Current Events, Pop Culture, Food, & Life as I See it

I had the great opportunity to spend some time in our nation’s Capitol recently. I bring an air of nostalgia to the city every time I visit, as I lived there on two separate occasions during the Clinton Administration.  Once, I worked for him in his press office.  The second time, I worked to cover him at ABCNews.

The sun sets, but many are still working

It’s not defusing bombs in Iraq.  It’s not putting in 12 hours of assembly line work, which sounds mind-numbing. Unless that assembly line turns out the food you eat or the car you drive and you pray that the minds at work are not numb, but sharp.  One thing I will tell you is that our Executive branch continues to be one of the hardest working group of cubicle inhabiters out there.  My proof?  Read on.

A friend of my husband works at the White House in a military capacity.  He showed us around the Eisenhower Executive Office Building around 9pm on a Friday night.  Most Americans were doing any number of things–continuing the happy hour that started 4 hours earlier, putting kids to bed, worried about kids who weren’t home yet, or maybe getting ready for that third shift job that pays double on the weekends.

Say Goodbye to Happy Hour

Most White House employees work here

There was a large group of people who were just leaving work or still working in the Executive Branch of government.  One person in the White House Counsel’s office, a couple of 20-somethings closing up the communication’s office, and a few taking a coffee break outside the Cantine.  There were still cars in the parking lot when we left.  Close to 10p.m.

For all the “cushy” government 9-5 paper pushing jobs that exist, you can be sure that few of them exist on the White House campus under Obama’s watch.  You might say I’m biased, having worked there before and being an open Democrat.  But I have a defense.  I worked 12-14 hour days and I was happy to do so because of the greater implications way down or up the food chain my work could have.  It was a heady time–early 20s, lots of friends, no husband or kids.  In fact, in our group of about 10, only one was married.

Lately, there have been criticisms of the perception of “work-life balance” in the Obama White House.  The President seems to get it, having dinner with his girls every night while his advisers barely see their families.  David Axelrod, who has a daughter with epilepsy and brain damage, only sees his family in Chicago once a month. Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff, debated taking his job since the arrival of 3 children, priorities which didn’t exist during his 15 hour days with the Clinton administration.  It’s about choices, and they’re not easy ones.

Obama’s intent to make the White House “family friendly,” really only applies to his family.  Take-home laptops for top aides don’t end up helping that much.

Art Imitates Life

Family versus country?  They’re not exactly mutually exclusive.

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie in The Hurt Locker (Jonathan Olley/Summit Entertainment)

In the Oscar winning film, “The Hurt Locker,” Jeremy Renner’s character, Staff Sergeant William Jones, [SPOILER ALERT] chooses country over family.  Through the film, his character is portrayed as a bit of a swashbuckler.  But when it comes to decision time, it’s clear his choice isn’t made in haste.

Many military families accept this way of life for decades–that someone in the family has the struggle between family and country.  Sometimes family can come along.  Sometimes family gets through a year with emails and webcams, missing first steps or friends’ weddings.  The family’s pride for their loved one and their country helps them through.  There’s support for military families, to be sure. But it’s still hard.

Other Agencies Make it Work–Just Not the Big One

The government as a whole provides high levels of job satisfaction.  The Partnership for Public Service and American university’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation (ISPPI) conducts regular studies.  Based on responses of 212,000 employees in 278 federal organizations and agencies, of the top 31 agencies reporting on work/life balance, 20 reported increases work/life balance as compared to 2007.  The top 10 include 4 cabinet agencies: Treasury, Education, Energy, and Commerce, all who reported changes for the better of .7-4.6%.

I don’t think it’s a partisan thing–but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that President Bush spent 487 days at Camp David and 490 over 77 trips to his ranch in Texas.  I’m all in favor of “working vacations” and “working at home,” but being a writer at home is different than being President.

There’s no clear or right answer.  Do we work our government to burn-out or make honest efforts to ensure work-life balance for some hard-working Americans?  Do we tell them to suck it up?  What is truly better for our country?

Gentle readers, I feel the need to share that I have zero intentions of becoming a mommy blogger.  I don’t plan on being the be-all, end-all expert on strollers, diapers, or napping.  I don’t plan on sharing poop stories.  I will be the best mom I can, but the point here is that it’s all future tense.  My present tense is what craves commentary.

Ever read those surveys that scientifically prove the obvious?  The ones that report things like drivers with guns are more prone to road rage (Accident Analysis and Prevention, Jan. 2006) or that “Beer Goggles” really exist (Bausch & Lomb press release, Nov 2005).  You laugh until you realize the money that went into the work, the laboratories, and the salaries of the Ph.D.s.   Then you wonder why didn’t you think of it first.

There are the things that almost everyone seems to experience.  Traffic. Bad customer service. Travel woes.  The search for the perfect jeans or the perfect mate.  The experiences tend to be universal and we have universal expressions.  Pissedconsumer.com is a repository of cranky sports.  Most newspapers feature ombudsmen who will fight your battles for you with names like “The Haggler,” since no company wants a reporter mad, especially a reporter with the platform to tell thousands about the experience.

But there’s a certain experience, mostly favoring one gender (except for a guy in Oregon) where complaints are not well received.  No one wants to hear the bitching and moaning of a woman, let alone a pregnant woman.  So my point here is to “out” a common issue and my plea here does not go so far as sympathy, but perhaps more understanding–understanding that pregnancy sucks.

Why can't this guy just come?

Pregnancy Sucks.  Yes I said it.

For current mothers, the attitude is, “been there, done that, suck it up.” For want-to-be mothers, the attitude is, “be thankful you can reproduce, suck it up.”  For everyone else, the attitude is, “you wanted a kid, now suck it up.”  And for some it’s, “How could you not love every moment of creating new life?”

It’s kind of funny actually.  There’s a bit of amnesia that hits mothers around the 6 month mark, when their babies start to sleep through the night, coo in the cutest ways, and are fun to have around.  I have many dear friends who are moms.  I still have a mom and a grandma too.  But no one tells you how bad it is–and I’m still 4 months from labor.  A few mention the ick of morning sickness and the holy grail cure of saltine crackers but that’s about it.  I do realize that I have very little perspective here.  I’m inside the situation and I literally can’t see it from the outside nor from what awaits because I think having a child is one of those things where you can’t approximate the experience.  And I also realize that not everyone cares.  To some, I’m just a passing curiosity in the supermarket: is she pregnant or just fat?

Pregnancy is like a 9 month college degree.  There’s a lot to learn, midterms along the way, and a final exam. Like in college, some friends tell you what reading you can skip and still pass.  Others are bookworms, absorbing every word.  Some professors (doctors) conflict in philosophy.  But unlike college, it’s not like you have to regurgitate his or her published theory to get an “A.”  You do have to figure out what works for you, however.  Some wine or none?  Diet soda?  Peanuts? And crossing your fingers hoping for good results never hurts.

One thing about pregnancy that rarely said out loud, though, is that it’s not really all that fun.  And this is coming from a person who is an eternal optimist and a bit of a dreamer.  It gets pretty heady when you stop and think about the responsibility taken on: from 18 years of support to the loftier concept of expanding the human race to the lottery-type dreams of producing a President or Super Bowl winner.  (I’m hoping for the fourth Cornell grad in the family)

In her book, “Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy,” Jenny McCarthy exposed a lot of the yuckiness.  There’s actually a book entitled, “Pregnancy Sucks: What to Do When Your Miracle Makes You Miserable,” by Joanne Kimes.  Other bloggers here and there are on the bandwagon, but the majority of moms wax poetic about how wonderful it is to have the privilege of being lucky enough to experience the miracle of life.  Many message boards are just plain saccharine about the “best” way to spell “Ashley” and baby showers.  Blech.

Google® Won’t Find it for You

Even Google® won't come through

Even Google’s auto-completer in its search engine DOES NOT complete “Pregnancy sucks.”  You get “Pregnancy sushi” and  “Pregnancy Success Stories.”

I think there are at least 5 things that really suck and men can even relate to some:
1. You work very hard to get the body you want and *poof* it’s gone.  (For a guy, it might be too many pizzas in football season that lead to extra pounds.  But he skips dessert for a week and he’s fine.)
2. You don’t have the energy you need or want.  Whether you want to run a marathon, work a 12-hour-a-day job, heck, even watch Comedy Central at 11:30pm, you can’t.  A caffeine jolt for help?  Well, a little is ok, but that old 10-cup-a-day habit has to go.
3. You don’t sleep well.  No matter what you try.  I slept better the night before the Biology AP exam, the nights before I moved to cities where I didn’t know a soul, and the night before my wedding.  Practice for sleepless nights ahead? Hardly, when I still have to work, meet deadlines, and stay sharp.  With a newborn, you’re not expected to do anything but take care of the baby.  That’s why there’s maternity leave.
4. You forget everything.  Little things like where your keys are.  And big things like you’re actually pregnant!  I was reminded at yesterday’s spin class when my thighs were bumping my belly.  Or when I had a complete 20 minute conversation and planned how I was going to get myself on the communications staff for Andrew Cuomo’s yet-to-be announced New York gubernatorial campaign.  Uh–how exactly would that work with a July baby and a November election?  It won’t.
5. You can’t ___.  Fill in the blank.  It changes every day as you discover a growing belly gets in the way of more than seeing your feet.

Like an Oscar Nominee, I Am So Thankful to be Nominated

I do realize that I have a lot for which to be thankful.  Many women who want kids don’t or can’t have them.  Whether it’s fertility issues, age, biology, or adoption challenges, it doesn’t matter when you want to be a mom.  Worse, others have had kids and lost them.  At 37, I felt like my ovaries were slowly shriveling with little useful time left.  But like Jeff Bridges whose time may have come later in life or Susan Lucci for whom it did, I feel very lucky.  So far.  But I haven’t given birth to a healthy baby yet.  I have signed up for every test I can to check for abnormalities and sweated the time from the test to results.  (They tell you the delay is because the lab is in New Mexico.  I think that’s bunk.  FedEx anyone?)

You Just Hope Science is in Your Favor

You’re told the percentage chance of your child-to-be having any number of disorders from Downs Syndrome to Trisomy 18.  I know many now-Baby Boomer parents drank and smoked through their pregnancies and my contemporaries are highly functioning, contributing members of society.  But that doesn’t make me wonder if the pot I smoked in college will have repercussions now.  While all the research says that running through pregnancy is fine if you were a runner before, I decided to stop.  Why?  Because if something were to go wrong, I’d hate to wonder if all that bouncing was a contributing factor.

Who IS This Person?

I’m not like this.  I don’t make big decisions lightly, but I do enjoy life teetering on the edge.  I only applied to a single graduate school.  I used to own a motorcycle.  I love roller coasters and trying food I’ve never had before.  I enjoy travel near or far, without an itinerary.  I like forks in the road.

I’m not depressed.  I’m excited by the prospect of giving birth, having a kid, and expanding our family beyond our beloved dog.  According to the American Pregnancy Association, 10-20% of pregnant women are depressed.  A new study to be in the March issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology out of Stanford University found that acupuncture alone was a helpful treatment for antepartum depression.  So beyond drugs, there’s more verified help out there for those in need.  Good news for my fellow pregos.

Most of the time, you’ll never know it sucks.  It’s like when someone asks you, “How are you?”  Based on the relationship, you have to gauge whether the answer is “Fine, how are you?”  or “Gosh, this sucks.”

It reminds me of a time when we whispered “cancer.” When there was that silly Politically Correct trend in the 80s, euphemizing everything.  Some argue we’re in a “TMI” (too much information) trend now, which is true.  Not sure I really want to see other people’s child births on YouTube or read emails from Ex-Governors’ and pro-golfers’ former prostitutes.  I’m just saying that when it comes to pregnancy, women can be better served by a healthy dose of honesty among each other.

It’s got to be one of the least sexiest winter sports around. There isn’t the grace of ice skating or the speed of downhill skiing.  It’s not cool like snowboarding. It’s not quirky enough, like curling.  Most of the time, enthusiasts are lost in the woods so you’re not likely to see them  either.  It’s big in Fairbanks, Alaska and Salem, Oregon.  And even when it’s correct in print, it looks misspelled. But snowshoeing followers are there…and slowly growing in numbers.

Old School Snowshoes

Since 1977, the United States Snowshoe Association has existed in Upstate New York to spread the word about running through snow with tennis rackets tied to your feet.  But this is not a sport for the Aspen fancy-pants ilk.  Take a look at their website and then look at the US Skiing and Snowboard Association‘s.  The same number of “S”s but worlds apart.  There are snow shoe races and events called “invitationals.”  It’s serious stuff, but there is a definite dual sense of wishing their sport was more mainstream but not wanting everyone in on the secret.  As for numbers, well, they do reflect growth.  But the latest stats available are from the 1990s–not exactly accurate for today, when you consider that those numbers reflect a time when Olympic snowboarder Shaun White was in elementary school.

The secret might be out soon if the exercise benefits get some press.  According to the Snowsports Industry Association, snowshoers burn 45 percent more calories than walking or running at the same speed.

Nanook of the North

Snowshoeing has been around for about 6000 years. Legend has it beginning in Asia, where ancestors to Inuits and Native Americans migrated bringing snowshoes with them.  Their design mimics the feet of animals who walked in the snow.  If you have ever taken a step and found yourself in snow up to your knees, you’d agree that those folks were on to something.

The old wooden snowshoes you see with leather webbing and ties were, not surprisingly, hard to keep on.  In the 1960s and 70s, technology and plastic were introduced, leading to designs we use today.

And for you skiers out there, the guy who invented step-in ski bindings contributed to modern snowshoe design in the 1990s.  Rick Howell lent his expertise to the Vermont-based Tubbs Snowshoe Company, which grew to be a leader in the industry.

Typical Recreational Snowshoes

You want to start?

As far as sports equipment go, snowshoes won’t leave you broke.  For around $150 you can get a set of entry level shoes and a set of poles if you’re not planning on scaling a huge mountain.  Poles, which are usually telescopic, aren’t essential, but help with balance.

According to the USSSA, about 30 manufacturers market aluminum-framed snowshoes, the standard used today.  Tubbs, Atlas (owned by Tubbs), Redfeather, Sherpa, and TSL are the leaders.  And of course, Maine’s L.L.Bean brands their own snowshoes too.

There are three types of snowshoes: Recreational, Hikers, and Runners.  The majority of shoes bought and sold are recreational–versatile, spread across wide price-points, in many sizes and styles.

Snowshoes tend to come in two sizes: 8×25 and 9×30.  There are also 8x21s for smaller users too and even tinier ones for children.  Size is determined by the total weig

Blaze Your Own Trail

ht of the user–including whatever gear he or she might be carrying.

The Buddy System

Like many sports whether there’s the possibility of being swallowed by a wave or a bear, traveling in a group is usually recommended.

However, part of the thrill is being able to take in the peace of the woods on a solo mission, just you and the crunch-crunch-crunch of your snowshoes in the snow.

The first place many people encounter snow shoes is when they want something other than skiing to do on a winter vacation.  It’s an activity regularly offered at New England bed and breakfasts.  Outdoor shops sponsor treks which might end with hot chocolate.  To take a trek is usually an economical afternoon–around $30 per person, including rentals.

Don’t knock it till you try it.  It’s a way to connect with nature and be outside in colder weather.  That abominable snow man crossing the tundra otherwise known as a school yard on the next snowy day might just be you.

We weren’t really a sports-watching family growing up.  Dad liked baseball, I didn’t.  I latched on to the NY Giants as a 13 year old during the 1986 Super Bowl season and remain a fan today.  I don’t remember any Super Bowl parties in my house, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen.  In those days, we awaited the appearance of onion dip and potato chips with the usual pretzels–that meant it was a party.  It was not until college in Upstate New York that I tasted my first Buffalo wing.

The Super Bowl Staple--Buffalo Wings

Wings in college were more like a side dish to the pizza you ordered for the late night snack:  Wings were just a couple bucks more.  Being from the part of New York where you just called it New York and assumed everyone knew you weren’t talking about the entire state, I always focused on the pizza part.  The wings tasted good, but they were too much work for too little meat.  And it was just plain rude to hoard all the drumsticks, especially when you might need to borrow the notes of your snack-mate later.

But as I joined the ranks of those legally old enough to drink, I spent more time in bars.  With bars came bar food and wings took center stage at many of them, often overshadowing potato skins (always greasy) and nachos (a wildcard without insider information).  While I knew what I liked–hot over mild–I didn’t specifically seek wings out.  I wasn’t about to become a wing connoisseur, but I greatly enjoyed the perfect wing: a little crispy from the fryer, moist on the inside, saucy but never drippy, accompanied by the cooling balance of a good blue cheese dressing and enough carrots and celery to cleanse the palate after each wing.  Again, I’m hesitant to call it the more-accurate “bleu” cheese because that just sounds hoity-toity. Perhaps it’s not the highest expression of etiquette (we are talking about sloppy bar food), but the bed of lettuce garnish that gets kind of wilty with the sauce and dressing is just nirvana when there’s some crunch left.

Many years later, my autumn football routine matches my affectation for wings.  It’s a short season, my life doesn’t revolve around it.  I like it when I can get it, but I love it when it’s really good.

Unfortunately, years later, I also find myself with a slower metabolism and I’m more likely to make spin class than kickoff.  But I do love all of the flavors and textures of the wing experience.  I realized it is possible to recreate it with lower fat and calories, all in-land, each typical Buffalo wing has 3 points.  And you haven’t even had a beer to wash it down!   I’m in the club where I’d rather have a lot of something that’s close to the real thing than just a taste of the real, high fat version.  I’m not the person who would prefers a spoonful of Haagen-Dazs over a tub of Tasty-D-Lite.  If you’re with me, then enjoy!

This dish just came to me as I was trying to change up my usual “big salad” dinner.  I recommend using mostly romaine and/or iceberg lettuces because they don’t overpower other elements. There’s really no room for arugula in a dish like this.  Too fancy.  For the dressing, I prefer low-fat for the taste, but the fat-free for the calorie saving. It really depends what your supermarket stocks.  The last several times I’ve made it, I could only find fat-free.  Adding extra crumbles cheese intensifies the flavor that’s missing in the dressing and using reduced-fat keeps the calories down.  You can use any wing sauce you like, but read the labels–some add oil as an emulsifier.  May the best team win!

A "Healthy" Version

“HEALTHY” BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1pkg    Purdue® baked breaded chicken tenderloins or breasts
1           bag of pre-washed salad mix (Romaine and/or Iceberg)
1 C       shredded carrots
1/2       bag of celery hearts washed and cut into 1″ slices
1/2C    low-fat or fat free blue cheese dressing
1/4C    Treasure Cave® Reduced Fat crumbled bleu cheese.
1/2C    Franks® Sweet bbq wing sauce or other fat free wing sauce.

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Bake chicken 10 mins.  (If you have a convection oven, this takes 5 mins)
3. In a large bowl, combine salad mix, carrots, celery, dressing & crumbled cheese and toss until mixed.  Set aside
4. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.  In a small bowl, toss chicken with wing sauce.
5. To serve, put salad on plates and make a small well in center of each.  Spoon a mound of sauce-covered chicken in each well.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (with fat-free dressing): 318 calories, 10g fat (3.5 sat fat), 48mg cholesterol, 1718mg sodium, 34g carbohydrate, 17g protein

Compared to serving of “average” bar wings: (per dozen of medium sized wings with 2 Tbsp blue cheese dressing and celery/carrot sticks) 801 calories, 52g fat (14 sat fat), 400mg cholesterol, 3073mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate, 61g protein

Pamela Anderson with Malibu perfume (C) Carol Berman

I know what you’re thinking.  If it’s a story about Pamela Anderson it’s about one thing.  Ok, two things.

You’d be wrong.

The woman who first hit the scene in 1989 has been no stranger to news and gossip columns since.  Most recently, her name appeared associated with a New Years Eve wardrobe malfunction and a breakup with her surfer boyfriend.

But to meet her and see her interaction with fans shows a completely different side of the former Baywatch babe.  This is a business woman, extremely appreciative of fan support.

This past weekend, Pamela Anderson celebrated the launch of her new fragrance, “Malibu,” with appearances at two Philadelphia-suburb Rite-Aid drugstores.  Hundreds of people waited patiently with their newly purchased bottles to meet the bombshell and get photos and autographs.

Fan Juan Dominguez & Pamela Anderson

One fan even flew in from Cincinnati for the day for the opportunity.  Juan Dominguez, 42, a Pamela Anderson fan from Bala Cynwyd, PA, says, “She is a strong woman who is very smart about her career decisions.”  How would he describe her brand?  “Blonde ambition.”

Secrets to Success

While Anderson might have been considered an overnight success 20 years ago, it takes work to evolve and stay in the public consciousness, if indeed that is the goal.  There are other attributes that might not initially be associated with Pamela Anderson, but should be: persistence and organization.

“I’m good at juggling,” she says.  “You have to keep good calendars.”  With her kids in Canada while she was in Pennsylvania for three appearances, it takes effort to stay on track.  (Her last stop of the day was the opening of a new club at an area casino).

As for the persistence thing, the line of “Malibu” fragrance has been in development for 15 years.  The hold up?  Testing technology had to catch up because Anderson is firmly against animal testing.  She is a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and some of the proceeds from her perfume benefit that organization.

But don’t call her a brand…

“I HATE being called a brand,” she said.  “It’s so much more than that, than just having your name on a product.”

She attributes her endurance in the public eye, despite ups and downs in her personal and professional life, to keeping it real. “Being authentic is key.”

"Vintage" Pamela Anderson

Authentic means she wears her perfume and uses the other products that will soon appear on store shelves bearing the “Malibu” name–hair care, skin care, and sun care.  Authentic means taking time with fans to pose for photos, sign multiple copies of old Playboy issues with her on the cover, and chatting a bit.  If you’ve ever been to a celebrity meet-and-greet, it’s a quick signature and move on.

Hundreds wait to meet Pamela Anderson

And to estimate the success behind this latest venture…at least 400 people waited on line to meet the bombshell.  In order to get the autograph, each fan had to purchase the scent for $39/$49.  That’s at least $16,000 in sales for two hours of work.  The perfume is available at more than 20,000 CVS/Pharmacy, Rite-Aid, Walgreen’s, and Sears stores nationwide.

She’s Not Done Yet

Anderson isn’t close to done. A swimsuit line bearing her name is next.  And thanks to e-commerce, books she wrote in 2005 and 2006 are still for sale on Amazon.  DVDs of her mainstream break on the early 90s series Home Improvement chronicle her TV start.  She played a handy-girl like none I’ve ever seen.  And let’s not forget Baywatch, the show that made her an international success, broadcast in 140 countries. As a testament to her enduring fame, RTI German television covered her Philadelphia appearance.

Pamela Anderson may hate the word “brand,” but as Janet Sills, PhD, wrote in a 2008 issue of Psychology Today, “For a successful long-term career, do not look to your company or industry to take care of you. As in every other arena of life, you must take care of yourself. A well-built brand will be your life raft.” Anderson, the former lifeguard is not likely to sink any time soon.

Been to your local yoga studio lately?  You’ll probably find lots of blankets, mats and incense burning.  Perhaps a statue of Patanjali, considered the founder of yoga, sits in a corner.  But more befitting an ice skating rink or a boxing ring, you now might find a sign-up for a local competition.

Yoga--A Sport?

That’s right–yoga is lobbying to be the next Olympic sport, hopefully in time for the 2016 games.

According to Dictionary.com, yoga is:

A school of Hindu philosophy advocating and prescribing a course of physical and mental disciplines for attaining liberation from the material world and union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle.

Literally, the word “Yoga” came from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to unite or integrate.”

Not one word implies competition.  Compare this with the definition of Summer Olympics ratings grabber, “gymnastics:”

the practice art, or competitive sport of gymnastic exercises

Or how about that Winter Games powerhouse, curling:

a game played on ice in which two teams of four players each compete in sliding large stones toward a mark in the center of a circle

If you’re wondering how a sport becomes worthy of the Olympics, we look to the Official Website of the Olympic Movement:

To make it onto the Olympic programme, a sport first has to be recognised: it must be administered by an International Federation which ensures that the sport’s activities follow the Olympic Charter. If it is widely practised around the world and meets a number of criteria established by the IOC session, a recognised sport may be added to the Olympic programme on the recommendation of the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission.

The Spirit of Olympic Competition

The IOC can also taketh away, thus leading to the gold medal voids left by tug-of-war and lacrosse.  Again, these both have competition built in to the sports themselves.

Take a yoga class and you hear words like, “be in the moment,” “it’s YOUR practice,” and “keep your mind quiet.”  In fact, stress and competition are often discouraged.

Yoga is 5000 years old but a 2001 TIME magazine cover story effectively “outed” many who silently unrolled sticky mats on a regular basis and lauded the activity’s benefits.  Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor took classes in the gym of the Supreme Court. Sting is very public about his practice as is Gwyneth Paltrow.

According to WebMD, the benefits of yoga include increased flexibility, strength, better posture, increased lung capacity, and lower blood pressure.  A 2004 study by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health found that yoga can alleviate fatigue from multiple sclerosis.  But like with any activity, yoga can cause injury too, if you do it wrong.  Pain and discomfort from over stretching is a common complaint.

Gwen Lawrence, owner of Power Yoga for Sports, focuses on athletes and their specific sports needs.  She is the Yoga Coach for the New York Giants and works with the New York Yankees including star third-baseman Alex Rodriguez.  These athletes are fierce competitors in their sports.  However, when it comes to yoga, it’s all about focus. “It is their absolute job to tune in and pay attention to imbalances, pain, and stress to avoid some possible injuries in the future,” says Lawrence. “Their body is their tool and it is no joke when they are working out that they stay present, [and] to aid their breathing techniques.”

Lawrence is not a fan of adding yoga to the roster of Olympic sports. “I can only believe that an Olympic version of yoga would be rooted in long hours of training, beating down, testing and pushing your body beyond its limitations not for the sake of yourself but for the goal of gold,” she says. “Yoga is about improving YOUR own body and mind and taking ego out of the equation.  So it is enormously contradictory to make it competitive.”

Gwen Lawrence Teaches Yoga to New York Giants

USAYoga seeks to be the governing body for the sport and is lobbying the International Olympic Committee.  In its mission statement, the organization hopes to inspire yoga participants “to improve their practices and encourage many newcomers to take up the practice of yoga and the sport of Yoga Asana.”

Yoga competitors are described as those who “will need to achieve mastery of physical strength, stamina, balance, flexibility, breath and concentration.”  There is no mention of the whole spiritual element that is part of the original Hindu philosophy.

Yoga practitioners aren’t buying in either. Julie Bauch, a New York finance professional, practices at least four times per week, meditates daily, and studies various spiritual philosophies.  She turned to yoga four years ago when faced with a debilitating illness. “I was weakened physically, emotionally and intellectually and I believed it could help me to heal myself,” she says.  “It did, in many ways.”

But the idea of yogis on a medal stand? “It’s perfectly alright to practice yoga solely for physical benefit, however using yoga as a sport doesn’t make it a sport,” she says.

People take yoga for different reasons, but the elements of yoga that tend to always be present in varying degrees are: exercise, breathing, and meditation.  There are several types of yoga, but the variety most practiced in the West is Hatha yoga, or the yoga of postures.  If you’ve seen Iyengar, Integral, Astanga, Kripalu or Jiva Mukti on your gym schedules, these are all styles of Hatha.

The second place winner of the 2008 Asana New York regional championship, Courtney Mace

Yoga competition is thought to be about 100 years old.  The Pondicherry Yoga Association started in 1975 in India.  However, its past leader, Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani who now heads the International Centre for Yoga Education and Research, is unhappy about the current state of affairs:

“many things have changed over the years, and though I support yoga sport for the children and youth, I may not say the same for the adult competitions… unless the theoretical aspect is taken into consideration, it will be only another gymnastic competition.”

Perhaps the IOC just needs to revisit requirements for gymnastics.  These uber-flexible folks could compete there.  Just call it something else.

I do practice yoga.  I wouldn’t say I’m a yoga fanatic.  I go when I can and aim for once a week.  I have my own mat but I don’t read Rumi or listen to sitar music in my car.  Perhaps even my judgement of yoga as a sport is a bit antithetical to yoga being a practice of acceptance.  But at the end of a yoga class, I look forward to moment when the instructor always says, “Namaste,” which means: “the spirit in me bows to the spirit in you.”  It doesn’t mean:  “I could kick your butt in downward dog!”

It’s one of the oldest professions.  Not that one.  I’m talking about bartending.  When you’re in a strange city, a bartender will be a trusted source.  When you’re at home, a bartender knows your name and drink of choice.  For some, it’s a way to make money on the way to bigger and better (say, an acting gig).  For others, it’s life.

One of the Oldest Professions

According to the ABC Bartending Schools, bartending has roots in ancient Greek and Roman times.  Before the 15th century, bartenders owned the bars and brewed the beer or distilled the liquor.  Fast forward to 1988 and you have Tom Cruise spinning bottles for tips by night and learning the business world by day in the movie, “Cocktail.”

For any job, most employees want several predictable things–a livable wage, a decent commute, and a good work environment.  Mark Twain once said, “I can live two months on a good compliment.” A little praise now and then goes a long way.  A lot of praise can make a career.

BARTENDER FIGHTS BACK

Such is the case with Tina Braunstein, a former bartender at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a highly rated restaurant outside New York City.  The chef-owner Dan Barber gets praise such as, he “…pains to showcase ingredients instead of obliterating them with too much heat and sauce,” according to New York Magazine.  When it opened in NYC in 2000, the New York Times’ Williams Grimes bestowed 2 stars.  In 2004, with a new branch on a former Rockefeller farm 30 miles north, the paper’s Frank Bruni upped it to three.  And thus begins our story.

If it's Weds, it's the Dining Section

Frank Bruni’s review began and ended with stories of encounters with Braunstein, “one of many extremely affable servers.”   Soon after, she was fired by the general manager.  She has sued on grounds of wrongful termination, seeking damages of $400,000.

The restaurant claims she was rude to customers.  The lawyers have argued she did not perform “at a level befitting a three-star restaurant.”

Emails between Frank Bruni and Dan Barber after the review ran in the paper continued to praise Braunstein.  In fact, her legal team subpoenaed Bruni to testify on her behalf.  That won’t happen because the New York Times argued and won “reporter privilege.”

But she may have screwed herself.  In her deposition, she recalled knowing her customer that night was Frank Bruni.  Many restaurant critics depend on anonymity, but it doesn’t always work out.  So, the question is, was the New York Times restaurant critic treated like a “Regular Joe?”  More importantly, would you be treated the same way?

TWO ISSUES

There are two issues going on here: the career of a bartender and the trust of a restaurant review.

At some big companies, bartenders are unionized and have benefits.  But that is not the norm.  A bartender is only as good as her last drink, his last open ear to hear a customer’s woes.  It’s high pressure, long hours, and many endure the work because they need the paycheck.  Don’t get me wrong–many bartenders earn six-figures with tips on $20 cocktails, union or not.  And for a social, high energy mixologist, it’s a chosen career.  But over time, a few have refused to stand idly by when things didn’t seem right.

Tips From Your Bartender

It’s not the first time a bartender sued an employer for wrongful termination.  In 2005, career bartender Darlene Jesperson, lost three court battles with Harrah’s Entertainment.  She was fired from her Las Vegas casino job in 2000 for refusing to wear makeup.  The company held that its grooming policy requiring women to wear makeup and men to have hair trimmed above the collar among other rules didn’t create a greater burden on women than men so was not a form of discrimination.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed.

One story doesn’t have an ending yet.  John Vendikos tended bar at Yankee Stadium for 27 years.  The 73-year-old was forced to re-apply for his job at the new stadium.  His interviewer asked, “Why should I hire you? You’re an old man.”  Vendikos thought the man was kidding.  But then he didn’t get hired and he filed an age discrimination suit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  The team claims they have hired many people older than 65 for the new stadium.

WHAT’S A STAR BETWEEN FRIENDS

Whether money burns holes in our pockets or we count pennies, we don’t want to have a single bad restaurant or bar experience.  And as adventurous as we may be, sometimes you want to know if the food will shine, if the atmosphere is a particular way, or if you’re going to leave hungry.  You want to know if the place you pick for your sweetie’s birthday dinner is going to deliver.  So we read reviews.  Sure, you can’t believe everything you read, but it’s nice to know most of it is accurate.

Food is like art–pretty subjective.  One person’s “delicious” is another’s “ick.”  But whether it’s the pizza place in Brooklyn where the line goes down the street or the French Laundry where you need to call months ahead for a shot at a reservation, if the food sucked, so would the following.  Some places have yellowed stellar reviews curling off the walls along with the first dollar made.  That’s where you want to eat if you’re not feeling like rolling the dice.  The atmosphere can be a winner or a loser, but food must shine and service is a close second.

Reviewer anonymity is essential.  Ruth Reichl, New York Times food critic for six years, revealed that she wore wild guises when visiting restaurants after she left the paper in her 2006 book, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise.  Restaurant employees knew what she looked like, as Ruth.  But as any of her aliases–she was rarely discovered (that we know).  Sure, Tina could have “outed” Bruni at the bar. But reviewers visit restaurants several times before they write.  Did he see Tina every time?  She made quite the impression, but did she actually treat every patron like she treated Mr. Bruni?  How much did that customer service contribute to those three stars?

WHAT’S A HUNGRY GIRL TO DO

I’ll keep reading reviews.  The Dining section of the Wednesday NYT is one of my favorites.  Even if I’m not Frank Bruni, I’ll still say please and thank you, I’m usually a patient patron, and as a former waitress, I tip well.  And that’s worthy of the “Frank Bruni” treatment any day of the week.

When the irony of a situation is just too much to bear, you can count on The Scribble Lounge to shine a light and dig a little deeper.

It was reported last week that two cafeterias and five snack bars in the Pennsylvania State Capitol complex would be closed until sometime in January because of…wait for it…a rat infestation.  OK, so they actually said they were mice.  Tomayto, tomahto.

I Smell a Rat in the PA State Capitol! It's in the food!

The State Department of Agriculture found the violations during a routine inspection.  Justin Fleming, the department spokesperson, said, “There were mouse droppings around the facility too numerous to mention.”  Ick.

OK—so we all get the irony, if you take the appropriate view of politicians.

But the bigger issue here is food safety.  And if you’ve been in a government building (aside from the sanitation department), isn’t one of the first words that comes to mind: sterile?  It doesn’t matter whether the décor is reminiscent of the 1960s or if newer digs feel like a businessman’s hotel conference room.  It usually feels pretty clean because the janitor has been there for years, happy to have a steady, stable job to get to that government pension.  Often, cafes in courthouses or municipal buildings have all the creativity of a ham sandwich on white with mayo.  And it rarely differs between local, state, or federal branches.  My point—they’re pretty sterile too.  So we thought.

Believe it or not, food safety is on the docket for the federal government.  I’d say it’s like molasses in January.  But that’s even too fast for our government most of the time. The House of Representatives passed a law in July, giving the Food & Drug Administration authority to issue a food recall.  But, as is typical, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee (HELP) passed its own “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009,” S.510 in November.  Next stop: floor debate in the Senate.  When they get to it in 2010.  But the issue considers very important measures on imports, inspection, recalls, and increasing FDA’s resources.

An important distinction is that food we make at home isn’t the issue.  It’s when we pay other people to play with our food that we have to step back.

Getting the Grade in Los Angeles

For all of California’s problems these days, one thing that’s right has been right since 1998.  That’s more than a decade ago if you’re keeping score.  In Los Angeles County, retail food facilities receive a letter grade according to their inspection score.  That grade is prominently displayed for all to see.  An “A,” you’re good.  A “C,” you eat at your own risk.  “B’s” don’t fare well either.

In 2004, Stanford University Economist Phillip Leslie looked to measure the effect those grades would have on consumers and the market in general.  By obtaining inspection data and revenue data (compiled from sales tax returns), he found that inspection grades greatly increased. Leslie reported that before the law went into effect, 25% of restaurants would have earned an “A;” after more than 50%.  And most importantly, he found that food-related hospitalizations in Los Angeles County decreased 20%.

In January 2009, New York City announced a letter-grading plan, due to appear in restaurant windows in July 2010.  The city will hire 50 more inspectors—there’s a job opportunity!  Washington DC is interested in a similar policy as well.  However their motivation was a Center for Science in the Public Interest report saying it was too hard for DC consumers to get restaurant inspection reports.

Let’s be honest—we don’t really want to know that our favorite pizza joint had a mouse last month.  But even the best restaurants sometimes rest on their laurels a little too much.  You want great food but you want a clean kitchen too.  I have a foodie friend who wouldn’t even see the animated feature “Ratatouille” because it was all about rats in restaurant kitchens.

Grades motivated many of us as 6th graders.  (Even if you weren’t a ridiculous over-achiever like me.)   No one wants to fail.  And goodness, our politicians are among the most competitive ilk there is.  More cities and states need grading systems.  And restaurants will stay on their toes.  Consumers will be safer.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the average household spends $2,276 on food out of the home.  Of course in cities like New York where ovens double as shoe storage, it’s likely higher.

Back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  OK, after a 101-day budget impasse, a few things fell by the wayside.  The National Governors Association says that state budgets are unlikely to recover until “late in the next decade.”  That’s a long time to bring your lunch.  There’s always Sammy’s Italian across the street where the Pasta Fagioli is $5 or Mangia Qui where filet mignon on a roll with fries is $10.   Skip the café and leave it to the rats, er, politicians, to figure it out.

You’ve seen it at the bottom of emails now and then:  “Think twice before printing this email.”  A friendly environmental reminder to save a few trees, which makes sense if you’re just printing the address for this week’s holiday party.  Take two seconds, grab a pen, and write it down.

The Old Fashioned Way -- Beats Email

It seems we’re still “grabbing a pen” when it comes to sending holiday cards.  Even if your process is entirely automated—from ordering pre-printed cards, computer printed address labels, and metered stamping—there must be some premeditated thought.  Will your junior-year college roommate still get a nod this year, or will she replaced by that new mom in playgroup?  How about your old boss?

At the end of the day—the “old fashioned” way still reigns.  There just isn’t the same moment of anticipation clicking “open” on an email versus opening the envelope. Perhaps it isn’t the “greenest” of me to say so, but I don’t care.  According to the American Greeting Card Association 90% of Americans surveyed said that they like to receive greeting cards and personal letters from friends and family, preferring greeting cards to e-mail, text messaging and phone calls.

I like technology.  I’m not an early adopter—I usually wait until the bugs are out.  But I’m all about old school this time of year.  When it comes to sending good old-fashioned cards, I think it’s fair to say the USPS has figured it out.  When they can take 830 million pieces of mail on a single day, as they did Monday, December 14, 2009, and get the majority of them delivered to their intended destinations, bravo.  As my 87-year-old grandma (who only sends letters and scoffs at email) would say tongue-in-cheek, “What do I know, I’m only a mother!”  It sounds a little better than, “I told you so.”

I think it goes further than just friends and family.  We all have our Holiday card lists.  There are people on that list you never really speak to, but you send them Christmas cards each year like clockwork.  And they do the same.  The world would seem out of balance if you didn’t get their cards, if for nothing more to see that addresses are the same.  If they send a photo of their kids, you see how they’ve grown.  And I even like reading the letters, however sappy, to catch up with people. It’s feel good stuff.

The Greeting Card Association reports that 60% of all seasonal card business goes to Christmas.  (Next biggest is Valentine’s Day at 25% with Mothers Day lagging far behind at 4%–sorry Mom).  According to Hallmark Research, 1.9 billion holiday cards will be sent this year.  That’s a lot of ways to say, “Naughty or Nice?”

Now to the green machine.  As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to discuss the environment, I assure you that most people are not considering post-consumer waste when buying holiday cards.  They look for the witty, the solemn, the right attitude that will communicate their feelings and leave the right impressions with card receivers.  If they are recycled paper, that’s a bonus.

The Berman/Brown Holiday Card 2009

The latest trend for the past few years has been photo cards.  Easy and personal.  Play photographer (or hire one) and then 10 minutes in a CVS or photo store and you’re done.  Many use recycled printing paper, but let’s face it—photo inks aren’t exactly earth friendly.

While the U.S. is home to uber-environmentalist Al Gore, it’s the UK that’s figured out how to recycle Christmas cards!  The Woodland Trust with the help from retailers W.H. Smith, TKMaxx, and Marks & Spencer stores invite shoppers to dump their cards into bins after Christmas.  The conservation charity recycles the cards and plants trees based on the amount of cards they get.  They even let consumers vote on where the trees shall be planted.  The charity says that for every ton of recycled cards, 17 trees are saved.  Brilliant.

And yes, it’s more than just dead trees that environmentalists complain about.  There’s the added mail weight, making more trucks and planes burn more fuel, there’s the majority of virgin paper used for cards production.  Heck, there are the cigarette breaks taken by the greeting card writers when they’ve got writers’ block and need to clear their heads.

The World Environmental Organization has the following recommendations.  Or in other words: things to do with a dead greeting card:

• Use it as a bookmark. (Ed note: This is the only one that really makes sense)
• Make it into a gift tag by cutting the old card with scissors or pinking shears. Add the name and a note inside.
• Cut off the side with the picture (if there is no writing on the reverse side) and reuse it as a post card. You’ll pay only postcard postage rates! (Ed note: Seriously?)

The naysayers go so far as to say it’s all just a commercial excuse for Hallmark to cash in.  Did anyone say Festivus?  ChrismaKwanzaKuh?  Hallmark’s position is:

While consumer demand is an important part of the overall equation, it alone is not enough to prompt Hallmark to create greeting cards for holidays. When evaluating a potential holiday offering, we consider: 1) “sendability” (How likely are people to send cards for this occasion?) and 2) whether there is a large enough consumer need across the United States.

Congratulations on your divorce and new puppy at Christmas, anyone?

Keep those cards and letters coming I say.   In a time of belt tightening, I’m sending fewer cards for sure.  But I’m still addressing them by hand, and dropping them in the slot at the post office myself. And I hope it makes you smile.
Happy Holidays to all.

The adults succumbed to peer pressure like freshmen at a fraternity party being passed the beer.

Rather than invoke the creative thought processes that higher education hopes to instill in its students, administrators at Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University just balked.  They shriveled like last week’s pizza left under a pile of calculus books in a dorm room corner.

“We don’t want people to feel like they’re being picked on,” Lincoln President Ivory Nelson told the Lincolnian, the school newspaper.

Dr. Ivory Nelson, President, Lincoln University

No, instead, you’d rather graduate a class of couch potatoes, on the fast track to diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and death.  So much for higher education.

Starting in 2006, Lincoln University in southeastern PA, required that students with a Body Mass Index of 30 or higher take a physical education class in order to graduate.  This year, that amounted to about 15% of the 2,100 students. Controversy ensued when critics complained that the ruling was discriminatory to both obese people and to black students at the historically black university.  Obese students felt singled out.

This week, the university repealed the requirement.

A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that African Americans have a 51 percent greater likelihood than whites of becoming obese.  I believe that James DeBoy, the chair of Lincoln’s Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, was on the right track.  He just needed to hone his idea a bit more.

I ask this: Why wasn’t the course required for ALL students in the first place?

Had that been the case, we never would have heard about it.  Universities have been requiring physical education and swimming for decades.  In fact, despite rising obesity numbers, over time, colleges have been cutting these requirements.  It’s easier to explain budget cuts in college gym classes than in biology labs.

Some of the discriminatory comments circle around the idea that disadvantaged students might not have the resources to swim or get in shape.  Colleges requiring swim will TEACH it.  And you don’t need a fancy gym to slim down; you need two feet and a sidewalk.   By the way, Lincoln does have gyms, an Olympic-sized pool, and a dance studio.

Colleges of all sizes and endowments have gym requirements.  These days, students don’t need to endure dodge ball and other awful memories of elementary school gym. (Did anyone else out there have to square dance?)

Cases in point:

1. Swarthmore College, PA: students not excused for medical reasons are required to complete 4 units of physical education by the end of their sophomore year.  All students must pass a survival swimming test or complete a unit of swimming instruction.

2. Cornell University, NY: Students must take two credits of physical education and pass a swim test.

Cornell University

3. Davidson College, NC: This school doesn’t mess around.  There are FOUR required credits of phys ed PLUS A SWIM TEST.

4. Dartmouth College, NH: The Ivy requires 3 gym classes plus a swim test.

And if you thought this is limited to private universities with big fat endowments, think again.

The State University of New York at Binghamton requires students to take two credits of “physical activity/wellness.”

I can speak to the Cornell offerings for “gym”—there are more than 100. Good luck getting into Ballroom Dancing or Pistol Shooting.  Yes, these are gym classes and often are the first to close out.  I took Ice Skating for Ice Hockey and Weightlifting (which led to a nice, drawn out slim down post-Freshman 15)

Cornell’s Swim Test even has it’s own website and history:

The origin of the swim test began around 1918 for women when the Director of Women’s Physical Education felt that it was a necessary skill for women to have. The swim test requirement for men was instituted about 1937 and was the result of World War II Cornell’s strong connection to ROTC; many Cornellians served in the war.

There is another way to look at it.  What a wonderful opportunity to experience an activity that you might not otherwise do.  Sailing? Check.  SCUBA, ballet, fishing?  Check, check, check.

Lincoln’s 3-year-old policy hit the news because of an “admittedly obese” and vocal editor for the student newspaper, Tiana Lawson.  She wrote she:  ”didn’t come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range…”

Lincoln’s DeBoy should have known better when choosing BMI as the gauge for health as well.  Yes, BMI numbers do correlate with cardiovascular disease mortality and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Courtesy: Obesity Online

However, detractors note that BMI does not account for muscle mass, thereby calculating that many professional athletes in their prime are technically obese.

Body Builder Lee Priest: Technically Obese

All colleges need to do is give credit to students for showing up to PE and “giving it the “old college try” (First attributed to Babe Ruth, by the way.)

Mortimer Adler 1902-2001 (Credit: Bachrach)

At Columbia University, the great philosopher and educator Mortimer Adler hadn’t taken his swim test nor fulfilled his gym requirement.  He went on to earn his PhD at the university and began to teach, all without a Bachelors degree. As he told Dick Cavett in 1978:

“And my reason for not going to gym was that I hated to dress and undress in the middle of the day.”

Over his life, Adler wrote more than 30 books, was co-founder of the Great Books Program and chairman of the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s board of editors.  He wrote curricula for elementary and secondary schools, where physical education played important parts.  He just didn’t see a place for it in college.

I believe it’s the ideal opportunity—right when students are asserting themselves as adults creating adult habits.  They are bombarded by information and must filter what will stay and what will be quickly forgotten as soon as they move their tassels from right to left.  As much as a university is charged with offering a marketplace of ideas, it’s also charged with offering the chance to create healthy habits.