“Review: Group sings old favorites with flair - Charleston Gazette” plus 4 more |
- Review: Group sings old favorites with flair - Charleston Gazette
- Travel and Tourism - Philippine Star Online
- Philosophy Club Ponders Its Own Existence - Auburn Plainsman
- 'Prejudice still remains' - Opelousas Daily World
- Turn over a new leaf - WGNtv.com
| Review: Group sings old favorites with flair - Charleston Gazette Posted: 25 Oct 2009 02:42 PM PDT CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "Lyrics and poetry, songs that you can sing ... this is what music is about." That's how director Randy Sparks summed up The New Christy Minstrels' music at the end of their Saturday night concert for the Charleston Community Music Association at the Municipal Auditorium. The singing group of multi-instrumentalists stayed true to this philosophy throughout the evening. The music and entertainment were old-fashioned, and proudly so. There were ballads, stories, humorous novelty songs, and jokes aplenty. Much of the humor between the songs revolved around getting older and the ways that things have changed since the group started (in 1961). These days, the New Christy Minstrels consist of five original members and two newer additions to the group (and a dog that came out with them and rested quietly behind the group for the whole concert). They traded between guitars, banjos, harmonica, accordion, and bass with ease, and they all sang well individually and as a group. Their easy camaraderie and onstage antics were light-hearted and fun. The crowd recognized and showed appreciation for old favorites. Even if you didn't know the songs, you could tell by sudden bursts of applause, clapping and singing -- "Today" and "Green, Green" garnered the strongest responses. Each member of the group took solo turns. Dolan Ellis, "Arizona's Official Balladeer," was a standout for the solo performances, with his rendition of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and his own "Tuba City." There were a few frustrating sound problems, but nothing too serious. Slight feedback cleared up after the first few songs, but the vocals were too soft throughout the first half of the concert, so it was hard to hear all of the words being sung. "Country Roads" also made an appearance, but surprisingly it came early in the evening, rather than as an encore. The conclusion of the show featured a new song that Sparks wrote reflecting on 9/11, called "Just Americans," which led into a sing-along of "This Land Is Your Land."This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Travel and Tourism - Philippine Star Online Posted: 25 Oct 2009 02:27 PM PDT This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Philosophy Club Ponders Its Own Existence - Auburn Plainsman Posted: 18 Oct 2009 01:24 PM PDT Kant, Nietzche and Locke may sound familiar to students, but how about Wittgenstein? No idea? Just ask the philosophy club, whose members not only expound on famous philosophers, but offer opinions on topics such as analytical philosophy, emotions and the concept of beauty. "It's the one place where ways of studying philosophy and thinking about the world actually get to interact with the things we are concerned about in ordinary life," said Ben Pierce, a senior in philosophy and treasurer of the organization. The club works with the Auburn chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, a philosophy honors society, and meets to discuss philosophy topics guided by speakers or students. They also sponsor an ongoing film and philosophy series, where club members and their guests watch provoking films and discuss them. "Recently, we just began philosophy club at the Gnu's Room. This is an informal meeting in which a few students and professors discuss different topics," said Amanda Hale,co-president and Auburn alumna. Professors and GTAs, both from Auburn and other universities, are involved with the organization as well. "The access we get to professors in our department and from other universities meet with us and explain what they're up to," Pierce said. "I certainly haven't earned the privilege to discuss those things with a Ph.D. It's an experience I never thought I'd get to have." The philosophy department brings in professors from other universities or has one of Auburn's own professors deliver a speech on various philosophical topics several times a month. The philosophy club gets the exclusive opportunity to meet with these speakers before the presentation to go over the background information and discuss the topic at hand. Hale explained how these meetings and interactions with student and faculty build a close community in the philosophy department. "I enjoy how involved in the club many of the students and faculty in the philosophy department are," Hale said. "In the past, we have gone on trips together, had parties at professors' homes, and eaten countless dinners together. During my time involved with the club over the past couple of years, I have learned nearly as much about philosophy as I did inside the classroom." Rob Wallis, co-president and a senior in philosophy and economics, also cited the close community as an important aspect of the organization, but said they are also working on reaching Auburn and the community at large. "This semester we've been working on outreach, like going to high schools to run critical thinking workshops," Wallis said. Wallis also encouraged students outside of the philosophy department to attend meetings and participate in club activities. "You don't have to be a philosophy major to be involved, many students aren't," Wallis said. The club meets every other week either to watch a film, interact with a speaker or informally discuss current and hot-button issues about which students are concerned. The next event will be Friday, Sept. 18 with Michael Watkins, an Auburn professor lecturing on "Optimism and the Casual Theory of Properties." For more information visit http://media.cla.auburn.edu/philosophy/club.cfm. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| 'Prejudice still remains' - Opelousas Daily World Posted: 25 Oct 2009 01:30 PM PDT Two Opelousas women say their successful biracial children are proof that the concerns of a Tangipahoa official who refused to marry an interracial couple are unfounded. Marriage between blacks and whites was outlawed until a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision. But just this month, Tangipahoa Parish Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell created a nationwide stir when he refused to marry an interracial couple because he believes neither blacks nor whites would accept their biracial children. "All I wanted to do was show them my kids," Opelousas resident Doris White said. Doris, who is white, married Marion White, who is black, more than 40 years ago in Washington, D.C., before interracial marriage was legal in Louisiana. "It did bring back memories of it being against the law," she said of the Bardwell incident. "You would think that by now, especially with all the interracial couples, they would have put that behind them." Her gut reaction was to show Bardwell her own successful biracial children, one the dean of a law school, another a law professor, another a doctor of philosophy. "And they're all nice looking, too," she said. Etha Simien Amling of Opelousas, a black woman married to a white German, Juergen Amling, had a similar reaction upon hearing about the Bardwell incident. So she posted her wedding photo from 1969 and a more recent photo on CNN's web site as a show of solidarity for the young couple Bardwell refused to marry. She noted that a hallway in their home is lined with photographs of her children and grandchildren, and that's what's important. "I think it's very special," she said of the fact that their daughters are biracial and speak both English and German. "They were looked upon very highly." Doris White said being the child of an interracial marriage might be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. "They got to know two cultures," she said of her children. Etha Amling said her children were not mistreated because of their racial identity, nor were she and her husband mistreated. "We have basically no problems. Sure, there's closet haters, but you don't usually see those people anymore," she said. Doris White agreed that times have changed. Prejudice against interracial couples and biracial offspring still exists, but not like 40 years ago. "Things are changing, but remember, they're changing slowly. That means that a lot of prejudice still remains," said Dianne Mouton-Allen, a member of Lafayette's diversity commission and Lafayette chapter director of the National Coalition Building Institute. Incidents like the Bardwell one make it seem like prejudice against interracial couples is greater in Louisiana and in the South, but it's not, she said. Racism is just more covert elsewhere. "Someone in another place may refuse for exactly the same reasons, but they won't actually tell you that, so it's more difficult to pinpoint," Mouton-Allen said. In fact, her reaction to the Bardwell incident was, "Oh. Someone actually admitted it." This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Turn over a new leaf - WGNtv.com Posted: 25 Oct 2009 10:24 AM PDT There's a new food trend simmering, but if you want to give it a try, you'll have to revise your grocery list. Meat, poultry and fish? Out. Milk, cheese, eggs and dairy of any kind? Gone. Oh yes, and that bear-shaped container of honey in your cabinet? History. Instead, you'll be stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and soy products, all mainstays of a vegan diet. But forget the things you've heard about this type of cooking being boring and tasteless. Vegan gourmet is in, and that's no tofu baloney. Vegan cookbooks, complete with glossy, gastro-glam pictures and sassy attitude, are sprouting like wheatgrass. BabyCakes, a high-profile Manhattan vegan bakery, and other upscale vegan confection shops have propelled the vegan baking movement into the mainstream. Ecorazzi.com, a "green" gossip website, just named Ellen DeGeneres, Ginnifer Goodwin, Alicia Silverstone, John Salley and Emily Deschanel the "top vegan celebrities" of 2009. Vegans, it seems, are the latest high-profile foodies. The beginning and end Donald Watson might be surprised by all the attention. Convinced that a diet completely free of animal products, including dairy and eggs, was the "beginning and end" of a true vegetarian lifestyle, Watson coined the term "vegan" in 1944, using the first two and last three letters of the word "vegetarian." Shortly afterward, the quiet Englishman founded the Vegan Society, a group of about 25 like-minded individuals. Things have changed over the past 65 years. These days, about a million Americans identify themselves as vegan, according to a 2008 Harris Poll commissioned by "Vegetarian Times." While contemporary vegans share the same philosophy as Watson and his followers, their diet and message have become more mainstream. The change is as well-timed as a perfect, egg-free soufflé. According to Publishers Weekly, the interest in eating locally has led to a rise in vegetarian and veggie-oriented cookbooks, including vegan titles. "We're trying to overcome the crunchy-granola reputation," says Priscilla Feral, national president of Friends of Animals in Darien and author of "The Best of Vegan Cooking" (Friends of Animals Nectar Bat Press, $19.95). "Our image needs to be polished. People think that a vegan diet is a sacrifice, that it's tasteless and unappealing. It's not. They think you can't get enough protein, calcium or iron. You can." Feral, a former chocolate recipe designer for Godiva, explores the diversity of "plant-based cuisine" and includes recipes by New York food columnist Mark Bittman, restaurateur Susan Wu and other high-profile chefs in her collection. The book's intro includes a brief explanation of Watson's philosophy of living in harmony with the planet, but the overriding message is one of healthful eating and fresh, well-prepared dishes. No longer so radical "As recently as five years ago, a vegan diet was considered alternative and radical," says Mary Lawrence, owner of Well On Wheels, a Connecticut-based personal-chef service that provides vegan meals prepared in clients' homes. "Now, with the new emphasis on healthy lifestyles, people are more open and interested." Lawrence, who also teaches vegan cooking classes, says the availability of ingredients and meat alternatives has made vegan eating an easier choice. "You can find vegan options at Whole Foods," says Lawrence. "Even restaurants are adding vegan dishes to their menus." Along with Feral, a number of other cookbook authors have released trendy vegan titles.
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