”)

Calculation: (150 divided by (65) 2 (squared) x 703 = 24.96

 

  

 

The standard weight status categories associated with BMI ranges for adults are shown in the following table:

 

BMI

Weight Status

Below 18.5

Underweight

18.5 – 24.9

Normal

25.0 – 29.9

Overweight

30.0 and above

Obese

 

 

The BMI has become controversial though because many people, including physicians, have come to rely on its apparent numerical authority for medical diagnosis, but that was never the BMI’s purpose. Common sense needs to prevail when using the measurements as obviously not one size fits all. The BMI does not take into account many variables such as proportions of fat, bone cartilage, water weight, individuals who are naturally endomorphic or ectomorphic (i.e. people who do not have a medium frame) and loss of height through aging.

 

One basic problem, especially in athletes, is that muscle weight contributes to BMI.  Some professional athletes would be considered “overweight” or “obese” according to their BMI, despite them carrying little fat and of course being totally physically fit.

 

Body composition for athletes is often better calculated using measures of body fat, as determined by such techniques as skin fold measurements or underwater weighing.

 

The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1994 indicates that 59% of American men and 49% of women have BMIs over 25. Morbid obesity – a BMI of 40 or more – was found in 2% of the men and 4% of the women. The newest survey in 2007 indicates a continuation of the increase in BMI; 63% of Americans are overweight, with 26% now in the obese category (a BMI of 30 or more).

 

BMI is used differently for children. It is calculated the same way as for adults, but then compared to typical values for other children of the same age. Instead of set thresholds for underweight and overweight, then, the BMI percentile allows comparison with children of the same sex and age. Again, this also has dangers and limitations. For if as a nation our children are becoming more obese, then a comparison based upon a population of the same height and weight may be totally unacceptable.

 

Cheryl Alker specializes in flexibility training, core strength, facial exercises and postural alignment. Her 27-year career began as a group fitness and personal trainer. She has lectured and directed fitness training programs in both Europe and the USA and was an advisor for a British governmental health promotion program. Alker and her company Stretch Results International continues to work with a select clientele from a base in Palm Beach County, certifying health professionals in her results-based stretching program, educating consumers through public speaking and offering consultation to clients who wish to lose their muscular pain and gain flexibility to achieve full and active lifestyles. Her program has been accredited with The National Association of Sports Medicine, The American Council of Exercise, The National Strength and Conditioning Association and The Florida Physical Therapy Association. For more information, please call Cheryl at (561) 889 3738 or visit www.stretchresults.com.  

June, 2010 – Astrology at Work

0

ASTROLOGY AT WORK IN YOUR LIFE

 

June, 2010Karola Crawford

 

By Karola Crawford

 

   Geminis, yes, you social butterflies, it is your birthday month, and you get to celebrate by going out on the town in your newest outfit purchased just for this occasion.  Your ruler, Mercury, causes you to think and act swiftly, and your mind is usually going a mile a minute.  Communication and speech are important to you and your mind frequently jumps from one thing to another.  It is with ease that you keep communication going, but you must keep in the mind the harm that you can do by being a chatterbox.  Your thirst for knowledge and study is eager, and your capacity to learn is high.  You can easily write, and are good at constructive criticism.  It is important for you to get the right kind of education to keep that mental energy from going to waste.  If you are not properly trained, you can make life unbearable for others.  If you are well educated, however, you are the most charming and refined individuals around. 

 

Your reactions are usually spur of the moment, and this gives a dual quality to your personality.  In your book, variety is the spice of life and this philosophy can make you high strung.  If things do not go your way it is easy for you to become depressed.  Happiness comes to you if there is more than one dominant interest.  Because of your inherent nervousness it is difficult for you to find intellectual or physical tranquility, but in emergencies you rarely lose control and you can provide many unsuspected solutions.  You gain much pleasure from giving either from your hands or your ideas, and there are many ideas that you have to offer.  It is important for you to eat slowly, as you tend to gulp your food down.  Your popularity is usually great because you are such a witty conversation maker, as well as being sociable, courteous and intuitive.  You greatly dislike being bound to any particular person or place, therefore you are continually curious and always searching for personal intellectual experiences.  You like travel and changes of atmosphere.  You see money as power and freedom and feel attracted to it.  You can be quite thrifty.  Gemini kids are so charming and ingenious that parents are often blind to their defects.  They should be trained early, since any objectionable traits are very difficult to correct in later years.  If education and discipline comes through your own volition, then passion turns into creative energy and originality, which can be manifested in both business and in the arts.  You are usually the nonconformists of the zodiac and consequently you remain different from those around you.  You rebel against the status quo, often breaking rules and resisting authority, and you rarely yield to any one person or place.  As you grow older you will realize that cooperation is necessary to your own self-fulfillment and we are all in this together.

 

   This month is especially energizing for you on both a mental and a physical level.  Exercise and get rid of physical energy build up so that you don’t lash out at others as pressure is exerted upon you.

 

   Cancer – Reflect upon the past gently, as a great force is lifted and you get to look beneath the surface for a while.  More will be revealed in the near future.

 

   Leo – Dancing and physical activity is ordered up for now.  You get to enjoy the spotlight, but remember to invite your friends.

 

   Virgo – Responsibility is taking the fun away, but remember that the seeds sown now will produce fruit down the road.  Don’t let this opportunity pass.

 

   Libra – Spend the first half of the month at home and with family for optimum results and then go and take care of number one in a luxurious fashion by pampering yourself.

 

   Scorpio – You may be looking at what all that heavy work has created in your life this month and having second thoughts.  Adjust what you need to only.

 

   Sagittarius – You will become your energetic self again after the first week and some of that recent melancholy will wear off.  Show yourself as someone to be reckoned with.

 

   Capricorn – Don’t work so hard and try to pace yourself or you will find that you are feeling down in the dumps.  A break from all that work and a night on the town may be on the agenda.

 

   Aquarius – You are alternating between feeling energized and feeling moody.  Why not go spend time by the beach and meditate on what’s beneath the surface of these changes.

 

   Pisces – Give in to your sensitive nature and walk in the waves for comfort.  This may be the best meditation that you can do right now.

 

   Aries – Wow, sudden changes are coming at you and it wasn’t even planned.  Move in the direction that you are being pushed to go.

 

   Taurus – Some creature comforts are in order at this time.  Have you been holding back taking care of yourself?  This is the time to rectify that situation.

 

Karola Crawford, MAFA, has been a certified Astrologer for 22 years. She has cast charts for clients all over the world and also practices Holistic medicine, Yoga, Shiatsu, Reiki, Auricular Acupucture and is an accomplished artist. Where does she get all of her energy? A grand trine in fire, of course. Karola can be reached at 561-615-1591 or by visiting the web site at www.karolacrawford.com.

June, 2010 – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

0

Living GreenShakira Muneswar and her daughter Sabrina

Simple ways to help protect our environment and resources:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Compiled by Shakira Muneswar

With these tips, you can save time, money AND the planet.

If every American home replaced just one conventional light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes a year.  Also, please turn off lights, tvs and computers when not in use.  Unplug power cords that are not charging anything  -a plugged in cord will still pull some energy.

There are 1 million plastic bags used per minute worldwide.  Use reusable bags anytime you shop.  Target will credit you $.05 for each ‘green’ bag used for your purchases.  We all forget, so if you do get plastic remember to recycle it.  All Publix stores have convenient plastic bag recycle bins where you can drop off your plastic bags.

Even though roughly three quarters of the earth’s surface is water, only one percent of all water on the planet is available for humans. 
A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, but taking a five-minute shower saves water by using 10 to 25 gallons.  Save even more – while brushing your teeth, remember to turn off the tap.

Did you know that not all fonts are created equal?  Some fonts actually use up more ink than others.  Century Gothic Font uses about 30% less ink than a regular Arial.  This tip sheet is printed using Century Gothic.  Using less ink means longer ink cartridge life.

Give a SMILE to someone or point out something nice that will make another feel good.  It’s free, requires very little energy or time, but the feeling it inspires in a return smile will light up a room.  J

Shakira Muneswar is a “green-conscious” mom, who recently coordinated a “Green Day” at Beginnings Preschool in Lake Worth. She normally takes turn with a couple other mothers writing our Mommy Moments column for AroundWellington.com.

June, 2010 – Summer Eats

0

Travel with TerriTerri Farris

 

Traveling this summer?  Leave the chains behind

 

By Terri Farris

 

Walking through New York’s Times Square anyone would expect to see crowds of tourists staring up at the skyscrapers and the neon information overload flashing from every angle.  But with New York’s culinary options, you might not expect to see so many crowds gathered into chain restaurants like TGI Fridays, Olive Garden and Applebee’s – places people eat all the time.  If you are going to travel to a new city, why not experience something new for lunch or dinner?  Even families can branch out from the everyday chains by trying interesting places with kid friendly options. 

 

grays papayaNew York is known for the wide array of ethnic foods available throughout the city, but let’s keep it simple – something the kids will eat!  There is always the option of a street vendor hot dog, but if you prefer to get your hot dogs from a location with running water, so the cook can actually wash his hands, hop on the subway and head to Gray’s Papaya at 72nd and Broadway on the Upper West Side.  This 24 hour eating establishment is somewhere between a street vendor and fast food restaurant, but they do hot dogs (and only hot dogs) and they do them right.  With an ongoing “recession special” of 2 dogs  (sauerkraut or onion sauce optional) and a papaya smoothie made from a combination of papaya, pina colada and other juices for $4.45, this may very well be the cheapest meal in the city.  Gray’s has been around since 1973 and has four locations on the Westside of Manhattan.  Cheap eats and the kids will love it! www.grayspapaya.com

 

Deli’s are also popular in New York with Carnegie Deli being the mostkatzs_salamis well known.  But those who venture out of midtown Manhattan to the lower east side can enjoy an authentic deli experience at Katz.  Located on Houston Street, Katz has been around since 1888 and is popular for its pastrami sandwiches and hot dogs which are both considered to be among New York’s best.  Katz’s serves 5,000 pounds of corned beef, 2,000 pounds of salami and 12,000 hot dogs each week!  During World War II, Katz encouraged parents to “Send a salami to your boy in the Army“, a phrase that has become synonymous with Katz and a phrase that actually rhymes if you say it with a New York accent.  The tradition of supporting American troops continues today.  Katz has arranged international shipping to military addresses and has sent countless packages to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Katz will also be familiar to movie buffs.  Anyone remember Meg Ryan’s infamous faked “experience” in When Harry Met Sally?  Katz is where that was filmed.  You can even request to sit at the infamous table and order what she had.  You might not want to explain that to the kids! www.katzdeli.com

 

While New York has always been known for its culinary options, across the country in Los Angeles in the mid-1970’s restaurants were in short supply.  Herb Hudson, a Harlem native, took note of the lack of interesting restaurants and opened Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.  While it might sound like an odd combination, believe me it is worth a try.    Nobody does fried chicken and waffles like Roscoe’s.  Also famous for their greens, macaroni and cheese, hot water cornbread and red beans and rice, Roscoe’s brought soul food straight from Harlem to the people in Los Angeles!  Hudson was friends with many Motown greats including Natalie Cole.  After opening Roscoe’s in 1976, he introduced his restaurant to his friends and word quickly spread throughout the entertainment industry and beyond.  The original location on Gower Street in Hollywood is still enormously popular with celebrities.  Fans include Snoop Dogg, Larry King, David Beckham and Jimmy Kimmel.  Notorious B.I.G. mentions Roscoe’s in his song Going Back to Cali.  Also Ludacris mentioned it in his song Call up the Homies with the lyrics “Let’s roll to Roscoe’s and get somethin to eat“.  It has also been mentioned in numerous movies.  The Los Angeles Times refers to Roscoe’s as “such an LA institution that no one questions the strange combo anymore.” www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com

 

Plain and Fancy was a Broadway musical in 1955.  The “plain” reference was to the Amish people and the “fancy” reference was to everyone else.  The musical shed a spotlight on the Amish community and was the start of tourism in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country.  Soon after the musical, a house and barn on Route 340 in Lancaster County opened as a place for barn dances and Amish house tours and borrowed the name of the musical.  Brothers Christian and Robert Lapp bought the property in 1959 and opened a restaurant featuring long tables where food was passed around among guests “family-style”.  The original dining room at Plain & Fancy seated 125 diners and an all-you-can-eat meal cost $1.50.  Today the restaurant seats about 700 guests.  The menu consists of an Amish farm feast with a focus on the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch menu.  Don’t miss the “shoofly pie” chosen by USA Today as the signature food.  Plain & Fancy uses a “farm to table” concept by purchasing many of their foods from local Amish farmers.  The Amish people are dedicated to family and tradition.  Where better place to have a family style meal? www.plainandfancyfarm.com

 

Chicago brought us the Ferris Wheel, Navy Pier, the Cubs and Oprah.  More importantly, Chicago brought us “deep dish” pizza.  History is a bit unclear as to who actually developed this delicious dish.  A former University of Texas football player, Ike Sewell, is said to have created it at his Chicago bar and grill, Pizzeria Uno, in 1943 but there have also been claims it was invented by his restaurant manager, Rudy Malnati.  Either way, once you sink your teeth into this deep pie you will be glad someone came up with the idea!  Deep dish pizza has a buttery crust up to three inches tall at the edge.  The crust acts as a bowl for the large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce along with whatever toppings you choose.  This is serious pizza!  There are more than 2,000 pizzerias in Chicago, most of them serving deep dish pizza.  My personal favorite is Gino’s East where guests are allowed to write graffiti on the walls.  Now that should keep the kids entertained while you wait for lunch! www.ginoseast.com

 

varsity-004And in the Deep South in Atlanta, The Varsity has been serving up hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, fries, onion rings and fried peach pies for over 80 years.  What Frank Gordy started in 1928 on a 70’ x 120’ lot with a white picket fence and $2,000 has grown into an Atlanta institution.  The Downtown Atlanta location occupies more than two acres, accommodates 600 cars and over 800 people inside the restaurant.  The Varsity serves up two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2500 pounds of potatoes, 5000 fried pies and 300 gallons of chili – all made from scratch!   In the 1950’s The Varsity had over 100 car hops known for their singing and dancing.  The most famous was a man named “Flossie Mae” who sang the menu to customers for over 50 years.  Nipsy Russell got his start at The Varsity as car hop # 46.  The Varsity has had its share of celebrity visitors.  During the opening of Gone With the Wind, Clark Gable stopped in.  Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. Bush and Bill Clinton have all eaten here.  Be prepared, The Varsity may be in the South, but it is by no means a slow leisurely spot.  A constant chorus of “What’ll Ya’ll Have?” can be heard above the crowds as you walk in, so have your order and money ready!  www.thevarsity.com

 

This summer, if someone asks you “What’ll Ya’ll Have?”, please don’t say the usual.  Leave those chains behind and have yourself a food adventure.  Enjoy!

 

Terri is a freelance writer with regular columns on travel, chocolate and bar reviews. She is busy each month visiting new places to bring unique travel destinations and events to you. Yes, it is a sacrifice – but she is willing to do that for her readers! You can see more of Terri’s writing at www.examiner.com where she is the National Chocolate Examiner and at www.barzz.net. You can contact Terri at tfarris60@hotmail.com.

June, 2010 – Stray Thoughts, Vol. IV

0

As I Was SayingAlan Williamson

 

Stray Thoughts, Vol. IV

 

By Alan Williamson

 

I’ve had a lot of things on my mind lately, so here goes . . .

 

*       The sign said “long-haired freaky people need not apply.” Which is really weird because the day before it said “u-turn not permitted.”

 

*       If you’re ever with a group of people having their photo taken and you’re tempted to make that thumbs-up gesture, don’t. It always looks annoyingly stupid.

 

*       I recently considered pursuing a career as an organic farmer to have a more eco-friendly influence on the environment. Unfortunately, it ended abruptly when I got motion sickness during the crop rotations.

 

*       As I get older, I sometimes see my father when I look in the mirror. I was startled once to see my mother in the mirror, but that’s because she came up behind me suddenly to ask if we had any Tylenol.

 

 

*       Air Travel Anti-Terrorism Enhancement: Currently, before a plane takes off, flight attendants instruct all passengers in the use of emergency equipment and check to see that seatbelts are fastened and seats are in the upright positions. Let’s also have them make the following announcement: “Before we take off, we ask that all passengers please check fellow passengers in your immediate area for any screwballs, weirdos, wackos, misfits, haunted drifters or fidgety religious fanatics.”

 

*       Like the song says “If there’s a rock and roll heaven, you know they have a hell of a band.” Plus, progressive policies are in place on recreational drug use.

 

*       Best Game Show Host of All Time: Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek. He’s a sharp dresser, he keeps a fast-paced show running smoothly, and when someone misses an easy question he never says “Clutch answer, dumbass” like a friend or family member would.

 

*       While staying at my wife’s parent’s house I was sure I had lost my wallet (a 20 minute search came up empty). What a terrible, sickening feeling. I had resigned myself to spending hours on the phone canceling credit cards, etc., when my mother-in-law remembered grabbing some papers off a bureau and stuffing them in a drawer. It turns out my wallet was under the papers and accidentally got stuffed in the drawer with them. So, all’s well that ends well . . . except for my mother-in-law who is sitting in a Sterling Heights, Michigan jail charged with criminal mischief and unlawful concealment of an out-of-state wallet.

 

*       IDEA: I want to create a television series called Previously so that every week during the recap of last week’s episode the voiceover can say “Previously on Previously.”

 

*       FACT: Approximately two-thirds of all Americans are overweight. The other third are wondering where all the snacks went.

 

*       No one says “Good Grief” or “Great Caesar’s Ghost” anymore, but plenty of people still say “Holy Cow.” Pretty amazing when you consider “Good Grief” and “Great Caesar’s Ghost” had some snappy alliteration going for them and “Holy Cow” conjures up images of a slow-witted farm animal. Let’s all make the jump to “Holy Crap” and call it a day, for Pete’s Sake.

 

*       At what point in time did Barry Manilow become an elderly Jewish woman with a beauty salon hairdo and a nails-on-the-blackboard singing voice?

 

*       Elvis is alive and I’ve got the concert tickets to prove it! I bought them from some guy at the flea market. Sucky part is I have to fly to Guadalajara, Mexico to catch the comeback show.

 

*       The international graphical symbols for “Men” and “Women” on restroom doors are way too subtle for my attention span. Can we at least give the man a baseball cap and the woman some curves so I don’t have to stop and decipher which figure represents the room I’m pre-approved to take a wiz in after downing the 2 for 1 happy hour house wine at Chili’s?

 

*       Mail Management Experiment: When I get junk mail I immediately rip it up and throw it in the trash, achieving a 58% decrease in my weekly mail backlog. Using the same strategy with bills has resulted in an additional 37% decrease in weekly mail and a 100% decrease in electricity and insurance coverage.

 

*       CONFESSION: Sometimes I just want to rhyme. Is that such a horrible crime?

 

Thank you, you’ve been great! Drive safely! Good night everybody!

 

Alan Williamson is an award-winning writer with 27 years in the field of true fiction (advertising). A practical man who knows that writing for a living is risky going, he has taken steps to pursue a second, more stable career as a leggy super model. Alan can be reached at alwilly@bellsouth.net© 2010 Alan Williamson.

June, 2010 – No-No’s for Puppies

Pet TalkFrances Goodman

 

No-No’s That Puppies Find Hard to Resist

 

By Frances Goodman

 

 

Some things are irresistible to puppies, and many of them we would rather not have in puppy’s mouth.

Around four to six months, depending on breed, puppies can start learning things like “Stay” and “Drop it!” if appropriate training is provided for the pup and the family.

Even then, it will take some time for their manners to shape up.

So until maturity and training begin kicking in, forget about making corrections for stolen items. Remember, puppies are babies!

It’s best to help them be good by keeping temptation out of their reach.

 

A Few No-No’s

Puppies Can’t Resist

We already know shoes are irresistible. Keep them safely closed away. And never give an old one as a toy, because this teaches that shoes are okay for chewing. (Puppies don’t know the difference between new ones and old ones.) Shoes also may contain toxic chemicals.

Here are five more things puppies find hard to resist:

1. Family socks — Recently worn socks and undies are irresistible. Plus, it’s great fun to run through the house carrying dad’s sock with the family members in hot pursuit. Even more fun if someone is yelling! To the puppy, it’s an exciting game with the puppy as the leader. He will definitely want to do this again!

Solution: Keep temptation off the floor, clothes baskets off limits, and closet doors closed. Train the family! Never chase and yell. (See Dangerous Contraband section below for what to do.)

2. The waste basket — Puppies are fascinated by treasures in the waste basket. Especially paper towels and tissues with our personal scent on them. Solution: Keep trash behind closed doors or in sturdy wastebaskets with sturdy tops.

3. Moss in the potted plant — This is really fun to play with and shake, maybe even eat. Solution: For everyone’s sake, eliminate the moss. Throw it out. The plants don’t really need it, and the issue is resolved.

4. The plant – Of course, many puppies will put most anything in their mouth, including the plant! Some are highly toxic but even non-toxic plants can cause an upset stomach if ingested.

Solution: Relocate or block access to the plant, or eliminate it if it’s a toxic variety planted in the yard. (Visit aspca.org and click on animal poison control center under “pet care” for a list of toxic plants.)

5. The cat’s litterbox — Few dogs of any age can resist a snack from the litter box! And that can make them quite sick. A barrier or gate between the dog and the litter box area, so only the cat can get through or over, may be the best answer. The same solution may be needed to keep the pup out of the cat’s chow.

 

Dangerous Contraband

If a “stolen” item is dangerous, never scream. Move calmly but quickly. Disrupt the activity by using a squirt bottle with clean water to spritz the pup right in the face, or shake an empty cola can with 12 pennies in it, accompanied by a cross-sounding “NO!” (These items should be on hand already.)

If necessary, drop a towel or blanket over the puppy to control it.

Quickly and calmly remove the item and re-focus the pup on another activity.

Every puppy owner should know how to place the fingers of one hand around the top jaw and the thumb of the other hand on the center of the bottom jaw and gently – gently – open a puppy’s mouth in order to remove an object. If uncertain, ask your vet to show you.

If the item is not dangerous, act as if you are ignoring the problem and begin a new more exciting “game” that will attract the puppy — such as bouncing a ball or squeaking a toy — hopefully causing the item to be dropped.

Then remove it or have it removed with as little fuss as possible. Always be sure there are several appealing toys to offer as acceptable alternatives.

And remember, wait until the pup has had the benefit of some maturity and proper training before even thinking of corrections.

For puppies, prevention is the best policy!

 

Frances Goodman is a professional dog obedience trainer and pet care writer. Got a question? Email her at fhpettalk@hotmail.com. See her ad this page.

May, 2010 – A Louisiana Congressman on the BP Oil Spill

0

A Louisiana Congressman Speaks About the BP Oil Spill

June, 2010 – Interviews with Lisa Loeb and Marco Ramirez

City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Festival

 

Interviews with Songwriter Lisa Loeb and Playwright Marco Ramirez

 

By Marla E. Schwartz

 

 

This summer marks the 15h Anniversary Season for Miami’s magnificent world-renowned Carbonell Award winning City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Festival. If you have yet to drive to Miami for this program, make the time to head on down to the Magic City and if you’ve already been, you won’t want to miss this year’s exciting line-up! “The festival has become a nationally recognized event and a must-see/must-be-seen-there social outing for South Florida audiences,” Stephanie Norman, Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director said. “In fifteen-years City Theatre has produced over three-hundred original “short” plays by the nation’s top 2camp-kappawanna-the-cast-v2playwrights. In honor of this milestone season, we commissioned Camp Kappawanna to set new artistic benchmarks and, as a family musical, create a rockin’ gift for many generations to celebrate summer.” This summer City Theatre will perform at and in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami from June 3 – 27, 2010 followed by a new summer residency at the Epstein Center for the Arts at Nova Southeastern University in Davie to celebrate the holiday weekend, performing July 1 – 3, 2010. For ticket information go to: http://www.citytheatre.com/ or call (305) 949-6722.

 

The acclaimed annual Summer Shorts Festival will feature two shorts series this year: SIGNATURE SHORTS, the original series that put “shorts” on the map; and UNDERSHORTS, a late-night series of shorts for adults that is edgy, irreverent, and completely hilarious. “Mr. Summer Shorts” Stephen Trovillion, a veteran of seventy-one roles in thirteen previous festivals, and the comedic genius of the gifted Elena Maria Garcia, who has appeared in thirty-two roles in six previous festivals, will again delight you with their outstanding performances.

 

Stephen began his acting experiences with City Theatre in a most auspicious way. “I taught acting for three years at the University of Miami back when Summer Shorts was performed at the Ring Theatre,” he began to explain. “One day the City Theatre people (Stephanie Norman and Susi Westfall) were auditioning my students and several of them were late. I was embarrassed that no one was there to audition so I offered to do a monologue. It was truly an impulsive offer to fill time but I guess it worked out for the best. We’ve been together ever since.”

 

It turned out for Stephen that being in the right place at the right time eventually earned him the moniker ‘Mr. Summer Shorts’. How do you think he feels about this nickname? Well, of course it’s a wonderful compliment, brought about by the fact that I’ve been here a long time! I did my first season of Summer Shorts in 1998, so I’ve been around almost as long as the festival and I still enjoy it every year,” he said. “Sometimes when I’m out in the lobby talking to friends or family after the show people will come up to me and say hi – they feel they know me after seeing me on stage for so many years and that’s terrific! I’m glad they come back year after year and even more happy that they like my work. The Summer Shorts group is like a family, both backstage, onstage and those audience members who come every year and compare notes on which plays they like the best. We always welcome them back – if you haven’t been yet, come and join us! As we always say, if you don’t like this play, wait ten minutes and there’ll be another one!”

 

 

And after Mr. Summer Shorts takes his leave of Miami until next season he goes back to his teaching job up North.I’m the Coordinator of the BFA Acting program at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. I teach acting and direct as well. It’s a very rewarding and very demanding job,” Stephen said. “I’m a tenured professor and I’m proud to say that this year I was promoted to full professor! Unfortunately, I’m in Wisconsin all winter long when it’s beautiful here and cold there, then come down here in the summer just when it gets beautiful there and hot as heck here! Is there a name for the reverse of a snowbird? Whatever it is, that’s me, but I always love coming to Miami for the terrific work and to see all my great friends. I can’t wait for the festival to open!”

 

This year’s festival also presents plays written by Christopher Durang, Rich Orloff, Adam Sandler, Dan Dietz (Florida State University Professor who is this years’ Heideman Award winner – Actors Theatre of Louisville for his play Lobster Boy) and Rolin Jones (a writer for the hit Showtime series Weeds) and also features the spectacular acting chomps of some of south Florida’s most gifted thespians including Scott Genn, Breeza Zeller, Chaz Mena, Laura Turnball, David Hemphill and Erin Joy Schmidt. Shorts directors this year include the imitable talents of City Theatre Founding Artistic Director Gail Garrisan along with noted directors Avi Hoffman, Marjorie O’Neill-Butler, John Manzelli, Barry Steinman, James Samuel Randolph and Hugh Murphy. City Theatre’s production team for all three of the series which is under the direction of Festival Consultant Gail Garrisan and Associate Festival Coordinator John Manzelli, includes scenic designer Sean McClelland, lighting designer Sevim Abaza, sound designer Steve Shapiro, and properties designer Jodi Dellaventura.

 

This year for the very first time City Theatre presents a full-length camp-kappawanna-poster-v2musical Camp Kappawanna for children that’ll be unveiled for audiences as part of its summer line-up. Stephanie tapped multiHeideman Award winning playwright Marco Ramirez to write the book and Grammy Award-Nominated Singer/Songwriter Lisa Loeb to write the music and lyrics. Camp Kappawanna will especially delight youngsters of all ages and adults will be able to relate their personal summer camp experiences to the ones taking place on stage. Camp Kappawanna is the story of Jennifer Jenkins an endearingly self-conscious twelve-year-old who is trying to discover her true self. She’s leaving home for the first time to attend an overnight summer camp. This season marks Marco Ramirez’s eighth City Theatre production. “We’ve produced seven of Marco’s plays on our stages, starting with his first professional production and leading to many accolades as one of the nation’s rising talents,” Stephanie said. “His writing is smart, funny and strikes the right chord with kids and adults.” Ramirez comes to Camp Kappawanna from training at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts and The Juilliard School, and is currently a staff writer on FX’s Sons of Anarchy. The Camp Kappawanna ensemble includes the immeasurable acting talents of Melanie Leibner, Troy Davidson, Jameson Hammond, Tom Anello, Renata Eastlick, Mary Sansone and Gerardo Pelati and is directed by Sean Paul Bryan who is a faculty member in the Drama Department at Ransom Everglades School.

 

Lisa Loeb started her career with the platinum-selling No. 1 hit song ‘Stay (I Missed You)’ from the film Reality Bites and has parlayed 3lisa-loeb-image1-v2this feat into a multi-dimensional career encompassing music, film, television, voice-over work and children’s recordings. Lisa has recorded two award-winning children’s CD’s Camp Lisa as well as Catch the Moon with noted children’s musical artist Elizabeth Mitchell. She has also appeared in and produced two television series, Dweezil and Lisa for the Food Network and #1 Single, a dating show on the E! Network. In conjunction with her CD Camp Lisa she launched her own non-profit, The Camp Lisa Foundation, that helps underprivileged kids attend summer camp through its partnership with Summer Camp Opportunities, Inc. Camp Kappawanna is inspired by the same CD (with music and lyrics written by Lisa Loeb, Michelle Lewis and Dan Petty) is making its debut in Florida.

 

Lisa Loeb became involved with City Theatre in last season’s festival. “Stephanie Norman last summer asked if they could one of our songs called ‘Best Friends’ in one of the summer shorts,” Lisa began to explain. “It seemed like a real cool theater festival and so we agreed to let them use it in one of their shorts. That was my first contact with them; of course after we did that we found out that we had different friends and family members from different places that already knew about the theater festival.”

 

“I’ve always wanted to do a musical theater piece so this has been a perfect collaboration and with the summer camp album Camp Lisa my goal was really to bring summer camp to as many people as possible so I think a family musical is a perfect format for that,” she continued. “We used a handful of songs from the CD (for the musical) and then we wrote a number of new songs once Marco had written the play. We started thinking about what kind of songs we needed to write to further the story of the play. I know from my Camp Lisa record all of the proceeds go to the Camp Lisa Foundation to send kids to summer camp and my manager is going to make sure we have something set up so there will continue to be funds to send kids to summer camp (from this production) and we’re working on the details right now.”

 

Lisa is over the moon with enthusiasm when she speaks of this collaboration that one cannot help wonder if she attended summer camp as a child. “I did – for years and years as a child,” she said. “At a certain point I started to go to sleep away camp. I think there’s always a tiny bit of trepidation before the summer started which would always convert itself into a feeling of accomplishment and fun; but the idea of going off on a school bus where you’re going to have to meet all new people and try all these things and eat different food and learn new songs and have different challenges that were not typical things I’d do at school where I excelled it was a little bit of a challenge. But by the end of the summer I always had a tan, which was weird for a pale person like me; I could swim farther and longer than I could at the beginning of the summer; I had new friends as well as not losing my regular school friends, but I had a group of new friends, new experiences, learned new recipes, new crafts, and just had a full experience that meant a lot to me; especially in contrast to school which was filled with assignments and doing what you had to do.”

 

“I loved sleep away camp,” she explained. “Although you get a sense of it when you’re a really little kid going to day camp, a sense of the fun and the challenges, and sometimes fun competitions between campers, one of the things at sleep away camp is that it gives you a sense of independence. You get to be away from your parents in a place that’s safe, where you get a chance to explore new things and even in just getting to know yourself a little bit better in a different way . . . And instead of having just a locker at school you get to have your own bunk.”

 

Transferring this personal fervor to the stage and working with an award-winning playwright that she hadn’t yet met was something new – yet the challenge allowed her to explore another side of her seemingly endless multi dimensional sense of artistic exploration. “Initially Marco was presented to us by Stephanie as the playwright for the show and we looked at his plays he already wrote and we thought he had a really great voice,” Lisa said. “He has a great sense of humor, is very current, smart, and really great references to current culture and has a timeless element as well. He proposed an outline and we went with it and from there he started developing the characters and then as much as I could here and there I’d pitch in or make comments and participate in trying to help develop the characters in a way that seemed real to me. In rehearsals we do a lot if side sessions and it gives us a sense of how things are playing out and how they feel and if the songs are working right.”

 

And Floridians – a very, very special treat awaits you because Lisa Loeb will be in town for the show! “I’ll be at the first performance and some of the last rehearsals and I’ll also be appearing on a lot of TV and radio stations, at Barnes & Noble, Summer Camps, schools and all kind of things are lined up. I’m also going to be singing the National Anthem at a Marlin’s Game.”

 

Born in Bethesda, Maryland and growing up in Dallas, Texas Lisa came from a family that cherished music of all kinds from modern rock to musical of all kinds. “Musical theater was a big part of how I grew up,” she explained. “I listened to the radio a lot, but there were also some musicals that were very popular when I was a kid, like Annie, Grease and my friends and I loved Bye, Bye Birdie and my parents were very much of the generation where that kind of music was listened to in the house along with Oklahoma and West Side Story and all those classic shows.”

 

For more information on this electrifying artist, you can find her on twitter @lisaloeb4real, you can check out her website www.lisaloeb.com and follow her on Facebook at, www.facebook.com/lisaloeb.

 

Playwright Marco Ramirez grew up in Hialeah and attended Coral Reef High School and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 2001. A year later his play Singing Stan was producedin City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Festival, followed by Pipo and Fufo: 1969 I Am Not Batman, The Big Brain on Bobby Martin and Becky Meets Mordecai Baxter. Marco is a two-time winner of the Latino Playwriting Award at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival for work he did while an undergrad at NYU’s Tisch 5marco-ramierez-headshot1v2School of the Arts. In 2007, he won the prestigious Heideman Award for short plays as part of the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville not once, but twice, in 2006 and 2009. He did graduate work in the playwriting program at Manhattan’s prestigious Juilliard School. He studied with many well-known playwrights including Pulitzer-Prize winner Marsha Norman (she won for ‘night, Mother, after beginning her career at Actors Theatre). He used to be the Literary Manager at City Theatre and Mad Cat Theatre has produced his play The Beast and recently premiered his play BroadSword at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

 

Marco Ramirez was kind enough to take a few moments of time out of his extremely hectic schedule to answer a few questions for Around Wellington readers.

 

AW: How did you get involved in this project (the Camp Kappawanna)?

 

MR: It was essentially Steph Norman’s idea. At some point last year, she approached me and said “Instead of looking for a bunch of shorts for kids this year, I’m thinking of doing one longer – stand-alone piece.” She handed me a copy of Camp Lisa (Lisa Loeb’s summer camp record for kids) and asked, “Maybe there’s a story in there?”

 

AW: How did you work with Lisa Loeb on this musical? Did you meet in person, email drafts to each other, talk on the phone?

 

MR: We did a lot of emailing back and forth in the beginning. Our first challenge was nailing down a storyline we all agreed on. I spitballed two or three ideas to Steph, and we presented those to Lisa and her manager, and what they liked, we went with. We met in person only a couple times, but phone conferences and even Skype helped communication along the way.

 

AW: Did you go to summer camp and if so did any of your personal experiences reflect into this play? Did you have to do any particular research to write this script? Do you have a favorite character in this play?

 

MR: I didn’t go to summer camp (don’t tell anyone), but I think personal experiences definitely seeped their ways into the play. I think – when you look at me, and look at Lisa – there aren’t TONS of similarities there, but one thing we do have in common is at some point in our lives we had to turn around and face our friends and family and say, “I think I wanna do this artist thing, like forever”. That’s made its way into the show. It’s definitely kind of a prequel/origin story for someone LIKE a Lisa Loeb. When we were going back and forth, Lisa shared lots of her experiences, what camp meant to her, what being a singer/songwriter means, etc. Those made their ways in there, I think. Re: research. I did some. But what came across as more important to me wasn’t depicting the actual summer camp experience, it was answering the question: “Why do people remember it so fondly?” I tried to figure that out while writing. Re: favorite character: He’s not onstage all that much, but the villain is probably my favorite character. He’s got a CRAZY AWESOME song that Lisa wrote for him, and he gets a real moment of tenderness at the end of the play.

 

AW: Have you had an opportunity to work with any of the actors appearing in the production in your past productions at City Theatre?

 

MR: Troy Davidson is the man. An all-around great guy. He has SUCH a gift for children’s theatre. Kids just melt. They see him, they know he GETS it. Unfortunately, I don’t know many of the other actors.

 

AW: How did you decide you wanted to enter the realm of playwriting? I know you were young when you wrote your first play, but how young – and what led you toward the stage? Do you have any writers in your family?

 

MR: I was 16. I was (am) obsessed with Star Wars. I genuinely thought I wanted to do special effects for movies. As special effects got more and more technically advanced, I realized I wasn’t in love with the effects at all – I just loved great stories. I had always been a reader – the quiet-type loner. Why plays as opposed to short stories? I dunno. I think the collaborative element of it excited me. I think the fact that a short story exists on paper and a play exists on Friday night at 8 o clock made it somehow more alive to me.

 

AW: Do you find it difficult to switch gears from writing a musical for kids to going back to the writer’s room of ‘Sons of Anarchy’?

 

MR: I got through most of the writing on the Camp piece right before writing for Sons started.

 

AW: How did you get the job writing for the television show ‘Sons of Anarchy’?

 

MR: At school I was lucky enough to sign with a big agency.

 

AW: Do you have any projects in the works at the moment? Perhaps this is a silly question.

 

MR: A couple. I’m writing a play about horror movies in the 1940s. I’m also working on a couple screenplays and a TV pilot. Keeping busy, yes.

 

AW: How many times have you won the Heideman Award and for what plays? Do you think you’ll enter again – or will you begin developing full-length works with Actors Theater of Louisville?

MR: I was lucky enough to win it twice. Once for a play called I AM NOT BATMAN and once for a piece called 3:59AM: a drag race play for two actors. I don’t think I’ll enter it again soon – but you never know. If I stumble across an idea for another ten-minute play I’d like to write, I’d gladly send it in. The people at Actors Theater are fantastic. I’ll take any chance I can get to work with them again.

 

AW: Who has been your most profound mentor(s)? Please tell me why he/she or more than one mentor has been important to you and why.

 

MR: Marsha Norman was a great mentor during my time at Juilliard. All the lessons she taught me I carry with me everyday. She has a great sense of why storytelling is important – and why doing it WELL is important. And in addition to being a Pulitzer Prize winning dramatist for serious plays like ‘night Mother, and in addition to writing the book for beloved musicals like The Color Purple and The Secret Garden – she’s a sci-fi/fantasy literature fan. So that was awesome.

 

AW: You’ve already written a substantial amount of plays – do you have a favorite so far and if so what is it and why?

 

MR: I don’t think I do. I definitely have LEAST favorites. But favorites? Not so much. I really like I AM NOT BATMAN. I think at some point on page three in that play I “figured out” a lot of what writing IS. I also like a kid’s play I wrote called CHESTER WHO PAINTED THE WORLD PURPLE that unfortunately has never been produced in Miami. The Kennedy Center commissioned me to write a bunch of short plays, this one was my favorites – it was a great experience.

 

AW: Do you have any advice for people just entering the realm of playwriting?

 

MR: Go watch plays. Don’t just read them. Watch them. And watch all KINDS of plays. Don’t just stick to things you think you’ll like. Go see things you think you won’t like. You might be surprised.

 

In partnership with Actors Theatre of Louisville, the nation’s pre-eminent theatre festival, the City Theatre Summer Shorts Festival offers the best in new short plays, a little of this, a little of that: dramas, comedies, musicals, farces, mysteries-an experience that covers the emotional landscape. This company truly enriches the lives of all the children and adults who have an opportunity to be audience members.

 

The festival is also sponsored in part by Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A.; Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs; The Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners; Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Affairs Council; The Children’s Trust; America’s Capital Partners; Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts; Shepard Broad Foundation; Citizens Interested in the Arts; Carnival Cruise Lines; Dramatists Guild Fund; Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation; Wille Family Foundation; Funding Arts Broward; Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust; IBM; Islander News; Manny and Ruthy Cohen Foundation; Miami Salon Group; Northern Trust; The University School Art Institute at the Epstein Center for the Arts; Wachovia and WLRN.

 

Marla E. SchwartzA native of Toledo, OH and a graduate of Kent State, Marla E. Schwartz has been a professional journalist since her teenage years and is a Senior Writer for Miami Living Magazine, and a freelance writer for CRAVINGS South Florida in Aventura, as well as Around Wellington Magazine and Lighthouse Point Magazine.  An avid photographer, her images have appeared in numerous Ohio publications, as well as in Miami Living, The Miami Herald, The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post.  She has had numerous plays published and produced around the country.  Her short play, America’s Working? was originally read at First Stage in Los Angeles and in the same city produced at the Lone Star Ensemble.  It was then produced at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL and then taken to an Off-Broadway playhouse by its producers Adam and Carrie Simpson.  Her piece, The Lunch Time Café, was a finalist for the Heideman Award, Actors Theatre of Louisville.  Feel free to contact her at: meschwartz1@hotmail.com.

***

 

 

 

[nggallery id=77]  

City Theatre Photos by George Schiavone.

 

 

 

 

City Theatre’s 15th Anniversary Season

 

City Theatre and the Adrienne Arsht Center present

 

 

 

 

15th ANNUAL SUMMER SHORTS FESTIVAL 

 

SIGNATURE SHORTS

June 3 – 27, 2010

Carnival Studio Theater (in the Ziff Ballet Opera House)

Signature Shorts is the series that put City Theatre’s “shorts” on the map!  A “short” is a one-act play running 5-20 minutes.  Now celebrating it’s 15th anniversary season, this year’s Signature Shorts features South Florida’s finest talent in a brand-new mix of hilarious comedies and heartfelt dramas in one fast and furious program.  Signature Shorts plays in conjunction with City Theatre’s edgy and provocative undershorts. See one program or see them both!  City Theatre’s Summer Shorts is the hottest ticket for the coolest night in town.

 

undershorts

June 4 – 26, 2010

Carnival Studio Theater (in the Ziff Ballet Opera House)

undershorts is City Theatre’s late-night series of short plays for adults only that are provocative, irreverent, and hilarious.  A “short” is a one-act play running 5-20 minutes.  Featuring an all-new roster of edgy plays performed by South Florida’s finest talent, undershorts pushes the envelope with social and political material reflective of the times in one fast and furious program.  Adult content, language, and nudity. undershorts plays in conjunction with City Theatre’s Signature Shorts, a mix of hilarious comedies and heartfelt dramas. See one program or see them both!  City Theatre’s Summer Shorts is the hottest ticket for the coolest night in town.

 

City Theatre and the Adrienne Arsht Center present

CAMP KAPPAWANNA – WORLD PREMIERE!

June 17 – 27, 2010

Carnival Studio Theater (in the Ziff Ballet Opera House)

City Theatre and the Adrienne Arsht Center bring something completely new to families this summer with Camp Kappawanna – a world premiere musical that celebrates timeless camp experiences with hip, cool music penned by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb and a book by rising national star and South Florida native, Marco Ramirez.  Camp Kappawanna creates an interactive environment that, from start to finish, makes everyone in the audience feel as if they are joining in the fun of summer camp!  Appropriate for ages 7 and up.

 

Returning to the Festival this year is City Theatre’s 2nd Annual Art Contest, THE CAMP KAPPAWANNA ART CONTEST. Children in grades K – 8 may visit www.citytheatre.com/campkappawanna to download a template and registration form to enter.  The contest runs April 1 – May 15 and winning entries will be enlarged and displayed at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and Epstein Center for the Arts as an exhibit of Florida’s finest young artists.

 

 

 

The End of the Perfect Game (Southeastern Premiere)

SPORTS COMEDY: It’s the last inning of the last game of the World Series and the pitcher, Al “Train Wreck” Sexton must face down his last batter and an existential crisis!

 

Matterhorn by Rich Orloff (Revival: 15th Season Festival Favorite)

ROMANTIC COMEDY?! Standing still online while waiting to get on Disneyland’s Matterhorn takes Jerry and Arleen on a wild ride as they consider the hilarious ups and downs of love and marriage – in the most magical place in the world.

 

Look at Me by Susan Westfall (World Premiere)

Sexy Drama: A young wife tries to bring her injured and bewildered husband back to bed and back to life when he returns home from war.

 

Poor Shem by Gregory Hischak (World Premiere)

OFFICE COMEDY: Co-workers make an awful discovery when something in the 8.5 x 11 bypass jams in the company copier, and they face the moral dilemma whether to call a priest, a repairman … or just keep copying!

 

Lobster Boy by Dan Dietz (Southeastern Premiere)

FAMILY DRAMA: A boy hatches a plan to cure his younger brother, who was born without the capacity for pain, in this haunting play about the things we just can’t feel.

 

Iddle Minglish by John Olive (World Premiere)

SWEET COMEDY: Two strangers from different centuries can’t talk to each other, until they understand they must fight a duel for the woman they love!

 

Euxious by Bridget Carpenter (Southeastern Premiere)

CONTEMPORARY DRAMA: After a bloody car crash, a Hollywood producer is too terrified to answer her ringing cell phone.

 

Not a Creature Was Stirring by Christopher Durang (Southeastern Premiere)

WACKY FAMILY COMEDY: Father tries to pass off a classic Christmas poem as his own. Unfortunately his version swaps attack-bats for the traditional reindeer, turning the holiday spirit upside down into a hilarious battle of life and death!

 

 

 

 

 

 

City Theatre’s Undershorts!

 

Banging Ann Coulter by Michael Elyanow (World Premiere)

BAWDY POLITICAL COMEDY:  Ann Coulter’s MANY lovers can’t wait to kiss and tell and compare sex notes. Ann finds out … and it isn’t pretty.

 

Daddy Took My Debt Away by Bekah Brunstetter (Southeastern Premiere)

A TIMELY FINANCIAL FAIRY TALE: They’re slackers, they’re in debt … and they work in the call center for a student loan payment center.  They’re Ty and Ned, and they’re in over their heads after one very unexpected phone call.

 

Beds by Susan Cinoman (World Premiere)

A GOOD-IN-BED FARCE: Two couples in bed together must tangle and untangle their very tangled relationships.

 

It Was Fun While It Lasted or I Wouldn’t Drink That If I Were You or You have 4 Hours to Vacate the Premises by Laura Eason    (World Premiere)

CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL SATIRE: A frazzled messenger arrives in a loyal bureaucrat’s office to tell him the jig might be up.  Not just any jig.  Our country is being abandoned.  Now.  The party’s over – and there’s not much time left!

 

The Pap by Joshua James (World Premiere)

A GYNECOLOGICAL COMEDY: is in the stirrups for a bumbling young doctor’s first day on the job.  This is every woman’s worst nightmare. 

 

Piece of Shit Car by Adam Sandler (Theatrical Premiere)

AN AUTOMOTIVE MUSICAL COMEDY: One of the cultures most original makers of musical mayhem’s keen Caribbean observations on car ownership (complete with back-up singers). It’s reggae, it’s rockin’ … and it’s a “Piece of Shit Car!”

 

Extremely by Rolin Jones (Southeastern Premiere)

EXTREMELY FUNNY ACTION COMEDY: Two dudes take on life, friendship and injuries in a series of extreme adventures

 

 

 

June, 2010 – Faith Farm’s Super Saving Event

0

summersupersavingseventfaithfarm

All proceeds from our Thrift Stores helps to support Faith Farm Ministries, a 59 year old ministry that provides a 9 month, faith-based recovery program for men and women who have lost control of their lives due to alcohol and/or illegal and pharmaceutical drug addictions at no cost to them
 
Please help us  Fight Addiction . . . It’s Everyone’s Battle! 

May, 2010 – Celebrating the Success of a Harvard Graduate, Habitat Kid

0

Fuller Center co-founder Linda Fuller celebrates success of Harvard graduate, Habitat kid

By Kelli Yoder

Created May 27, 2010

 

Linda Fuller and Judah Slavkovsky on graduation day at Harvard Medical School.

 

Fuller Center co-founder Linda Fuller is in Boston to celebrate the graduation of Judah Slavkovsky from Harvard Medical School and the witness that he is to the success that can come from having a decent place to live.

judah-habitatJudah grew up in a Habitat for Humanity house. His family was the first to partner with the Habitat affiliate in Sisters, Oregon.

“When I was 10 my family moved into this new house and I remember planting apple trees in the front yard with both of my sisters. We left behind a house where in the winter time ice would build up on the insides of the windows and where mold would grow on the walls,” Judah said when he spoke at the memorial celebration held for Millard Fuller in 2009. “Having a well-built home is transformative and for me it was enabling. When there is stability in housing there is stability in communities.”

(You can view the entire celebration which includes his speech here. [1])

Millard and Linda Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity in addition to The Fuller Center for Housing, grew to know Judah and the Slavkovsky family when Millard gave the commencement address at Judah’s undergraduate ceremony.

Judah made such an impact on Millard that he mentioned the student in his book “Building Materials for Life: III.” [2]  He wrote:

“[Judah] advanced across the stage, received his diploma, shook hands with the president, but, instead of going back to his seat as all the others had done, he walked straight to me. He extended his hand. I shook it as he said quietly and firmly, ‘Thank you for the house.’ …I was deeply moved. It was such a magical moment and a powerful statement. A little Habitat kid expressing what a simple thing had meant to him–a house!” – Judah on graduation day.

“Families who have experienced poverty, who understand deeply the meaning of this word, are freed to engage more deeply in their communities and to build them up. It is possible to rise above the struggle to get ahead, and instead engage in the struggle for justice,” Judah said.

According to the book, Judah wants to serve the poor as a doctor, positively impacting world health.

“I look forward to the day when all God’s children will be free in the possession of a quality home and with access to high quality health care,” Judah said.

Judah graduated today, May 27th, from Harvard Medical School.