Our community is dedicated to offering a friendly environment in which to chat about all things family related. Whether you are planning for your first or expecting another baby, you will always find like minded members to talk and make friends with. Look though our numerous subject specific forums or feel free post about anything you want to chat about. Join the community by Registering and don't forget to Introduce Yourself so we can all get to know you.

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Hi Dad,

Mom seemed to be doing pretty well while we were down there. What happened? Does she need the stimulation of more people being around her to keep her energized? Are her unstable fluctuations of blood sugar levels -- and/or the remnants of her stroke -- still robbing her of all necessary mobility and energy?

I wonder if she may simply be kayoed by trying to balance too many medications? Obviously the fear of taking her off of any of these medications is huge.

Regarding prostate problems -- and particularly the threat and/or reality of cancer -- it is very hard if you are a man these days to decide which way you choose to fight it based on conflicting advice from two entirely different paradigms of medicine. I know if it was me, I would go down fighting with vitamins and herbs. I will simply never resort to radiation and chemotherapy. Radiation and chemotherapy is the end -- either they destroy your life, period, and/or they destroy your quality of life while they destroy your quantity of life. I guess, on this, we will perhaps always disagree. The one thing I have been able to protect so far is my prostate. So maybe that is one place where my knowledge is good. Obviously, once BPH turns to cancer, you are talking about a different kettle of a fish which is why it is so important not to get to this point. I stand by the formula of mixing both testosterone and thermogenic enhancing herbs, vitamins, minerals, herbs, foods -- specifically, A,C,E, selenium, zinc, pumpkin seed, saw palmetto, netttle, ginger, cayenne, garlic, tumeric (curcimen), radishes, horse radish, gingko biloba, tribulus... -- with phytoestrogens (soya milk) and cruciferous veggies (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower...) and the usual trumpeted veggies -- carrots, beets, spinach, and seaweed (kelp, spirulina, chlorella...)

I know that I have overdone it in some of my herb taking -- as i experiment with different things -- looking back at things now, I say that it is just important not to go overboard on herb taking as it is not to get into double digit medications....otherwise one's liver will start to collapse under the stress of trying to make sense of all these different things it is getting hit with. The best intentioned medications and herbs can quickly turn toxic and rob the body of all health and energy if the sum total of them is too much for the liver/body to handle.

I think I may have OD'd on hawthorne which is an herb designed to improve circulation but which can -- like any herb or medication -- become toxic if taken too much of. This is my theoretical conclusion at this time -- I have no empirical grounds of proof. Combine 4 capsules of hawthorne (and/or gingko biloba) with alcohol, no liver support -- and i might have invited what happened to me a couple of years ago. Two ERCP operations might have only exasperated and prolonged what the original problem was -- a toxified liver that needed better nutritional support and less herbal overload. And no alcohol. Why did i do it? A better sexual night that evening with my girlfriend. How many people out there have done -- or continue to do -- something potentially self-destructive in the name of sex. David Carradine is possibly -- I repeat possibly -- the latest and most extreme example of this type of human behavior. There are, I pretty strongly believe, many aging males out there -- and females -- who want to hold on to their sex lives for as long as possible even if the path they choose for doing this might ultimately lead to, or speed up, their self-destruction and death. Like everywhere else in life -- balance is needed. People are probably more likely to go 'out of balance' relative to their sexual behavior than any other type of human behavior. Or maybe sex and work might jointly hold this title together.

I don't have time to get sick. I don't have the money to afford to get sick. I can't afford to lose either my brain power or my physical energy and mobility. I would sooner die working and eating responsibly -- nutritionally -- than experience the faster and more immobilizing toxic, death spiral of radiation and/or chemotherapy. Even surgery, I will avoid at all costs.

I either look after my body nutritionally -- the right way -- or I will go down trying. Personally, I will take my chances with soya milk, dark green foods, green tea, beet juice, carrot juice, berry juice, organic apple cider and lemon juice, digestive enzymes, fibre, and protein -- mixed with the right fats such as uncooked extra virgin oil, flaxseed oil -- than experience the death spiral of radiation and chemotherapy.

My 'anti-cancer' agents are soya milk, cruciferous veggies, carrots and carrot juice, berry juice, red clover, green tea -- if this doesn't work then I will simply let cancer and/or cirrhosis destroy me over its time -- I need 3 years to finish Hegel's Hotel, and I need to help you, mom, and my kids as much as possible in that time....There can be no fast death spirals, I need to be as healthy as possible during this time. I will hold on to my quality of life for as long as i can -- even if it may or may not be at the expense of my 'quantity of life'. What quality of life is there left in the toxic bombardment of radiation and chemotherapy? That is a living death where all mind and body functions come crashing down to a bed-ridden and toilet clinging nausea. The cancer is bad enough in itself -- why add two more carcinogenic agents in the name of a theorized return to health. This may be the right decision for some people it; it is not the right decision for me.

I will defend my right to make the best perceived choices that I possibly can to keep myself alive and healthy and mobile and able to carry on an informed, intelligent conversation, able to write an intelligent essay, with whoever the person is who I am with -- and i will defend this right to make my own decisions -- again til the day I die. I would sooner die making my own choices to the end than have this choice taken out of my hands in the name of someone who claims to know better than I. That person is not in my mind, not in my body, not living the life I want to live -- and may have been taught according to a paradigm that may or may not one day come crashing down -- or at least partly down -- under the weight of its own imperfections. Wherever and whenever there is serious money involved -- whether it be in the sphere of surgery and prescription medication or in the sphere of the herbal business -- one needs to remain seriously skeptical and aware of the potential conflict of interest of the person -- and/or industry -- who/that is giving you the supposedly 'best advice'.

I want to keep all herbs on the health store shelves -- unless there is clear and significance evidence relative to a clear and significant danger relative to the use of the particular herb. To be sure, more and more intelligent and reasonable knowledge is important and needed -- in the herbal industry, in the government health inspection agencies, and in the minds of individual users.

I can understand -- and support -- the reason for ephedra being taken off health stores shelves. There have been too many 'accidents' associated with it. Ephedra is like a super dose of caffeine that constricts the arteries -- which in the case of additional stress to the body such as extreme exercise and/or plaque-filled arteries could/can be deadly.

Hawthorne and gingko biloba -- to my knowledge -- work in a different way as 'thermogenic agents'. They open the arteries up as opposed to constricting them like ephedra and caffeine. Thus, logically speaking, it would seem that ephedra and caffeine could/can pose a serious health risk to any 'artery-and-circulation-challenged person' (high bad cholesterol in the arteries, high blood pressure, diabetics) whereas hawthorne and gingko biloba offer the potential therapeutic benefit of 'opening the arteries up'. Thus, it is no coincidence that hawthorne and gingko biloba would be -- and are being -- used to improve circulation in the name of improved sexual functioning whereas ephedra and caffeince could/can be expected to do the opposite.

However, in the case of hawthorne and gingko biloba -- as with such prescription drugs as Viagra and Cialis -- one has to be aware of the potentially dangerous complications of impaired liver function.

It is in this last regard that I plead guilty of my own health negligence -- taking too many hawthorne and/or gingko biloba capsules on a night when I had been drinking and wanted everything to end on the right note with my girlfriend. The next day -- or shortly afterwards -- I was admitted into the hospital with serious liver problems -- bad jaundice, outrageously high liver enzyme levels, and I would be in and out of the hospital for most of that summer -- from May to August -- trying to get my liver back to normal again. I walked away from a liver biopsy that I perhaps shouldn't have but I was sick of being sick, and I was sick of being in the hospital. I nursed my liver back to workable standards and my skin colour back to normal colour. But a few months later, thinking i was healthy and on top of things again, I started up social drinking again which was probably a big mistake. A year and a half later -- this past April 1st -- I was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. March 27th of this year was the last day I had a drink. Whether this -- and my choice of primarily self-treatment -- is putting me on the path to self-recovery or the continuation of a self-destructive and death spiral remains to be seen. I have been avoiding blood-tests which I need to do. I have been avoiding an MRI (don't want any more bad news) which I need to get it together and get it done. I see the same liver specialist in July that I walked away from two years ago. I need to get those two tests done before I see him. I don't know how long in advance you need to book an MRI. I still don't want a liver biopsy.

Right now I feel reasonably healthy. Or at least I go to work each day, function reasonably normal -- even if I am functioning mainly on half a liver. I was told that my 'left lobe' is my good lobe -- and is compensating for some of the work that my 'right lobe' is not doing. Hang in there left lobe! Don't desert me!

All of this is to say that the 'dialectic power struggle and/or integrative synthesis' between Orthodox Western Medicine and Alternative, Natural Health Medicine has real consequences with real people. Like me and you -- and mom.

What is happening in the scientific laboratories and in the editorial health and medical magazines -- in terms of a dialectic Post-Hegelian struggle for power, money, and/or a more idealistic integration -- is also being waged in the minds of every day, non-medical people. Like me and you -- and mom.

As long as I have enough life and energy in this aging mind and body of mine, as long as I can write to my readers, as long as i can embrace and encounter the people who are most important to me, as long as I can go to work each day, pay my bills, help you, mom, and my children, as long as I can live long enough to finish Hegel's Hotel, as long as I have enough strength and exuberance to meet each and every day with reason and passion -- to appreciate each and every day for each and every new experience that it brings me...to see you and mom continuing to smile...

Life is good.

The opposite must be avoided at all costs.

-- love Dave

-- dgbn, June 10th, 2009.

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As young people enter their teenage years, they start to notice that a lot of changes are taking place within their mature bodies. Simultaneously, physical changes are accompanied by hormonal development that makes them curious about the opposite sex. They have a strong desire to know the opposite gender as well as start to notice that physical attraction is unavoidable.

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Therefore, the services are there to guide you every step of the way. If you wish to make your voice heard, you can join forums. You have to choose a service that comes with this service. Forums will give you different perspectives as you get a chance to interact with other singles. Another feature that services will come with is chat rooms. They connect you to a variety of singles and, they can be so much fun. If you have never tried this, it is time you did; you will not be disappointed. Finding a person to love will mean going through many options before you arrive at the person you really feel is special. However, matchmaker adult site will only make it easy for you. You need to make sure that the service you choose will be safe and anonymous. This is an issue that singles grapple with but, services for dating will have ways to ensure that this is catered for. If you wish to join services that offer their services for free, you can join Adult Friend Finder, ToMyDate and many others. The options are many and, it is all up to you.

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I have a small dog that chews up a lot of my things. She likes to chew up wires, video game controllers, shoes, cell phones,pens, pencils, anything left on the floor or on the end table. I am basically home all day and if I go out its for only an hour. She has a lot of chew toys and she steals my daughters web kinz. I try to do everything. I would like some kind of ideas so I can get her to stop chewing everything up. I would appreciate any advise I get.

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d/3.0/ ).

EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 44, no. 1 (January/February 2009): 7071.

BY JIM WHITEHURST

Jim Whitehurst is President and CEO of Red Hat.

Comments on this article can be sent to the author at and/or can be posted to the web via the link at the bottom of this page.

Open source is now recognized in institutions of higher education as a viable technology solution that provides superior value at a fraction of the cost of proprietary applications. That's a good thingbut that's not all it can do. Open source can be a transformative force in education. In particular, it can transform computer science curricula. Academic institutions that are consumers of open source need to reverse roles and shift gears to preach what they practice and place higher emphasis on integrating open source into the classroom.

Open source is an increasingly important skill set that many of today's computer science graduates are lacking. This is not because students aren't interested in open source, but because very few colleges and universities currently offer open-source classes. In addition to eager students, there are many professors who are very interested in teaching open source in their classrooms and labs.

What Is Open Source?
Open source is a collaborative software-development method that harnesses the power of peer review and transparency of process to develop code that is freely accessible. Open source draws on an ecosystem of thousands of developers and customers all over the world to drive innovation. Traditional software companies provide only binary code and withhold source code, so users can run the software but cannot study, modify, or improve it. In contrast to these proprietary models, open-source software is distributed under nonrestrictive licensing terms that generally include access to the source code.

Why Open Source?
We live in an increasingly global community. Gone are the days when working for a company in an office meant serving a small geographic area from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Todays graduates will work in a matrix environment where projects cut across organizational and geographic boundaries, requiring cooperation and communication. Open source uses the power of collaboration to provide students with hands-on learning and to equip students with an expanded skill set that is very attractive to businesses.

Open source better prepares students for the business world by exposing them to real-world problems and encouraging learning through the completion of real tasks. Open source amplifies a approach to learning by connecting students to a community of users in an effort to solve problems. Open-source developers dont rely on textbooks; they rely on the knowledge base of other developers with whom they connect through community forums, building off of one anothers ideas to create a solution that is eventually shared with all. To this extent, open source better prepares students for future job experiences and allows them to complete, while they're still in school, work that's being used by the global open-source community.

Open source also teaches students useful skills that can be applied across other coursework and classes. Students have the opportunity to work with many more code bases in open source than are found in traditional student projects. This strengthens skills in collaboration, project management, and testing and encourages a well-rounded computer science education, making students more marketable in the business world.

It is widely accepted (though the point is impossible to prove) that many of the most gifted programmers in the world participate in open-source projects. Those projects provide a platform for them to display their achievements and for others to learn from them. This learning process happens naturally in open-source projects, but it can be encouraged by colleges and universities. The quality of the student's educational experience will be enhanced by learning from masters of the art.

Thus it is not just higher education institutions and the business community that benefit from open source in the classroom. As students sharpen their skills, they are able to drive increased innovation across open-source communities and projects. Working on open-source projects in school can serve as a gateway for students to continue to contribute after graduation. Projects have a longer shelf life and don't end when the semester ends. Students can continue to contribute long after they finish their coursework, graduate, and move into the working world.

Open source drives innovation faster due to its collaborative nature and community-backed effort. Teaching open source encourages better communication among students and prevents them from working in a vacuum, void of input or teamwork. Classrooms become smaller communities within the larger open-source community. This benefits students by teaching collaboration with classmates, and with others from across the globe, on how to resolve issues such as bug fixes.

Open source also allows students to leverage existing software for their own research purposes, and any code they contribute will find a much larger audience within the community. Students are a welcome addition to open-source projects, since they bring a fresh perspectiveone that those already working in the project might miss. Working every day in a project can desensitize people to the pain points of new contributors, a fact that students can effectively point out when they are new to a project. This input allows the open-source project to create a better experience for its current and future contributors.

Who Are the Leaders?
Some pioneers in the academic world are serving as models for success. For example, open source has become a fundamental part of the curriculum in the School of Computer Studies at Seneca College in Toronto, Canada. The school has partnered with open-source projects such as Mozilla and the Fedora Project to expose its students to the growing opportunities that open source presents. Seneca students work within the Fedora Project, a Red Hat-sponsored and community-supported open-source collaboration, while learning open-source development and administration. This proven model was developed at Seneca and will be incorporated into several programs beginning with its Linux/Unix System Administration (LUX) program, an intense one-year graduate certificate.

Other higher education institutions that have distinguished themselves as leaders in the open-source world include Oregon State University (OSU) and North Carolina State University (NCSU). The OSU Open Source Lab is the home of growing, high-impact open-source communities. Its world-class hosting services enable the Linux operating system, the Apache web server, the Drupal content management system, and more than fifty other leading open-source software projects to collaborate with contributors and distribute software to millions of users globally. And right here in my home state, NCSU has created the Center for Open Software Engineering, which performs basic research, education, and outreach to enable software technology gains and to bridge the gap between the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-practice of commercial software engineering.

Google's Summer of Code (GSoC) program, although not affiliated with any education system, has also been a huge success in introducing students to open source. The program offers student developers stipends to write code for various open-source projects. It kicked off in 2005 and has historically connected more than 1,500 students with over 130 open-source projects to create millions of lines of code. Most of the students who participate in GSoC are enrolled in college or university computer science and computer engineering programs, but many of those participants have never worked in an open-source project before their experience with GSoC. If Google can achieve these dramatic results with a three-month-long program, imagine the innovation that can take place if academic institutions across the globe bring open source into the classroom.

Government as a Facilitator?
In many parts of the world, governments have been early adopters and heavy users of open-source technologies. Governments also provide significant funding for public higher education institutions. Many governments, having understood from a user perspective the benefits of open-source technologies, play an important role by encouraging their public colleges and universities to create open-source curricula to meet the marketplace demands for well-trained students of open source. From a government funding perspective, the use of open-source technologies will help to reduce college/university IT costs, saving money that can be used to meet more critical needs of students. Governments should also encourage the use of open IT standards, which will lead to more competition in the marketplace, more opportunities for open source, and even greater reductions in IT costs at colleges and universities.

What's Next?
Todays students live in a world of openness, transparency, and collaboration. Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Wikipedia are students' top websites, all of them populated by user-generated content. Open source is driven by this generation and the values they hold dear. Users can see the code, change it, learn from it, share it. And thats exactly what we should be teaching on our college and university campuses to give this generation of workers the skills they need to succeed in a global economy.

One of my colleagues from the open-source world, Tim O'Reilly, says it best: Innovation is no longer about who has the most gifted scientists or best equipped labs. It's about who has the best architecture of participation. Open source is the most viable means through which a higher education institution can create this architecture of participation.

So, let's work together to help our colleges and universities arm students with the knowledge of open source to continue to drive innovation across the industry. If you're a professor, start a dialogue with administration about the importance of open source, and rally your colleagues around that effort. If you're a student, demand that your institution take a closer look at open source. If you're an IT administrator at an academic institution, integrate open-source technologies into IT infrastructures and share your knowledge with professors, students, and other administrators. It will take a collaborative effort, but we can make change happen and cross the chasms between open source, education, and business.

http://www.educause.

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Hi Blogwins,
A thought provoking post today.
I skim read an interesting article on Twitter http://tinyurl.com/cxwszs It basically talks about affirmations regarding not caring what people think of you, because in the end others opinions dont count. And, we should have the freedom to say and do what we please.
Thats great in theory but in reality we need to have opinions and act on them or otherwise the innocent and the vulnerable are likely to get hurt.  Just because a pedophile and a rapist think its o.k to do what they do doesnt mean to say it is. It is very wrong to think its o.k to hurt someone mentally and physically. To in fact, scar them for life with certain actions.
I studied psychology (to some small degree)  in my heady youth in college and it was an eye opening experience to see how people viewed themselves and their own worth plus all the mechanics in between.
Taking this concept through to my own life I know that some people think Im a desperate person with low self esteem to want to be a sensual massage practitioner. And most definitely I know because of these perceptions Im not all out there and open with the whole world about what I do. I have two very separate lives, but the irony is they are both in the public eye.  I constantly juggle both.
So yes, I do care. I dont want to lose friends and have family shun me. No their opinion should not matter - they should take me for who I am. But lets be honest, its a whole lot easier on ones stress levels if you just keep quiet. There is enough drama in life without adding to it. But a part of me does want to make this more acceptable and I suppose thats one of the reasons Ive written my book. To break down barriers.
I think the difference between comparing me to some poor girl on the street is that Im not needy. I dont have anyone controlling me and I can think for myself. I feel empowered and strong and if only people would look further than the taboo that sensual pleasure is and into the benefits of two consenting adults enjoying the feeling of touch the better off and easier it would be. Porn stars get more respect than floozies do and the only difference is they get paid after and not before.
Like any job there can be bumps in the road. There is frustration sometimes with people - all jobs come with this.
No matter what type of floozy you are full, fetish, massage you should feel empowered by the fact you are open minded enough to do what you do. And as long as you dont trick or hurt anyone in your journey in this you will gain so much from it.
Some floozies though hate what they do, their is no empowerment in hating yourself. And if shit should ever hit the fan Id like to say to who ever got in my face about it that this vocation has enriched and empowered me as a human being. Ive met all sorts of people, some Ive liked, some Ive not. Each have taught me valuable life lessons. Some for  a split second and some lessons I will remember until I die.
I think it all boils down to this - we care about what people think if we love and/or respect them.  Otherwise it just doesnt matter.
Its shame though that we have to struggle for acceptance. The disapproval of floozies is engrained in some people; some due to religion and some due their upbringing.  Its difficult to change people minds about floozies, but hopefully blogs like this and others will help shift the thinking -  it will be a slow process though but I dont think its an unreachable goal.

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Dear Sugar,
I've been with my boyfriend for almost two years and we love each other very much. I recently moved overseas to be with him and things have been going great, with the exception of his sister - she has never accepted me and always treats me like I'm not wanted. In the almost two years that he and I have been together, she has never once called me to make plans or even just to say hi, and she has made her feelings about me very clear to him and his parents. It's been really hard for me to make new friends since I've moved and I always hoped his sister would reach out to me, but she's just made matters worse.
I know he wants us to have some sort of relationship, but I feel like she'll just never accept me. How can I handle this and keep it from affecting my relationship with my boyfriend? - Lonely Laura
To see DearSugar's answer read more.
Dear Lonely Laura,
I'm so sorry to hear that your boyfriend's sister isn't welcoming you into her life, but it sounds to me like she's just jealous of the role you play in her brother's life - she now has to compete with you for his attention. You say that she's never made an effort to spend time with you, but have you reached out to her?
She sounds very stubborn so I recommend you talk to your boyfriend and ask him what the best way to approach this situation is. You don't want to come on too strong, but you also don't want to be a pushover, so find a middle ground and go from there. If she's still unwilling to let you in, you're unfortunately going to have to wait for her to come around. I know this has to be hard on you so lean on your boyfriend for support, but try to keep the issues with his sister separate. Good luck to you.

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THE WOLF PACK GIVES BACK: WE WANT YOU!

PUBLIC TALK
Thursday, April 23, 7pm
Calling all socially conscious individuals to kick off The Wolfsonian's community service networking group, Wolf Pack Gives Back. Make friends and help Miami. The launch begins with a talk about community action by Ted Baker, a landscape architect and retired FIU professor, followed by a screening of the documentary Eden's Lost and FoundPhiladelphia (2006, USA, Harry Wiland, 57 min, English, color, DVD). Learn how community-based volunteer groups in Philadelphia bettered their community despite budget cuts. For more information and service dates, see upcoming events below. Free.

DON'T FORGET...FREE GALLERY ADMISSION ON FRIDAYS FROM 6-9PM
Free admission begins at 6pm. Join us for a guided tour at 6pm, and innovative programming at 7pm. Galleries remain open until 9pm.



OPPOSITE:
Poster, Hold Up Your End!, 1918
Designed by William B. King (American, 18801927)
Published by the American Red Cross, New York
The WolfsonianFIU, Miami Beach, Florida,
Gift of Elizabeth Loomis Norton and Richard M. Norton
2001.13.4

CONTENTS

CALENDAR ON VIEW DYNAMO HIGHLIGHT UPCOMING EVENT




1001 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
T 305.531.1001 F 305.531.2133
wolfsonian.org


MUSEUM HOURS DYNAMO MUSEUM STORE CAFE
Mon., Tues.: Noon-6pm
Thurs., Fri.: Noon-9pm
Sat., Sun.: Noon-6pm
Wed.: Closed

Free admission after 6pm on Fridays

THINKISM THURSDAYS
Join us for a tour at 6pm, and most nights include a program.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

Art and Design in the Modern Age: Selections from The Wolfsonian Collection

American Streamlined Design: The World of Tomorrow


CONTACT US

RSVP: 305.535.2645
rsvp@thewolf.fiu.edu

MEMBERSHIP: 305.535.2631 membership@thewolf.fiu.edu

PROGRAMS: 305.535.2644
programs@thewolf.fiu.edu


INFO: 305.531.1001
information@thewolf.fiu.edu


MUSEUM SHOP: 305.535.2680
museumshop@thewolf.fiu.edu

DYNAMO CAFE: 305.535.1457
dynamo@lyonandlyon.com





CALENDAR

WOLF BOOK CLUB
Be a part of our book club! Participants must be Wolfsonian members and will receive a twenty percent discount on book club selections purchased in The Dynamo Museum Shop. To join or to RSVP: 305.535.2644 or education@thewolf.fiu.edu. Free.

Friday, April 3, 7pm
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS by Booth Tarkington (1918)This Pulitzer Prizewinning novel about life in the American Midwest contrasts the declining fortunes of an American dynasty over three generations with the country's industrial growth and the ascendance of the "new money" class. The novel, second in a trilogy, depicts the descent of George Amberson Minafer from aristocracy to the working class.


PERFORMANCE
Saturday, April 4, 2:30pm
CONCERT V OF THE 2009 NEW MUSIC MIAMI ISCM FESTIVALJoin guest composer Ana Laura for a pre-performance talk, followed by a concert of new music from the Americas featuring the Amernet String Quartet with guest guitarist Jaime Marques from Mexico. Works by Ana Laura (Mexico), Steve Gerber (USA), and Orlando Jacinto García (Cuba/USA) are featured. For more information: contact the FIU Box office at 305.348.0496 or visit the festival's website at http://music.fiu.edu. Free.

SPECIAL EVENT
Thursday, April 9, 7pm
WOLF PACK DEN NIGHT PUB QUIZJoin the Wolf Pack for a night of trivia, pub food, and Grolsch beer. We'll battle wits over esoterica large and small, past and present. RSVP requested: 305.535.2631 or rsvp@thewolf.fiu.edu.

FILM
Thursday, April 16, 7pm
HOMO BABY BOOM (2008, Spain, Anna Boluda, 27 min, Catalan with English subtitles, color, DVD)What are the effects of legal changes in Spain that allow same-sex marriage and adoption? This documentary follows six families with lesbian or gay parents in Catalonia and Valencia. A discussion featuring local experts of GLBT Studies and Cultural Studies takes place after the screening. Co-presented by Centro Cultural Español. Free.

CINEMA 2 AT THE WOLF
is an ongoing documentary film series presented in collaboration with WPBT-Channel 2.

Thursday, April 30, 7pm
INHERITANCE (2008, USA, James Moll, 75 min, English, color, DVD)Monika Hertwig is the daughter of the sadistic Nazi commander of the Plaszow concentration camp, Amon Goeth (portrayed in Schindler's List). This documentary details the meeting between Hertwig, who has spent her life haunted by her father's actions, and Helen Jonas, a Holocaust survivor who was enslaved in Goeth's household and later rescued by Schindler. Jonas and Hertwig meet at the Plaszow camp memorial and visit the still-standing villa where Goeth (and Jonas) lived. The idea for the film grew out of a conversation Hertwig had with director Moll when he contacted her about an unrelated project. "I am not my father," Hertwig said. Moll later recalled, "That statement became the genesis of Inheritance." Presented in collaboration with P.O.V., PBS' award-winning nonfiction film series. Free.

TOURS
Each Thursday and Friday, 6pm
Consider how an array of historical, cultural, and political trends inspired design of the machine age with a guided exhibition tour each Thursday and Friday night at 6pm. Friday tours are free.



ON VIEW

MOUTON ROTHSCHILD-PAINTINGS FOR THE LABELS
Organized by The WolfsonianFIU in cooperation with Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A.
ON VIEW THROUGH APRIL 19, 2009

Since 1924 and beginning with the famous poster designer Jean Carlu, Château Mouton-Rothschild has commissioned works from some of the most distinguished international artists of their times to illustrate their wine labels. See a selection of the original artwork created over the past 85 years by Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Robert Motherwell, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Francis Bacon, Rufino Tamayo, among others, and discover which artist adorns the 2006 vintage.

AMERICAN STREAMLINED DESIGN: THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
Organized and circulated by the Liliane and David M. Stewart Program for Modern Design, Montreal
ON VIEW THROUGH MAY 17, 2009


Surveying a particularly American version of Modernism, American Streamlined Design presents over 185 works in diverse materials, from Bakelite to stainless steel, organized thematically around the spheres of American life in the 1930s50s: the kitchen and bath, the living room, the office and workroom, manual labor, and recreation. The exhibition is drawn from the Eric Brill Collection, the largest known on this subject, and supplemented by works from the Stewart Collection of 20th-Century Design and The Wolfsonian.

ART AND DESIGN IN THE MODERN AGE: SELECTIONS FROM THE WOLFSONIAN COLLECTION
ONGOING

The Wolfsonian-FIU holds an astounding collection of modern objectsboth the rare and the overlooked from the 1885 to 1945 era, demonstrating the active role design plays in motivating actions, expressing ideas, creating desires, and shaping identities. Exhibition themes underscore designers' responses to new materials and technologies, the role of graphic design as an instrument of political and commercial persuasion, and the nature of state-sponsored public art and architecture programs.


DYNAMO HIGHLIGHT

The Dynamo Café's eclectic menu features a delicious array of soups, sandwiches, and salads, as well as a coffee bar and special dessert and tea menus. The museum shop is the destination for unique toys, jewelry, books, fashion, accessories and housewares.


DAZZLING DAILY LUNCH SPECIAL
Shop till you drop, then lunch at The Dynamo for $10 pp, plus tax and tip. Lunch special menu includes a Chef's entrée of the day and iced tea.

THINKISM THURSDAYS
Energy Hours at The Dynamo take place from 6-9pm and include two-for-one drink specials, a tapas menu, and all your favorite board games.

FREE FRIDAYS, 6-9 PM
Free admission to galleries from 6-9pm. Energy Hours at The Dynamo take place from 6-9pm and include two-for-one drink specials, a tapas menu, and all your favorite board games. Exhibition tour at 6pm. Recharge your batteries for the weekend.

For more information on menus or to reserve your table at The Dynamo, please call 305.535.1457 or email dynamo@lyonandlyon.com.


UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturdays, May 9, June 6, July 11
WOLF PACK GIVES BACKWould you like to help others in the community by contributing your time and skills? The Wolfsonian wants you! Join Wolf Pack Gives Back to learn, network, and give back to the community. As an added bonus, you can even earn discounted museum membership. Projects may include Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, Shake-A-Leg-Miami, Lotus House, and others. Times to be determined. For more information: 305.535.2644 or lydia@thewolf.fiu.edu.

The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; William J. and Tina Rosenberg Foundation; Continental Airlines, the Official Airline of The Wolfsonian-FIU; The Miami Herald; Miami.com; Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Robert Mondavi Winery; and Pistils Petals.

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Disclaimer: If you think I will be biased in the content of this post, please do not continue to read the whole post. :) Read at your own risk.


A friend told me that he met a guy in chat who is actually involved in this kind of relationship. He is past 30 and the girl he is dating is only 13; how weird is that. When I heard this story, I was both shocked and amused on this kind of relationship.

I don't want to write anything about their story; what I will be writing here would be my perspective on this topic.

As we all know when it comes to *love* there is no really legality nor a rule on when to start dating or not. No relationship is bounded by law as the famous line says "All is fair in love". This kind of relationship would not be endangered if there would be no sexual contact to the involved minor. Otherwise, the federal law of each country will have its say

Engaging in this kind of relationship has its pro's and cons. But since this is my blog, I want to focus only on the cons. :)

1. Youth only comes once, enjoy while it is still here. The minor party will have some limitations on parties, girls/boys night out, prom (are you going to bring an adult on your prom?).

2. During our teen years, we start to develop our character, personality; we start to discover what we like, what we want to be in the future. Somehow, our character, personality, decision, likes and disliked will be influenced to the older party's like, personality, culture and character.

3. Risking the emotions of teenagers. Breaking-up is inevitable and it would be an emotional trauma for the younger party.

4. People's non-stop gossip about the adult's romance with the teen girl/guy.

5. Everyone grows. The only permanent thing in this world is change. The younger party may change his/her mind about the relationship they are currently engaged in and in the the next five years or ten years he/she does not want to stay relationship, thus the risk of having divorced, annulment and separation is high.

I don't want to offend anyone, but these are just my thoughts. :P Let me know what are yours.

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My phone rang yesterday afternoon and I picked it up to find Lexington Steeles name in the caller I. D. . . . which was cosmically funny because Steve was, right at that very moment, playing the raw footage of my last encounter with Lex while making a backup copy t o an external hard-drive!Lex had to get back to the office but, after saying our good-byes, still naked, I shut the door, grabbed Steve by the hand and took him to the bedroom where I got o Plus, I got 50 extra copies from Lexington Steele that I will soon autograph and make available to my fans. Hugs! ~ Janet www. janet-exposed. comWe make it through the trailer of the DVD that Steve and I shot at Lexs house in January. . . he says, Aww, I thought you were going to stay there. . . (on top of him). Who am I to disappoint Lexington Steele.

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SluttyMature whos face caught my eye and I was lucky that she was online to greet me at that time. Well, I hadnt expected what I found in my session with this sexy milf and was at the top of my game with a huge hard on while she performed some amazing acts for me and was able to show me a squirt from her pussy after each of them. This gal is 10 of 10 to me and if you are into older and more experienced women who can turn a man on as she does with oral caress, anal, double ended toys you wont want to miss her but go see her now.

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Shaiya, a Korean Adult MMORPG Flooded with Super CG Beauties.

"Shaiya" is an MMORPG developed by SONOV which invested two years time and more than KRW 4 billion (about RMB 30 million) in the project. "Shaiya" is a land where many races dwell, and as well as a big stage where the game progresses. Currently, two forces - "Alliance of Light" and "Union of Fury" hating each other are fighting unceasingly in order to take control of the land. They often fight in the forts called Keep in the wild. However, the fighting in the forts is just a prelude. The more fierce battle will be "Goddess Battle" where players fight fierecely in order to win goddess? love.

Shaiya Feature:

The unique features of Shaiya:

The system requirement for the game is not high. When you enter the game, you may feel that it's similar to some other 3D MMORPG. Shaiya has inherited the features of Myth, Lineage II and some other famous MMORPGs; however, it focuses more on character details and the quality of graphics. Its excellent graphics makes Shaiya stand out among other recently released 3D MMORPGs. There are two control modes available in the game, keyboard control mode and mouse control mode (the keyboard control mode is similar to that in CS). When you create your character, the system will ask you to select difficulty level, which is quite normal in offline games. However, it is the first time that this kind of function found in an online game though it's not as simple as that in offline games.

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So, first, sorry. I didn't post on Monday. It was a Bad Day. I've been having a lot of those lately, but Monday was particularly Bad and I honestly just couldn't get my head around anything well enough to blog. So, sorry about that.

Seriously, is this month over yet? It's been AWFUL. One of the worst months I've ever had; I feel bruised all over from the beating it's given me. Part of it might be the Mercury retrograde; part of it might just be that it's January and the weather is a neverending stream of miserable (and has been for two years.) Whatever it is, I just want to go crawl under the covers and hide.

But of course I cannot. :-) I have kids to raise and a novel, a short story, and a proposal to write. So, no hiding for me. And actually, although it's been a slow month, the novel is coming along and so is the proposal (haven't started the short yet) so I feel good about that; I'm 25k or so into the third Downside book, which I'm calling CITY OF GHOSTS for now (although I'm not sure how unique that is, so we'll see if I get to keep it. It might end up being something like UNDERGROUND GHOSTS or maybe GHOSTS UNBOUND. Don't know. Reminder to self: Google "City of ghosts" and see what you get.) Shame, really, as it's the perfect title for what I think is going to be a kickass book; I'm actually extremely pleased with it so far, which is nice. I have a couple more clues to drop in this first third and my subplots are simmering along nicely.

See, here's what I do. I separate the novel, in my head, into three parts; assuming a 90k book, which of course it won't be exactly--the final version of UNHOLY GHOSTS is about 98k; DOWNSIDE GHOSTS before edits is about 101k. So we'll see. Anyway.

It occurred to me that this particular way of structuring a book might interest some of you, so here's what I'm going to do. This Thursday and the next two I'm going to outline my basic method; feel free to ask questions at the end of each post and I'll answer them the following Thursday, and we'll do a little summary at the end.

So. Why would you want to do this? Why would you want to structure your books this way? What is the benefit of it?

I can only answer what the benefit is for me, and how it helps me organize my thoughts and work, and the ways in which I feel it's improved my writing. Honestly I think most of you probably do this anyway, either consciously or unconsciously.

I'm not an outliner or planner. I start my books with a couple of characters and a problem which needs solving. Occasionally I'll have a couple of ideas for Big Scenes in my head, but that's really it. An idea excites me and I start writing, period. If you are an outliner or planner, this may not be necessary for you or, again, you probably already do this. And as with any other writing advice I give, this is my way and only mine; it's not in any way a "You must do it this way" or "This is the best way". But I mentioned my little structure elsewhere and a few people really liked it, so I thought why not share it a little more widely.

Also keep in mind that if your projected word counts are shorter, you will of course need shorter thirds, and especially remember this is not set in stone. Every book is different. Every book will have its own needs. You do not have to do this the way I do in order to write well, not at all, not remotely.

So. Here is what this does for me:

**It improves pacing. Separating the book into three 30k chunks, and knowing basically what purpose each chunk has to serve, gives me a structure on which to hang my wild imaginings (hee). Also, because of the way each "Act" is set up, it draws the reader into the story at a predictable pace and keeps the flow of information steady.

**It gives me a much stronger first draft. You pantsers know exactly what I'm talking about here. By the time our book is finished we have so many clues we need to go back and add, so many changes that need to be made, it's like rewriting the book. But keeping the structure in mind makes it easier for me to fit in anything I might need; I know where the additional info needs to go or from where it needs to be removed.

**It means I'm not cramming to fit things in at the end, or left with too many loose ends.

**It eliminates the problem of the "sagging middle". I believe the sagging middle is a pacing/information problem; sagging middles occur when too much information is given in the beginning of a story. By structuring my books this way I make sure there's plenty of action throughout.

Assuming a book is 90k words, by the end of the first third--or 30k--I need to have all my basic information in place:

*Who the major players are. The bad guy needs to be introduced here, even if--as is usually the case--the reader is unaware that s/he is the bad guy. Hell, I'm not usually aware at this point who the bad guy is, especially given how much I enjoy my red herrings. So I usually set up two or three likely suspects here. I can always edit later to strengthen or remove the connections, once I figure out who the Baddie really is. We also need, of course, the main characters.

*The basic plot. What is the mystery or problem we're solving? A lot of people will tell you this should be in the first chapter, and they're not wrong. The sooner the better. But I'm also a fan of the Indiana Jones opening, whereby the first chapter is an intro to character and action that clears up events which occurred before the book's opening. So I feel that as long as we introduce the issue in those first three chapters, we're good.

*At least one subplot, hopefully two. They don't have to be delved too deeply into in the first 10k or so, but by the end of 30k they should be (and we're going to go into the structure of each act itself as well). But the basic stage needs to be set early, in this first act. For example, in PERSONAL DEMONS, Megan's interview with Brian. We also met our Ultimate Baddie in those first chapters and added our little subplot with the vision of the Yezer's house on the astral plane. And of course we met our romantic lead as well and (hopefully) had a nice little attraction/irritation vibe going fairly quickly, at least by the end of that 30k.

ALL THE BASIC CLUES NEED TO BE IN PLACE BY THE END OF THE FIRST ACT.

This doesn't mean at all that by the end of the first act the mystery would be solvable. Oh, no. Not at all. But everything that comes later has to build on what's already in those first 30k words. No deus ex machinas for us; we need to lay our groundwork.

For example, let's say we're writing a murder mystery. It can be set in any world, from "normal" to total fantasy.

For example, let's say we're writing a murder mystery. It can be set in any world, from "normal" to total fantasy.

So, in the first 10-15k words we want to introduce:

Our main character
Sidekicks, if any
The mystery itself
The bad guys
The world we're in
Our basic clues

Is the murderer out for revenge? Then we might want to mention, in that first section, how many people loved (or hated) the victim. Out for money? Then we mention how rich (or poor) the victim was. We might introduce some physical clues here; the bloody knife or gun, say. Or there may be no obvious cause of death, and we introduce the cause at the very end of this act (we may even wait until the second act, but if that's the case we should have a lot of other stuff going on.)

And in the second 15k or so we want to start exploring the word, pick up a few additional clues, and get to our first Major Complication (beyond the basic plot-laying one).

Every act ends with action and deepening conflict.

Well, technically, every sentence, ever scene, every page, needs to deepen conflict, of course. But for the sake of our structure we're going to focus on Major Conflict.

To go back to our murder mystery, let's say our MC is Jennifer, a private detective. The subject of one of jennifer's investigations turns up dead, and she decides to work with the police--or behind their backs, perhaps--to solve the crime for whatever reason.

It's a pretty basic plot and one I think we're all fairly familiar with.

So our first act is the dead body, the introduction of Jennifer and her frenemies on the force, the world, whatever. And we pick up info here and there, and perhaps we learn that Jennifer is debating whether to put her grandmother in a home, and Jennifer's just broken up with a lover, and Jennifer needs a new car, or whatever.

We'll probably have some excitement in those chapters, and some uncoverings. But it's right around the end of that first act that things go from bad to worse. Jennifer is attacked at her home. Or a witness is found dead. Or she's kidnapped. Or the police tell her in a very shady way to get the heck out of their investigation.

Whatever the plot is, the end of the first act is where you generally put:

*A major action scene
*A major complication

Preferably at the same time. That first 30k has to encourage the reader to keep going; you want the end of that act to be an "Oh crap" moment, you know what I mean? I tend to think of those, and of those major action scenes, as "beats", and each act should end with or right around a beat.

This isn't to say at all that you shouldn't be having those moments as you go, because of course you should. But the end of that first act is where everything rolls on its side; it's where the MC finds him or herself in jeopardy somehow or where someone else is put in jeopardy (like, for example, the kidnapping of Catherine Martin in Thomas Harris's Silence of the Lambs, to pull an example out of my--ahem--hat. The abduction, in fact, occurs on page 104 of my copy [I just went upstairs and grabbed it], which is 352 pages long, and is especially masterful there as just a few pages before Harris showed us the autopsy of a Buffalo Bill victim. Thus at the end of that book's "first act" we have a graphic representation of how different this killer is; we have a significant clue in the throat larvae; and we have the abduction--so we know exactly what is waiting for that girl.)

The end of the first act is where the stakes jump higher. It's not just an investigation anymore; this time it's personal, if you know what I mean. Something Bad Has Happened. It's going to happen again, unless we stop it. There's often--again, as in Silence--a time factor introduced here too. Either way, this is where everything that's come so far raises to a fever pitch, and the reader is (hopefully!) left breathlessly anticipating the second act, where everything gets deeper and more complicated.

Remember, none of this is set in stone. All stories are different. It's just a guideline.

So. Any questions? What do you think; is this a structure you use? Do you keep these things in mind as you work.

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38 / Woman seeking Man or Woman 21 - 58
Rating : 9.20
Born : 1970-05-03
Location : San Diego, California
About evannasosweet: Not only am I attractive, outgoing, uninhibited and sexually charged but also playful, fun and adventurous. Always selective and discreet but not stuck on looks or myself. Very sensual and sexy as well as educated and down -to- earth.

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I think the NBA did something a little bit fishy over the NBA All Star Weekend in Phoenix. The Dunk Contest is something special or it can be when the league’s best dunkers participate. They have been down years for the dunk contest and I think in 2009 it was certainly down. I couldn’t figure out why the judges were scoring Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson so high and letting the other two dunkers get low, undeserving scores. Dwight Howard’s dunk on the 12 foot rim and coming out of the phone booth was certainly the most entertaining dunk of the evening. However was it the best?
If you look at the hardest dunk that was performed all evening long, there was no doubt that Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers had the best dunk! His dunk with Pau Gasol throwing it off the back of the backboard and Rudy catching it with one hand and reversing it on the other side of the rim was spectacular. Not many guys in the NBA could perform that dunk and it deserved a 10 from each judge and should have been a 50 dunk. Kenny Smith from TNT said that he would have scored better if he would have did it the first time or in the first couple of tries. Oh really? Well Dwight Howard had several lob attempts with his first dunk. He simply stood out of bounds and threw the ball up and once it bounced off the ground, he threw it down with authority. Dwight received a 50 for his dunk and Rudy got a 42? I didn’t understand at this point how Rudy scored so low and Howard so high.
Soon we would see the phone booth and the extra rim being brought in for Dwight Howard’s 2nd dunk. Nate Robinson who started the competition in the blue Knicks uniform changed out into a green Knicks uniform, green shoe, and used a green basketball to dunk with for the rest of his attempts. The NBA wanted to see the tallest dunker and the shortest dunker go at it in the finals. The judges gave such low scores to Rudy Fernandez and J.R. Smith, which it made it impossible for one of them to advance to the finals.
The NBA fixed the contest! The 2009 Dunk Contest held in Phoenix, Arizona was rigged to have Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson face off against each other. The judges were in on this and that’s why they gave such low scores to the other guys. Rudy you got robbed and everyone NBA fan and player knows this and your dunk was great. It deserved a 50 and I would have liked to see more of your dunks. Unfortunately the NBA had already plan to see Nate Robinson be the kryptonite to Superman Dwight Howard. I live just north of Atlanta where Dwight Howard played his high school basketball. I am a Dwight Howard fan and wanted him to win the 2009 Dunk Contest and repeat as champion. However, he didn’t deserve a 50 on his first dunk attempt and the NBA fixed the dunk contest in Phoenix. If Howard doesn’t make it to the finals, the NBA could not have the shortest guy and the tallest guy dunking it off.
All NBA fans everywhere should be upset with the NBA for rigging the contest in Phoenix. I can’t believe they would stoop to such low measures to design a championship match with Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson. We want to see the best dunks and whoever wins it; wins it! The NBA All Star Weekend was going so good for the NBA and its players until the dunk contest was fixed. It’s no surprise that one of their referees got caught fixing games and was suspended. I guess the referee that got caught fixing games was only taking pages from David Stern and other members of the brass that are suppose to be in charge of the NBA.
The NBA lottery held each summer is not even live on television either. I wish they would let the ping pong balls go live on the air and we can see with our own eyes which team wins the lottery. Since the NBA does this behind closed doors, I guess we can only assume the NBA lottery is fixed too. You also have to think about LeBron James leading a poor Cleveland Cavaliers team to the finals a couple of years ago. That team wasn’t good enough to make the finals, but perhaps the NBA wanted their golden child LeBron James to have a chance to win a NBA title. The lottery, LeBron playing in a finals, and now Rudy Fernandez getting a low score for the best dunk on Saturday night in Phoenix, leads me to believe that the NBA game and events surrounding it are all fixed.

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Slumdog Millionaire - the feelgood film hit of the year or 'poverty porn'? Celebration or exploitation? Not gritty enough or too gritty? No matter the controversies surrounding Danny Boyle's award-winning film, there's one thing everybody agrees on: for its 18-year-old star, Dev Patel, Bafta nomination is just the beginning.
With his nomination for best actor in the Baftas, Dev Patel is going head-to-head with Brad Pitt. Such is his rapid rise he is staying in a suite at Mumbai's J W Marriott, the five-star hotel favoured by Bollywood stars, with its spas and infinity pools looking out over the Arabian Sea.
Given that he has never had any formal training as an actor, his performance in Slumdog Millionaire, the film that propelled him into award contention among Hollywood superstars, seems precociously assured and nuanced. There is a real stillness and depth, which may be why acting legends such as Clint Eastwood and Sir Ben Kingsley have been queuing up to praise him and shake his hand. Critics and awards judges, meanwhile, have been running out of superlatives. One consensus seems to be that he is 'a natural'.
Modestly, he attributes his being cast to pure luck.
Controversy and acclaim, acclaim and controversy: one or the other can make for a decent showing at the box office. But add them together and you have something combustible, something rare, a cultural phenomenon. Such is Slumdog Millionaire, a film about a boy from the slums of Mumbai who is one question away from winning the Hindi version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? When arrested on suspicion of cheating, he tells the police chief the tragicomic story of his life on the streets, and of the girl he loved and lost. By turns savage and sentimental, his flashbacks explain how he knew the answers.
The momentum for this film began a few weeks ago when it won four Golden Globes. Then came 11 Bafta nominations, with the winners to be announced tonight. Slumdog, as it is now customarily shortened, looks set to sweep all before it at the Oscars later this month, with 10 nominations.
Yet barely a day goes by without the film finding itself mired in a new controversy. Reports that the eight-year-old actors in the film were exploited, or rather, paid a pittance before being returned to the slums, made the front pages the criticism seemingly tapping into perceptions of Western paternalism and guilt. The following day, there were riots, with hundreds of protesters in Bihar state's capital, Patna, clashing with police, tearing down posters and ransacking a cinema after objecting to the 'humiliating' word 'dog' in the title.
And while for some Indians, the affluent ones, at least, Slumdog is too gritty a negative film that dwells on the poverty of modern India and ignores the prosperity for others it is not gritty enough, glossing over the grim realities of slum life to make audiences feel better about themselves (they even have slum tours there now). Then there are those who resent the film for trading in clichés and national stereotypes, for its unflattering portrayal of Indian life, rich and poor.
They argue that this is an India seen through Western eyes after all, not only is the director British (Danny Boyle, best known for Trainspotting) but also the screenwriter (Simon Beaufoy, creator of The Full Monty) and Patel, the 18-year-old star of the film. He's from north-west London, where he still lives with his parents.
Whatever the validity of these accusations, this film is proof of one old saw: that there is no such thing as bad publicity. And its success has happened with remarkable speed, breaking records with the largest UK box office increase on the second weekend of release. Such is the pace of its world domination, indeed, when I ring Dev Patel in Mumbai the morning after the premiere there, he has not heard that Slumdog is number one at the British box office. 'No way, man!' he says. 'Wicked.'
The word 'man' punctuates many of his sentences, along with 'you know' and 'wicked'. He's young. Was 17 when filming began last year. At the time of casting, indeed, he was still a pupil at Whitmore High School, Harrow.
He also has the teenager's habit of raising his intonation at the end of a sentence, turning statements into questions. He is articulate, though, with a low and measured delivery and a dry sense of humour. His defining characteristic, he tells me, is that he can't sit still. And when at a club, he is the one standing at the back sipping his drink, not knowing quite what to do with himself. He also describes himself as bewildered and star-struck at the moment, which is fair enough.
He thought the premiere in Mumbai was 'wicked', by the way, partly because traditional Indian drummers turned up and began playing. The cast did an improvised bhangra dance down the red carpet. 'We really partied, man. There were big crowds. Lots of flashbulbs.' There were also about 25 protesters from the slums. I ask whether he picked up on any of the negative reaction. 'There was none that I could see. There is a lot of buzz about the film here because it's the first Western film to come out of Mumbai. Since it got the Golden Globes and the Bafta and Oscar nominations people feel really proud of it here. They want to see it. It's got them talking. It's not the kind of film cinema audiences here are used to. It's not Bollywood, apart from the dance sequence that comes with the closing credits.'
That choreographed dance scene was filmed on the platforms of Victoria Terminus, the Raj-era station that is a recurring location throughout the film. It is something of a parody of Bollywood, untypical of the European mood and style of the rest of the film. Bollywood movies are an acquired taste for Westerners, I suggest. What does he make of them?
'Actually, I love them. I've grown up around them. There was always one on at my grandmother's house. I loved the big fight sequences and dance sequences when I was a kid but then I grew out of it a bit in my early teens. Recently I've got back into them.' He's not sure if he would like to appear in one, however. 'Don't get me wrong though. I love this place. I would love to come back here and film something. I've fallen in love with Mumbai. It is magical.'
Patel thinks it unfair to criticise Slumdog for being unrealistic. 'It has never claimed to be a documentary. It is a movie. It is entertainment. I spent five months out here filming and really got a chance to see the slums close up and I think the film depicts them accurately enough. Mumbai really is a city of extreme contrasts. If you step out of a five-star hotel here you can be facing a slum. You sense this massive tide of humanity. The film has caught the energy and pace of Mumbai. As soon as I stepped off the plane I felt I was thrown into it. The intense wall of heat. The noise. The colours. The air smells different. Saffron and sewers. You do get used to it. And you do get numbed to the poverty.'
The film depicts slum dwellers as cheerful, but is this a cosy myth perpetuated by Western tourists?
'No, that really was my impression. The most striking thing is how happy people are in the slums. They don't seem depressed. They don't pity themselves. They are communities that flourish on their own. They elect their own head of the slum. Such a sense of community, all working together to make their slum a better slum.'
As a political campaign slogan 'make your slum a better slum' might need some work, but I take his point. Does he sense any resentment that he is a British actor taking this lead, rather than an Indian one? 'Before I came out here for this premiere that was my biggest worry, that people would think me an impostor. But everyone has been nice so far. People are looking past my background and focusing on the character I play.'
His mentor, he says, is Danny Boyle, the man who 'discovered' Ewan McGregor. What advice has the director given him? 'Keep things in perspective. If you are put on a pedestal you have further to fall off. I guess this film is selling itself. We don't need to push it too hard.'
Patel felt under considerable pressure to get the Mumbai accent right. Arriving weeks before his scenes were scheduled to shoot, he immersed himself in the atmosphere of the locations in order to absorb the mannerisms and tone.
When filming finished five months later he had what he calls a 'dead period'. 'I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. The tricky thing will be working out how to follow this film up. The next role has to be right. I don't think I should be playing 30-year-old married men yet. It's weird though. No one knew whether this film was going to be a hit or not. It was filmed on what by Hollywood standards was a modest budget.'
Five million dollars, in fact, which perhaps explains why there are no big Hollywood stars in the film, and why the child actors picked from the slums weren't paid much, by industry standards. When I ask to what he attributes the film's mass appeal there is a pause.
'It is the generic underdog story, I think. Jamal, my character, has come from nothing. And everyone loves an underdog. But it also has that rare combination of being able to make you laugh and cry and feel good and feel shocked at the same time. The most enticing thing is the location. Mumbai is like a character and audiences around the world can get a sense of it without spending money on a plane ticket.'
The slums are a character too. Some 800 million of India's population of 1.1 billion are thought to live in them, surviving on less than $2 a day. An estimated 60 per cent of Mumbai's population live in them, the largest being Dharavi. As you fly into Mumbai you get a sense of the scale of it, because it is alongside the airport a sea of blue, plastic-roofed shanties where more than a million people are squeezed together, seemingly poised to wash over the airport in a giant, crashing wave of humanity. In one tableaux, the modern and the ancient India are merged.
At one point Patel's character, Jamal, runs away from the slums with his brother, after their Muslim community is attacked by a Hindu mob and their mother is killed. After this the orphans scavenge on a rubbish dump before being lured to a 'children's home' by a Fagin-like character who later tries to blind one of the boys with acid so he can earn more from his begging. Other scenes include a girl becoming a prostitute, a child crawling through an outside lavatory pit to get a glimpse of his Bollywood film hero, and a boy becoming a hired killer. Small wonder that on the blog of Amitabh Bachchan the biggest star of Indian cinema and the star whose autograph the child crawls through the sewage for the film was criticised for its focus on the country's seedy underworld.
Yet Slumdog has also been called the first film of the Obama era, because it is a feel-good movie with a fairytale ending. I wonder if there is an element, too, of it helping to heal the city of Mumbai after the recent terrorist attack. 'Possibly,' Patel says. 'Restoring the city's confidence, you mean. I was out here for five months and I couldn't believe it when I saw the Victoria station on the news being attacked by terrorists. The heart of it was destroyed. But I got a real sense working here that it is a place of optimism and that it will always bounce back. Things move at a million miles an hour.'
Before filming began Patel did not, he confesses, know much about India. He had first visited the country as a 10-year-old attending a wedding in Gujarat, and wasn't impressed. 'I was bitten by mosquitoes, got the runs, the toilets were holes in the ground. I hated it. But going out eight years later, I really appreciated it.'
I ask about the opening sequence in which his character is tortured by Mumbai police. How has that gone down? 'I don't know what the police made of it. I haven't seen much of that side of Mumbai, but I have read a book called Maximum City by Suketu Mehta and that goes into the interrogation techniques the police use. But this is a movie, people need to take those scenes with a pinch of salt, you know.'
The torture scenes were realistic, though. Was a stunt man used? 'No, that was me. There was a fine line between making it look realistic and it becoming an over-the-top Jim Carrey scene. But it just clicked. We did a pre-shoot in which we searched for locations and the torture scenes were actually my first unofficial day of filming. My introduction to film acting was being slapped and having my head pushed into a bucket of water to simulate drowning. Nice.'
Although Slumdog is his first feature film, Patel had appeared in front of a camera before, as a priapic teenager in Skins, the cult E4 series aimed at teenagers. 'I didn't really know what I was doing in that. I had to learn to pitch my performance to the camera rather than doing it for the benefit of my parents in the front room at home. I look at my performance in Skins now and I cringe.'
His character in Slumdog falls in love; has he ever been in love? 'No, man. I'm too young. I was 17 when I was playing that character and I was having to imagine what it was like to be in love. I guess I got to learn about it in a controlled environment.'
After their first love scene his beautiful co-star, Freida Pinto, told him she felt like a paedophile because of their age difference (she is 24). Does he have a girlfriend now? 'No, no time, man. No time to sleep or eat, let alone have a girlfriend.'
What about the groupie side of film stardom? 'It's crazy,
man, you do get some very clinging people, but usually they are well wishers.'
Diplomatically put. His maturity and confidence is striking. 'I think I have matured. I matured five years in five months during filming. And I think after Skins I was really eager to show I had a different side. The thought that Danny cast me out of all these people gave me confidence.'
Modestly, he attributes his being cast to pure luck. Danny Boyle's daughter happened to be a fan of Skins and suggested Patel. Until that point Boyle had been looking at Indian actors, who were proving too muscular, the wrong physical shape. Young Indian actors tend to work out a lot in the gym, it seems, as that is the look favoured in Bollywood. Patel felt like crying after his audition, thinking it had gone badly. When he went off for a consolation pizza with his mother, it tasted sour. Then the call came.
'As it turned out Danny was looking for someone like me who looks like they grew up in a slum, someone lanky and skinny and not particularly handsome.
'I guess the casting could have gone either way. I believe in fate a bit because of that. I guess I have to. I feel incredibly blessed right now. I'm a bit religious. Not much. Not like my parents, who are practising.'
His parents are Kenyan-born Hindus, his mother a carer, his father an IT consultant. How has his success changed his relationship with them?
'I don't think my relationship with them has changed, actually. That is what keeps me grounded.
'I come out here and live out of a suitcase and I do press and I get treated like an adult, but when I go home I'm treated like a kid again an 18-year-old kid who wants to play with his friends. Still use public transport. Still have a messy room. Still get told off by my parents for not doing the washing up. Still annoy my sister. That's me, you know.'
He says that as far as he knows none of his friends feel envious of his sudden fame.
'No, they are really proud of me. They have been really supportive. It is your peer group that forms your character. If it hadn't been for them, you know, having them to mess about with, and having them encouraging me to become the class clown, then ' He trails off.
'That's why I got a reputation and got dragged into the school play. I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise.'
Drama was his best subject at school. English second best. Did he have a nickname? 'Big Ears. I'm proud to have big ears now, though. I mean, look who's the most powerful man in the world. Barack Obama. Big ears are in fashion.'
Dev Patel is 6ft 1in and has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do; presumably people don't call him nicknames any more. 'I'm harmless. Wouldn't hurt a fly. But they do still call me nicknames, now I'm known as Slumdog.

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In the wake of Operation Cast Lead, a group of American university professors has for the first time launched a national campaign calling for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel.
While Israeli academics have grown used to such news from Great Britain, where anti-Israel groups several times attempted to establish academic boycotts, the formation of the U.S. movement marks the first time a national academic boycott has come out of America. Israeli professors are not sure yet how big of an impact the one-week-old movement will have, but started discussing the significance of and possible counteractions against the campaign.
"As educators of conscience, we have been unable to stand by and watch in silence Israel's indiscriminate assault on the Gaza Strip and its educational institutions," the U.S. Campaign for the Academic Cultural Boycott of Israel stated in its inaugural press release last Thursday. Speaking in its mission statement of the "censorship and silencing of the Palestine question in U.S. universities, as well as U.S. society at large," the group follows the usual pattern of such boycotts, calling for "non-violent punitive measures" against Israel, such as the implementation of divestment initiatives, "similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era."
The campaign was founded by a group of 15 academics, mostly from California, but is "currently expanding to create a network that embraces the U.S. as a whole," according to David Lloyd, a professor of English at the University of Southern California who responded on behalf of the group to a Haaretz query. "The initiative was in the first place impelled by Israel's latest brutal assault on Gaza and by our determination to say enough is enough."
"The response has been remarkable given the extraordinary hold that lobbying organizations like AIPAC exert over U.S. politics and over the U.S. media, and in particular given the campaign of intimidation that has been leveled at academics who dare to criticize Israel's policies," Lloyd wrote in an e-mail to Haaretz Monday. "Within a short weekend since the posting of the press release, more than 80 academics from all over the country have endorsed the action and the numbers continue to grow."
Asked if the group would accept the endorsement of Hamas supporters, Lloyd said, "We have no a priori policy with regard to the membership or affiliation of supporters of the boycott so long as they are in accord with the main aims stated in the press release."
He argued that, "on several occasions Hamas has sought direct negotiations with Israel, a pursuit that constitutes de facto recognition of Israel, and has openly discussed abandoning its call for the destruction of the state of Israel conditional on reciprocal guarantees from Israel."
The idea of an academic boycott against Israel originated in 2001 at the "World Conference Against Racism" in Durban, South Africa. A first attempt to implement a boycott was undertaken by British professors in the wake of Israel's 2002 Operation Defensive Shield and the Jenin massacre claim. Since then, British academics tried several times to establish boycotts, with the latest such effort failing because legal advisers a few months ago pointed out that academic boycotts are discriminatory and thus illegal. Yet, analysts say that another British boycott campaign is to be expected in the follow up of Cast Lead.
In the U.S., on the other hand, only a few professors have supported the idea of an academic boycott. In 2006, the American Association of University Professors declared its objection to the British boycott, saying members, "especially oppose selective academic boycotts that entail an ideological litmus test."
In 2007, nearly 300 university presidents across the United States signed a statement denouncing the boycott, under the motto "Boycott Israeli Universities? Boycott Ours, Too!"
First indications that the climate might change in light of the Gaza operation could be seen earlier this month when the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario proposed: "Israeli academics be barred from speaking, teaching or conducting research at the province's universities unless they condemn Israel's actions in Gaza."
Israeli academics are hesitant to sound the alarm bells in light of the recent development. "One has to look at this with some degree of caution," said Gerald Steinberg, the American-educated chair of Bar Ilan University's political studies department. "Yes, the organization's declarations are coming from the United States, but this is not at all yet a mass movement."

FOUR. Anglican Lutheran bishops denied entry to Gaza. This press release was issued Feb. 4 by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, while denied entry to Gaza at the Israeli EREZ Crossing Point, reaffirms his commitment to peace and reconciliation among Palestinians and Israelis.
The Right Reverend Suheil S. Dawani, the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem and Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem that includes Gaza, after two hours of waiting, was denied entry into the Gaza Strip at the Israeli EREZ security Crossing Point this morning, along with Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan.
Both bishops were on a pastoral visit to include the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, an institution of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, and to members of their communities as part of a five-member delegation of Jerusalem heads of churches.The decision for the visit was made two weeks ago and negotiations for the permits were begun with the Israeli authorities for that purpose. They had been informed that their request to enter Gaza had been granted.
The stated decision to deny them entry into the Gaza Strip by the Israeli EREZ authorities was that they were Palestinians, even though both hold Jerusalem Israeli ID's. Among those from the delegation allowed to enter the Strip was Archbishop Aris Shirvanian of the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem (who holds the same Identification card as both bishops), Ethiopian Archbishop Abba Matias, and Latin Church Patriarch Fouad Twal.
Bishop Dawani in a statement on arrival back at his Diocesan Offices at St. George's Cathedral stated:
"I deeply regret the decision by those at the EREZ Crossing Point to deny me, a recognized Anglican Bishop of the Church in Jerusalem with pastoral responsibilities in Gaza, this important pastoral opportunity during the present quiet in the Ceasefire,to visit my diocesan Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.The hospital has been carrying a great responsibility for the diocese in providing high quality healthcare to the Gaza communities for over a century of exemplary medical and humanitarian services. "With sense of great sadness" he said, "and having just returned from a Washington D.C. visit yesterday, I deeply regret such a denial of entry, on whatever grounds so stated, by the authorities.Gaza remains a portion of my diocese in the administration of my pastoral duties and responsibilities as a Bishop of the Church for the care of my staff and people.The denial of entry to myself and Bishop Munib Younan, a close colleague who has been a collegial and active partner in the ministry which began between our two Churches Lutherans and Anglicans since 1841, is reprehensible.I say this because it reflects badly on those in authority at these crossing points which the international community had demanded be open to humanitarian endeavorsand most certainly pastoral care is an important factor in such services."

FIVE. For Your Calendar
Sunday, Feb. 8, 8pm: TPT (KTCI) Ch. 17: edited version of Dec. 2 forum at U. of St. Thomas, "Healing Wounds and Building Bridges: An Interfaith Dialogue on Peace in the Holy Land." Scheduled for re-broadcast later on public TV stations across Minnesota, it will also be available to stations nationwide. Forum featured both national and local voices representing the three Abrahamic faith communities; yours truly was the local Christian voice. Other locals: Makram El-amin, imam of Masjid An-Nur Mosque; Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman of Temple Israel.
Saturday, Feb. 14, Middle East Peace Now: "Israel's Mizrahi Population and the Palestine Question." Samadar Lavie speaks on the intra-dynamics of Israel which has a direct relationship with the Gaza carnage. A cultural anthropologist, she will discuss the Arab origins of the Mizrahim and how their politics affects Israel's left and right political parties. Come to hear and meet a dynamic Israeli feminist. Dr. Lavie earned her doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Studies at Macalester College, St. Paul. At Lutheran Church of Christ Redeemer, 55th Penn S., Mpls. Refreshments 9:30am, program at 10. More info: Florence Steichen, 651-696-1642.

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