The message is repeatedly thrust before us: United States ranks well below other industrialized countries when it comes to education. No matter which study you read, it doesn’t look good-we stink at reading, writing, and mathematics.

In 2002, a United Nations study (UNICEF) determined South Korea to have the most effective education system among twenty-four of the world’s richest countries; Japan came in second place. Where did the U.S. fall on the list? Near the bottom.

Disturbing news like this always raises the ire in our elected officials. Their battle cries can be heard during the legislative sessions: We must reform our schools! Teachers will be held accountable for student learning! There should be standards, and student achievement will be measured by these standards.

Thus, No Child Left Behind becomes more justified. Policies, designed to hoist our nation’s ratings, are set in place. Reading programs sprout throughout our school systems. Instructional strategies, based upon research-driven results, are implemented. Ineffective teachers receive transfers or no-return notices. Students who can’t cut it drop out. Parents who are able to afford it yank their kids out of public schools and put them in private schools.

But go back and look at those studies again. There is something quite glaring.

A typical classroom full of students in South Korea or Japan looks nothing like a typical classroom in the U. S. The images (readily obtained on the Internet) flagrantly show something that can be explained in one word-diversity.

What languages are spoken (and understood) in South Korea? Korean. In Japan? Japanese. What about the United States? English, Spanish, Creole, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Portuguese, Samoan, and dozens more.

Patrick McCormick of UNICEF clarified the study when he said that countries with economically diverse populations and with large immigrant populations ranked low on their list.

Well, welcome to America!

The continued bashing of our educational system stems from studies such as these-and it’s wrong. Yet, legislators use this as a basis to make critical decisions that affect our children’s education. They validate the use of tougher demands on our schools without recognizing the inherent differences of student population-and that’s wrong, too.

A couple of thousand years ago, makers of Kimchi (a Korean pickled cabbage side dish), long before the appearance of SARS and the Swine Flu, would never have imagined their diet staple might prevent and possibly cure these viral infections.

In April ’09, The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the influenza pandemic status to phase four warning.    

What’s the difference between the yearly flu season and being infected by the A (H1N1) flu?  According to the World Health Organization: 

“Influenza A (H1N1) is a new virus and one to which most people have no or little immunity and, therefore, this virus could cause more infections than are seen with seasonal flu. The new influenza A (H1N1) appears to be as contagious as seasonal influenza, and is spreading fast particularly among young people (from ages 10 to 45). The severity of the disease ranges from very mild symptoms to severe illnesses that can result in death. The majorities of people who contract the virus experience the milder disease and recover without antiviral treatment or medical care. Of the more serious cases, more than half of hospitalized people had underlying health conditions or weak immune systems”. [1] 

“If there is anywhere in the world that took a beating by SARS, it was Hong Kong,” says Peter Cordingley, spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Manila. “The lesson was learned.” Drawing on the past, Hong Kong has already issued travel advisories and stepped up controls at airports, including the use of infrared temperature scans and the detainment of travelers arriving with flu-like symptoms. [2] 

The countries and overseas territories/communities that reported their first pandemic (H1N1) 2009 confirmed case(s) since the last web update (6 July 2009) as of 22 July 2009:  

Afghanistan, Andorra, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, La Réunion (French Overseas Community), Haiti, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Namibia, Sint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, the Sudan, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands (UK Overseas Territory), the United Republic of Tanzania, American Samoa (US), Guam (US)  

As of July 22, 2009, the Grand Total of deaths attributed to swine flu is 1,154.  For updated information of reported cases visit the  WHO Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 site listed at the bottom of this article.   The below listed link to a Google Map depicts areas of the swine flu outbreak providing an accurate geographical image of infection outbreaks.  

How is it treated?  

For suspected cases of the virus, a five-day treatment of zanamivir alone or combination of oseltamivir and either amantadine or rimantadine is initiated. For confirmed cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, either oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) may be administered. [3]

Will a facemask protect me from being infected? 

We have very limited information of the effectiveness of facemasks and respirators in combating and control of influenza. If used correctly, facemasks and respirators may help reduce the risk of getting influenza, but they should be used along with other preventive measures, such as avoiding close contact and maintaining good hand hygiene. 

“Unless otherwise specified, “respirator” refers to an N95 or higher filtering face piece respirator certified by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  Three feet has often been used by infection control professionals to define close contact and is based on studies of respiratory infections; however, for practical purposes, this distance may range up to 6 feet. The World Health Organization uses “approximately 1 meter”; the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration uses “within 6 feet.” [3]

  Any prognosis for the future?  

Approximately 90-95% of infected people recover despite harsh symptoms to include 100+ degree temp. headaches, extreme fatigue, chills, diarrhea, sore throat, aching muscles, basically all the common flu symptoms.  

To date, caution must be taken as swine flu (H1N1) is still spreading and may become a pandemic affecting entire regions or countries.  Annual Flu outbreaks are expected and predictable. However this outbreak has not followed usual flu patterns.  The future speculated prognosis is split among those who believe swine flu (H1N1) will diminish and die out this summer ’09 and those who believe it will return to claim more cases similar to the influenza pandemic of 1918. 

So, what’s this potential wonder drug at the Korean dinner table? 

Since 2003 when SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) rolled across Asia, Koreans remained unaffected for the most part.  Being the daily and national side dish that it is, Kimchi was promoted to status of natural preventative and cure for SARS with virtually no scientific evidence to support the claim. Believe me, as someone who eats kimchi daily and loves it so much I operate a site dedicated to kimchi and Korean cuisine, I welcome and listen to the suggestions, and hope for further scientific investigation validating such claims.  Imagine being obsessed with a food that is suddenly found to save lives in the face of a new and deadly health threat.  

Scientists at Seoul National University fed a kimchi extract to thirteen chickens infected with avian flu.  A week later, eleven of the thirteen chickens apparently recovered.  To date, such studies remain unpublished and certainly not recognized by any medical or scientific community.  Professor Kang of the Seoul National University who observed the thirteen chickens stated Leuconostoc (lactic acid bacteria) found in Kimchi had a positive effect on the bird flu. 

Hong Jong Hoon, a technical consultant with the Korea Agriculture Development Institute, suggested another possible and connecting factor is the ways Koreans eat most of their garlic!  

 Hong began his researching studies at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website where he found a connection between SARS and the corona virus. He then made his way to Stanford University’s site, which lists – along with reducing stress, getting more sleep and frequently washing your hands – putting drops of garlic juice on the nostrils as a way to fight infection.  Put it all together, he says, and you see why South Korea has had only a handful of suspected cases of SARS and no fatalities, despite its close proximity to China, where the virus originated, and to hard-hit Hong Kong and Taiwan.  Hong concedes that many other countries make ample use of garlic in their diets, including Italy and China.  But they cook their garlic; Koreans eat theirs raw in kimchi. His theory may be tough to prove, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true, he says. [4]

 Park Yong Woo, a doctor of family medicine at Seoul’s Samsung Hospital, welcoming needed clinical testing, says, he’s convinced of its healing properties.   

“I’d like to compare it with an orchestra,” Park says. “It’s made of cabbage. But within that are a lot of healthy constituents, including garlic, ginger and chile peppers. It’s very harmonious food.” 

Kim Man Jo, a food industry consultant and author of several books, including Kimchi, Kimchi, believes Kimchi’s curing or managing properties against some infectious disease is created and found in the fermentation process – “They haven’t done experiments yet, but harmful diseases can be dominated by the lactobacilli.” she says. 

Depending on the variety, I know the most common nappa cabbage kimchi variety has a strong combination of cabbage, red chili pepper powder, fish sauce, lots of garlic, salt, green onions, daikon radish, sugar, and yes, even more garlic – all fermented to perfection to deliver the heavenly flavor and strongest anti-microbial punch.  Withstanding the lack of research in swine flu and kimchi as a preventative or cure, research has found that these friendly bacteria to boost the immune system.  Further research has shown live indigenous bacteria and chemicals they produce can penetrate the intestinal wall and stimulate growth and maintenance of immune cells.  Strains of Lactobacillus can also stimulate defense cells and increase anti-viral chemicals like interferon.

 To date we do have specified medical treatment and course of action despite no vaccine. While it excites me to find kimchi may possess combative properties against certain viral strains, until the claims are subjected to the  “scientific method”, it shall remain a folkloric home remedy alongside chicken soup.  Despite the lack of evidence, If a pandemic condition swept the area I live in, I would certainly heed Western medical approaches and most importantly, double up on my kimchi consumption.  Shall we say to each his own?  

With the unfortunate number of those who’ve died from SARS or Swine Flu (Swine flu killing over 1100 victims worldwide as of July ’09 and over 700 claimed by SARS) perhaps it will take a pandemic and desperate condition to even consider researching these currently unfounded beliefs and claims.  Today, at least 168 countries and territories have reported confirmed swine flu cases. 

Since I first ate kimchi in 1990, it remains a favorite daily side dish that I always look forward to.  Whether it cures anything or not, it certainly makes my taste buds and overall system feel great.  I just can’t sit to dine at home or a Korean restaurant without it.   

While these flu strains come and go or stay, those who enjoy eating kimchi (touted as one of the five healthiest foods in the world by Health Magazine) continue to get more than their share of nature’s probiotic which some day may add new flu strains to it’s long list of combated enemies. 

In the meantime, for various flu strains we have existing vaccines and for those we don’t or other still standing bugs such as the common cold, we have Gatorade, chicken soup, and old-fashioned but very effective rest. 

[1] TIME – The Lessons from SARS – By Kayla Webley/Hong Kong – Monday, Apr. 27, 2009

[2] What is the new influenza A(H1N1)? From the World Health Organization

[3] Swine Flu – Medicine.net

[4] The Daily Press.com – Hoping for a cure in kimchi – By Mark Magnier   *Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 *Google Map depicting outbreaks of the swine flu outbreak      

The designs behind tribal tattoos are quite contemporary, but guess what? They’re actually the oldest forms of tattoos, having passed through many ancient civilizations before they got to us! As per their name, they were first started off by ethnic groups from Yore.

This type of tattoo is very popular today, as many actors, sports figures and musicians sport them. Angelina Jolie has a neo-tribal tattoo on her belly, Mike Tyson sports one on his face, Alyssa Milano from Charmed has a tribal tattoo on her nape, and so on. The list in endless!

One of the main causes of tribal tattoos increasing appeal to people is the ease of getting them. They are easy to draw, and relatively simple, so they don’t hurt a lot! New tattoo artists use this tattoo design as a starting point before moving on to more elaborate tattoo designs. Tribal tattoos, apart from being one of the simplest tattoos to etch, are also fairly symmetrical. They are drawn using circles, swirls, loops, sharp edges and moon-crescents integrated together.

In the olden days, tribal tattoos had a lot more significance than they do today. Getting a tattoo was a rite to achieve adulthood in a tribe. In some ethnic groups, a girl who could not bear the pain of tattooing was taken to be fragile and was bound to stay single because she supposedly did not have the tolerance to go through childbirth. If the same thing happened to a male, he was deemed to be a coward and incapable of joining in hunts.

The Maori tribe in New Zealand takes a lot of pride in their tribal art. The higher your rank in the tribe, the more complicated and elaborate the tattoos you sport! Hence, a tattoo that has been added on to suggests that you have risen in the ranks, with the chief having the most intricate design of all! The women of the Maori tribe tattoo their chins and lips.

Hawaiian tribes use tribal tattoos mostly to show symbolism. The people in these ethnic groups have strong belief in the tattoo gods. If they want to get a tattoo done, they will first pray to the tattoo gods asking for safekeeping during the tattooing process as well as for quick healing later. They also pray to ensure that their tattoo looks good and striking!

Polynesian tattoos, perhaps from the land of Samoa, are said to be the pioneers of the modern tattoo. James Cook, explorer of the seas, landed on the Polynesian Islands and when he traveled back to England in the 70s, his men sported tribal tattoos which are eerily similar to the neo-tribal designs popular today. These tattoos were inked on the chest and upper arms of the sailors.

However, in the modern world of today, tribal tattoos have endured to become more popular for their appeal as well as their symbolism!

The Immune System and Noni

Scientists have shown that noni juice may help support the immune system and help cells more readily absorb nutrients. Scopoletin is one of many natural components of noni. It is a little known, but hard-working chemical that has been found to have beneficial effects.

100% Pure Noni Juice vs. Reconstituted and Flavored Noni Juices

Many noni juice products being sold today often bear a deceptive label stating, “100% pure noni juice”, but the statement is confusing as it implies to the buyer that the juice in the bottle is 100% noni juice. Many companies, however, are actually selling diluted and/or mixed noni juices.

Natural Styles’ noni is 100% pure fresh-squeezed noni juice, with no additives, no preservatives, nor flavors. The shelf life of our bottled pure noni juice drink is 2 years. Our 100% pure noni juice is fresh-squeezed, using traditional methods to ensure the highest quantity of active polysaccharide compounds and brix count for greater effectiveness. Unlike like other manufacturers, Natural Styles doe not allow the juice to ferment for months, which can cause the fruit to rot. The darker the juice color and very soy sauce taste usually indicates that it has undergone excessive fermentation. There is no evidence that such fermentation is in any way beneficial (why would added alcohol be more beneficial?).

Natural Styles’ Noni is guaranteed 100% pure noni juice, not one drop of water or any other adulterating substance is added to it. Each batch of our noni juice is pasteurized and bottled in a highly controlled, USDA approved facility and is also Kosher certified for your protection. Natural Styles’ Noni Juice potency is guaranteed and goes through several tests before, during and after processing.

If you chose to drink pure noni juice and avoid the flavored and high-priced noni juices sold by some multi-level marketing (MLM) companies, you will enjoy the benefits of pure noni at a reduced cost. Most MLM companies reconstitute their noni with water and flavors in order to pay commissions to their distributors. Most MLM companies inflate the price of their products as much as 700% of the true cost of the pure juice. Some MLM noni juices are very expensive and include high shipping costs as well.

Check the label of a noni product carefully for its ingredients; make sure that you are paying for pure noni juice, not for a diluted product. Also make sure that your noni juice is pasteurized.

Morinda Citrifolia, the Scientific Name of Noni

Noni juice is prepared from the fruit of Morinda citrifolia, a Polynesian plant with centuries of use by native peoples as a natural health tonic and beneficial skin care aid. Pure morinda citrifolia juice should be reddish brown in color and the finished product should contain little or no noni pulp.

Noni, a Superior Antioxidant

Pure Noni Juice is a superior antioxidant that has been found to help the body eliminate harmful free radicals in the body’s circulatory system, tissues, and cells, and as a result, noni use may increase energy levels.

How much should one drink per day?

Drinking 1 oz of noni juice on an empty stomach is our suggested method to assure maximum benefits. Taking noni juice on an empty stomach is believed to aid in cellular repair. Some noni users drink a glass of water before and after drinking noni juice to help the body absorb the juice and flush toxins from their bodies. (This is a new statement to me–any way to confirm the benefits?)

Keep in mind that pure noni juice has strong pungent taste and odor. The strong taste can easily be improved by the addition of grape or cranberry juice or your chosen fruit juice as a mixer or chaser. Many people prefer to drink it with no added juices and soon become used to its natural taste.

Noni Sources and Quality

Natural Styles has unlimited supplies of the finest, purest noni juice available from Tahiti, Hawaii and Samoa.

Noni Distribution

With 10 years, over 2 billion dollars worth of noni juice has been sold globally. It was virtually unknown in North America before it became a

nutraceutical phenomena in 1994. Small quantities of noni had been sold in pharmacies in Tahiti and Hawaii before 1993. The 1994 nutritional supplement act in 1994 opened the doors for novel natural food products in the US.

Natural Styles supplies noni juice that has been certified by the government of the European

Union for distribution by brokers, wholesalers, investors, retail outlets, doctors, salesmen, buyers, importers, exporters, dealers and end users.

Noni Studies

Researchers at the University of Hawaii have induced cancer tumors to grow in experimental mice and then injected specially prepared noni juice into their abdomens. Preliminary results of these studies have reported real benefits and the studies are progressing.

A National Institute of Health is currently funding Phase II of a clinical study that is being conducted by Dr. Brian Issell at the University of Hawaii to see if noni can be used as a possible treatment for cancer. The NIH also funded an earlier clinical study done at the University of Hawaii in the late 1950’s. Based on a toxicological assessment done, noni juice is considered generally regarded as safe (GRAS).

Other non-medical studies and surveys have found that 78% of the more than 8,000 noni juice users reported that it helped them in some way, aiding weakened immune systems and circulatory systems.

The Future of Noni

There are many by-products of the noni plant such as: noni juice, noni fruit capsules, noni leaf capsules, to name a few. There are many possibilities for the plant yet to be discovered.

Natural Styles uses only noni plants of the highest quality grown by farmers hand-harvesting organic noni in the South Pacific to provide the highest quality pure Noni Juice at the lowest possible price.

Disclaimer

The FDA forbids manufacturers of food supplement products like noni juice, from making specific health claims even if it is a food and not a drug.

No statements or information on this site have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. No products on this website are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Did you know?

France is the birthplace of Pierre de Coubertin, who is the father of the Olympic Movement. This Frenchman was born on January 1, 1863 in Paris. Pierre once said, “The Olympic Movement gives the world an ideal which reckons with the reality of life, and includes a possibility to guide this reality toward the great Olympic idea”.

The Summer Olympic Games were held in Paris in 1900. For the first time, sportswomen were allowed to compete in the Olympics ( six tennis players ). France won first place in the Games with 26 gold, 41 silver and 34 bronze medals.

Marie-José Pérec was one of France’s greatest sportswomen. She was born in Guadeloupe ( Caribbean island ) and moved to France with her mother when she was sixteen. Marie-Jose became the second female athlete in the history of the Olympic Games to sweep the 200m and 400m ( Atlanta’96 ).

Like Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Reunion, New Caledonia -French territory in Oceania- is not member of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ). Why? France does not allow its territories to compete in the Olympics. For this reason, New Caledonia’s athletes can not compete in the Olympic Games. Unlike Guam ( American territory ), Aruba ( Dutch territory ) and Bermuda ( British territory ), it did not compete in the 2004 Olympics. Ironically, New Caledonia has several famous sportspeople in the South Pacific. Aquatics: Olivier Saminadin, Thomas Dahlia, Thomas Chacun, Reine-Victora Weber, Lara Grangeon, Diana Bui-Duyet, Adeline Williams and Gilles Durnesnil. Archery: Laurent Clerte, Emmanuel Guilhard, Henry Shiu, Isabelle Soeno and Sylvena Plazenet. Athletics: Vaikula Elise Takosi, Candice Soulisse, Erwin Casser, Bertrand Vili, Eric Frederic, Bina Ramesh, Eric Revillard, Phoebe Wejieme and Daniel Kilamo. Badminton: Nicolas Martoredjo, Florent Mathey, Marc-Antonie Desaynoz, Johanna Kou and Cecile Sarengat. Boxing: Christophe Lestage, Ataale Gyan and Hannequin Benoit. Judo: Sandrine Perel, Kyo Lussaud, Melissa Kaddour, Stephane Courtine, Jonathan Berger, Cyril Chevalier, Paul Dulac, Abedis Trindade de Abreu, Vaea Chadfeau and Diane Hillaireau. Sailing: Chrisptophe Renaud, Alban Rossollin, Feri Malhieu, Michael Borde, Cawle Dabin and Paiscillia Poaniewa. Shooting: Theodore Tein Weiawe, Fabrice Azarro and Phillipe Sinoni. Table tennis: Frederic Quach, Laurent Sens, Maxime Bataihard, Ornella Bouteille and Alexandra Heraclide. Taekwondo: Annie Odino, Kevin Belhameche, John Trouilet and Arnord Sariman. Tennis: Julien Couly, Elodie Rogge and Nickolas Ngodrela. Triathlon: Oliver Bargibant, Stephane Lacroix and Benedicte Meunier. At the last South Pacific Games held in Apia ( Samoa / formerly Western Samoa ) in November 2007, it finished 1st among 22 countries and territories. Certainly, New Caledonia has won more international gold medals per capita than any other country of the South Pacific.

Paris hosted the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in 1986. Final standings: 1.United States, 2.USSR ( currently Russia ), 3.Bulgaria, 4.Brazil, 5.Cuba, 6.France, 7.Argentina, 8.Czechoslovakia (currently Czech Republic/Slovak Republic), 9.Poland, 10.Japan, 11.China, 12.Italy, 13.Greece, 14.Venezuela, 15.Egypt, 16.Taiwan.

Jean Schopter became the first Frenchman to win the Roland Garros in 1892.

France send 243 athletes to the 1984 Los Angeles Games. It participated in 19 sports: archery ( 2 ), athletics (45), basketball ( 12 ), boxing ( 4 ), kayak ( 14 ), cycling ( 16 ), equestrian ( 11), fencing ( 20 ), football ( 17 ), gymnastics ( 9 ), wrestling ( 16 ), modern pentathlon ( 3 ), rowing ( 22 ), shooting ( 15 ), swimming ( 19 ), tennis ( 4 ), weightlifting ( 2 ), wrestling ( 8 ), sailing ( 12 ).

This European country won the gold medal in soccer at the 1984 Olympic Games in the United States.

France is the birthplace of fencing. Fencing was made part of the official program for the Olympics at the 1896 Athens Games.

Paris has hosted the Summer Olympics in 1924. There were 3,092 athletes from 44 countries who competed in 19 sports: athletics, aquatics, boxing, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, polo, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, soccer, tennis, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling. France came third with 13 golds, 15 silvers and 10 bronzes.

Eunice Barber is one of the most famous athletes in France. She was born on November 17, 1974 in Freetown, Sierra Leone ( Western Africa ), the world’s poorest country. Eunice says, “I was fortunate to grow up in Sierra Leone, an English-speaking African country where sport is very present”. For political and economic reasons, she moved to France when she was 18 years old. In the 1990s, Sierra Leone had one of Africa’s bloodiest civil wars. More than 70,000 Africans had been killed and 150,000 had left the country. Under the banner of Sierra Leone, Eunice finished fifth in the heptathlon competition at the 1996 Olympic Games in the United States. For many sportswriters and experts, her Olympic performance was amazing. Three years later, she become a French citizen.

Top performances:

1999: European Cup-1st heptathlon

1999: World Cup-1st heptathlon

2003: IAAF World Championships- 1st long jump, 2nd heptathlon

2003: European Cup-1st long jump

2003: IAAF World Athletics Final-1st long jump

2005: IAAF World Championships-2nd heptathlon, 3rd long jump

2005: IAAF World Athletics Final-4th long jump

2006: European Cup-2nd long jump

Eunice’s favourites:

Movie stars: Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, Demi Moore

Music: From French to pop music

Hobbies: Theater, cinematography, music, reading

Fashion designers: Issey Miyake and Jean Paul Gautier

Music artists: Celine Dion, Withney Houston, Wyclef Jean.

Luau’s are a great idea for adults and kids parties alike, and with so much tropicana in mind what a fantastic opportunity to feed the kids up on wonderfully healthy fresh fruits and tropical fare!

Personally I love authentic pacific island food, but let’s face it, chances are your kids won’t, plus for a truly authentic luau you would need to put a huge effort into some pretty intensive cooking, roasting pigs in the ground, wrapping fish in coconut leaves etc.

So with the little ones in mind the Party Mums have put together a fail safe menu, tried and tested on our own little natives, you can get the full recipes on our website mentioned below.
First of all when throwing successful parties for kids I always think finger food, kids love to eat with their fingers, so why fight what comes naturally.

The Party Mums Hawaiian Luau Menu

Hawaiian Pizza on a Stick…think Hawaiian pizza, ham, cheese and pineapple and put them cubed on cocktail sticks.

Hawaiian Pizza Muffins… good old English muffins topped with your favourite tropical ingredients.

Huli Huli Chicken Drumsticks…a lovely traditional Hawaiian tropical pineapple marinade to sweeten up those boring old drumsticks

Fancy Fruit Kebabs…don’t just thread chunks of fruit on a stick, how about cutting them into fun shapes with a cookie cutter first.

Pineapple & Coconut Fritters…basic pineapple fritters are yum just as they are, but why not add a few extra ingredients and make them yummier still.

Mango Chicken Sandwiches…you can’t have a party without at least one kind of sandwich on the table and for a Hawaiian Luau what could be better than one with chopped mango and chicken inside.

Pani Popo…these sweet coconut buns are a traditional Samoan fare and are deliciously doughy, baked in a sticky coconut sauce and really easy to make.

Super Rugby refers to largest professional rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere. This was not a one time finding, but Super Rugby is built off of a series of old traditions starting all the way back with the South Pacific Championship from 1986. Getting a stable and steady championship format proved difficult, but over time it eventually became the modern form of Super Rugby which features 15 teams from three countries: Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Prior to the current model of Super Rugby there were several smaller attempts to create a professional unified rugby competition to help determine a yearly world champion for the region. In 1991 there was no tournament because of the South Pacific Tournament being taken. This led to the Super 6 being created.

The Super 6 consulted of three teams from New Zealand, two from Australia, and one from Fiji and played a championship in 1992, which was won by the Reds from Brisbane. The very next year the interest led to rapid expansion with the Super 6 turning into the Super 10.

The Super 10 still featured multiple teams from both Australia and New Zealand, but South Africa was admitted back into international competition with three teams including the Lions who ever won that season. Fiji was replaced by Western Samoa as the Pacific Nations representative. This format held for three years, with the Reds once again taking the last two until 1996 when they expanded to 12 teams.

Keeping with the number themes this competition became the Super 12 and this past through 2005. This also marked an important moment with SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) being founded as a governing body to operate the competition, set up how play -off tournaments would be done, and expansion when necessary.

Australian and New Zealand teams dominated during this time, taking all of the titles from 1996 to 2005 with the Blues, Brumbies, and Crusaders combining for all the championships during that time period. In 2006 expansion was made to the Super 14 and in 2007 the Bulls out of Pretoria, South Africa broke the Australian-New Zealand domination by ending the season as champions.

The year 2009 saw expansion to 15 teams under the current name of Super Rugby, doing away with numbers and now unified under one brand. The old round robin method was done away with in favor of home and away games based on a regional format, with points based on wins, losses, ties and bonus points based on the overall scores and number of tries scored in a game, The top six teams at the end of the season then play in a three week finals series with seeds based on overall standing.

This allows a set up where the best teams still get to play while making every game important. Due to the popularity of Super Rugby there are discussions for further expansion in the future, including talks of more Australian and South African teams, as well as possibly a Pacific Island squad or Argentina.

‘You must suffer me to go my own dark way. I have brought on myself a punishment and a danger that I can’t name.’ (Dr Jekyll)

Stevenson’s remarkable novel explores the ‘other’ face of Victorian respectability, the underbelly of a society ‘profoundly committed to the duplicity of life.’

The setting of novel lends itself to horror. We are in London, a filthy degraded place, full of labyrinthine streets, blinded by fog, searching for a ‘creature’ who evades detection at every turn. We wander the streets with men who have a pronounced predilection for night walks and alley ways and speak in male codes. Insomnia suggests sexual restlessness and with no women in sight, and lots of male friendships, this fin de siecle text rather suggests the unlawfulness of homosexual desire.

We abruptly encounter the inhuman figure of ‘Mr Hyde’ as he stamps maliciously on a helpless child. This transgression of any residue of civilised behaviour catapults the novel into horror where it lingers for the rest of the narrative. We spend time gazing at a ‘blistered and distained door’ through which the unspeakable Hyde makes his way and we metaphorically lose our respectable ways!

Ironically for a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson, or ‘Tusitala’ as he was called by the Samoans with whom he lived during his final years.’Tusitala’ means teller of tales’. In this text the tale refuses to be told. This is because the narrative is initially dependent upon the voice of the unprepossessing Utterson, ironically a man who fails to utter anything in terms of personal disclosure or revelation. This secrecy is then reinforced by other restrictive narrative viewpoints, thus confining the ‘secret’ of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to conjecture – the strait jacket of Victorian repression. (And yes, there is a joke in there!)

For who is the final teller of this macabre tale? The last voice we hear in the novel is that of Dr Jekyll, yet we know he died as the infamous Mr Hyde, and that we are only privy to this knowledge through the ‘eyes’ of Utterson who never comments about it.He just disappears into respectable silence. Each time I read the novel I am always aware of the missing voice in the text and feel rather bewildered at the lack of any stable conclusion to the novel. We are just left with the voice of the very much resurrected and undead Jekyll/Hyde voice who finishes his own novel after all!

Read it at night and lock your door!

The British Invasion d. Rhino & Eric Young, Brutus Magnus Doomsday Uppercut – pin Jesse Neal (5:35, * 1/2). Rhino gets a big pop. End came when EY walked out on Rhino, then Jesse Neal (with his hair still looking like a total train wreck) came out and the ref let him become Rhino's tag team partner, but was immediately destroyed.

Nice Fully Loaded 1999 opening.

X champion Suicide d. Lethal Consequences and the Motor City Machine Guns in a King of the Mountain match (23:30, *** 1/2). Nice booking; KOTM to open, KOTM to close. Alex Shelley was the star of that match here and got the biggest pop. Fun opener and TNA needs more of that and less of the rest.

Back-to-back Shane Douglas promos. Douglas can not go a promo without mentioning Flair, ECW or the Kliq.

Daniels d. Shane Douglas w / gut and half tanned arms, Best Moonsault Ever – pin (8:10, **). Douglas was terrible as he can not even run the roads properly or do the Memphis heel tactics as he got winded fast. This match should have ended with Douglas sucking up all the air in the arena to keep himself moving and pins Daniels as he and everyone else in the arena start gasping for air due to the lack of oxygen. Anyways, this was not a half bad match tbh. Was not anything mindblowing, but it certainly was not bad. In the end, Douglas jobs cleanly. Back to Summer School, Dean.

Knockouts champion Angelina Love d. Tara, downward spiral – pin (6:50, **). Okay match; Tara looked strong as Angelina retained through sneaky heeliness, so by order of TNA Management, this feud must continue!

Abyss & Taylor Wilde d. Raven & Daffney in a Monster's Ball match, Abyss black hole slam into the thumbtacks – pin Raven (14:10, *** 1/2). This was awesome, despite Taylor looking out of place and Raven and Daffney proved they still belong out there; they exceeded all expectations, but poor Daffney taking a bump on the tacks.

Sting d. Matt Morgan, scorpion death drop off the middle rope – pin (10:00, **). Sting as always, is super, super over. Oh man, when was the last time Sting did a miss dropkick? Anyways, they screwed up the float-over into the Death Drop, but nice recovery by Morgan and the match had a nice finish. The whole MEM stip reminds me, you gotta love how the Frontline just quietly died.

Beer Money d. TNA tag team champions Team 3D, DWI – pin Devon (17:00, *** 1/2). Man, that was an epic reign by 3D. They spend more time talking about how great the tag division is than actually wrestling and then lost the belts on their first defense. Anyways, this was the best tag match I've seen in a long long time and I love Bubba's Balding Mohawk.

Kurt Angle w / hobo beard and hair d. TNA champion Mick Foley, Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett & AJ Styles in a King of the Mountain match (21:30, ****). Joe looks like Abdullah the Butcher and Angle looks like Wanderlei Silva here. End came when Joe faked an injury as AJ was climbing the ladder, then when AJ was not looking Joe powerbombed him off the ladder and started climbing as Angle started up the other side and just as he was about to hang the belt, Joe handed it to Angle who hung the title and won. I just got swerve'd. Both KOTM matches were awesome. As much as I do not know what to think of the Joe swerve yet, the match itself was awesome so I'll pick that.

Final Thoughts: I think this was TNA's best PPV of the year. Easily. I enjoyed both KOTM matches very much and the Monsters Ball and the tag title match was great as well. Sting-Morgan, Tara-Love, and Daniels-Douglas were the only low points, but they were OK matches.