Findcate

Like tens of thousands of farmers, Ko Nyi Thaut labors from dawn to dusk preparing his flood-ravaged Irrawaddy delta land for a crop that should have been planted a month ago.

“It would not have been enough for my family if we still had 11 people. But the cyclone killed six of my children, so maybe we will have enough rice for the family now.”

Now comes the task of feeding the survivors, and aid workers acknowledge the odds are stacked against them being able to match the bountiful yields that turned this region into Myanmar’s rice bowl.

Many farmers have been quickly draining their land and removing fallen trees and other debris. But say they lack water buffaloes and plows, or have gone heavily into debt to buy fuel that has doubled in price. Families have lost not just their land but the fathers and sons who knew how to farm it.

“It doesn’t look good at all,” Ashley Clements of the World Vision aid group said by telephone from Myanmar. Many people will need food aid for “for the next few months and even for a year or so.”

“Normally, we try and avoid giving out food at harvest time,” said Tony Banbury, the WFP regional director in Bangkok. But this time it’s different because of the loss of animals, land or a family head who “may have left behind a wife and four kids but she doesn’t have the skills to immediately pick up farming.”

Many fields are empty, flooded or littered with yellow rice shoots killed by salty water.

Ko Nyi Thaut said he is driven by the imperative of feeding what’s left of his family.

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For many years the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has been helping the needy with food, but with the tough economic times the food bank is now hurting too.

This weekend, at Hartwood Acres, the Pittsburgh Blues Festival is hoping to help turn things around for the food bank.

With the economy hurting, the food bank is getting hit from all sides, more people need help, costs are going up and donations are down.

But Blues Festival fans say they are more than willing to help out.

“Everybody needs help these days,” said festival attendee, Sue Patterson. “With the gas prices and housing and everything, everyone needs help some way or another so everybody has to do their part.”

“I think that the Blues fans have come too really like the festival because they know that not only do they get great music, but they get to do a wonderful thing at the same time,” said Valanti.

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Spiralling food costs could cause a new crisis in Africa’s HIV programme, a UK aid agency has warned.

Speaking ahead of an HIV-Aids conference in Mexico, Cafod said advances in treatment for the virus could be swiftly undermined by the soaring price owf foodstuff.

Its partners in Africa have reported sufferers coming off anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, while the effectiveness of the treatment was being weakened by poor diets.

The last few years have seen a surge in the availability of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs in poor areas of Africa. But as the cost of food continues to rise, people are increasingly struggling to afford a balanced diet essential for the success of ARV treatment.

HIV patients are also coming off treatment to avoid the cost of travelling to clinics and in some cases buying the drugs, Cafod said.

There is also evidence that some people are coming off ARV treatment so that they do not incur the increased appetite that the treatment gives.

If people stop taking ARVs there is a higher risk of resistance. This in turn could lead to a drug resistant strain of the virus being passed on, aid workers have warned.

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IT COULD be called the Cate manoeuvre. Just as the Sydney Theatre Company added theglamour factor with the appointment of Cate Blanchett asa co-artistic director, the Sydney Dance Company has brought its own star on board.

Bussell’s presence on the board will be a publicity magnet and a fresh opportunity to find new corporate sponsors. VIP guests at next Tuesday’s premiere at CarriageWorks will include Bussell and her banker husband, Angus Forbes, who live in Vaucluse with their two young daughters. After two decades as Britain’s best known ballet dancer, Bussell, 39, retired from the Royal Ballet last year and moved to Sydney in January. It is understood she is writing a children’s book.

The dance world has been waiting to see whether Bussell would join in the life of the Australian performing arts. Some will be surprised she has been snapped up by the Sydney Dance Company rather than the national company, The Australian Ballet.

In a statement yesterday Bussell said she was best known for her classical ballet roles, but “I have also had the pleasure of roles being created on me in many new works commissioned by the Royal Ballet. I understand the importance of creating new dance both for dancers and audiences. It is this that excites me about Sydney Dance Company, and it’s why I have decided to join their board.”

At the Sydney Dance Company Bussell will be involved in selecting an artistic director, after the departure last year of Graeme Murphy. His successor, Tanja Liedtke, had not yet taken up the job when she was killed in a road accident in August.

The company’s executive director, Noel Staunton, said a shortlist for the position was expected to be finalised by the end of next month. He made the initial approach to Bussell, although the formal invitation came from the company’s chairman, Julian Knights, a managing partner of Ironbridge Capital. Mr Knights and the Sydney Dance Company director Tony Bancroft, a partner in the law firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques, have helped fund 360°.

Bookings for the three-week season are at 35 per cent of box office capacity, “the standard before an opening night”, MrStaunton said. “When the reviews come out we see a lift, except with Meryl we didn’t get a lift”, he said, referring to Meryl Tankard, who choreographed the company’s first season this year. The company began the year with “zero deficit. The responsibility is on our shoulders.”

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Served in The Tee Lounge and Blades Restaurant, Four Seasons’s Iftar buffet comprises an expansive selection of traditional Arabic dishes and beverages, alongside a myriad of international items.

A variety of succulent dates, refreshing regional juices like amar dain, erek-sous and karkadaih along with Ramadan soups from the cauldron will welcome guests on arrival. Dishes will be offered at various food stations offering guests a varied and eclectic choice, starting with cold or hot mezze including babaganoush, zaatar labneh, spinach sambousk and lamb kebbeh.

A salad corner features marinated asparagus and grilled halloumi or sumac marinated hammour, while the global hot buffet includes foul medamas from a copper pot with tasty accoutrements, roasted lamb ouzi, shawarma and a live Arabic grill. Diners will also delight in the woks of Asia corner and steaming dishes like lamb stew with okra, chicken casserole and vermicelli rice.

The all-inclusive Iftar rounds out with dry fruits and nuts, Ramadan sweets and desserts such as rich and creamy katayef asafiri, popular um ali as well as a Western-influenced selection of chocolate brownies and raspberry macaroons.

For those who want to enjoy a later meal, an a la carte Sahour menu will be available from 8pm until 2am, served in The Tee Lounge or on the terrace of Blades Restaurant.

The Sahour menu also takes its cue from the broad range of flavours from the Middle East and beyond. Guests can leisurely dine on Arabic favourites from waraq inab and manakish to kebab kashash and shish taouq, and end the evening with a selection of delicious local sweets.

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The Pevensie siblings return to Narnia only to discover things have changed since they ruled the magical kingdom. Now threatened by an evil king who seeks to destroy the surviving Narnians, the child monarchs are forced into action alongside a virtuous prince named Caspian, who seeks to regain the throne stolen by his uncle.

A sprawling drama from German director Fatih Akin that is so carefully constructed that if feels small. It concerns a Turkish immigrant in Germany who moves in with a prostitute, with tragic results. The immigrant’s son and the prostitute’s daughter continue the story, everyone moving from Germany to Turkey and back and just missing their connections: it’s a movie about coincidence and also about the way it can change and redeem us.

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When I first saw Henry Jaglom’s latest film “Hollywood Dreams,” I was left laughing and crying. It’s a film that focuses on the craziness of Hollywood and after watching the film, I am reminded of the phrase “Hollyweird” being used when describing our industry. I love all of Henry Jaglom’s work; the famed director has produced some of the most thought-provoking films on the silver screen. What makes his work stand out is that Jaglom focuses on the characters he’s building a story around, and not on special effects. Special effects dominate storytelling today in Hollywood, which is why movies are so boring today. All movies except Jaglom’s. His are crafted with a brilliant technique only designed and built by movie making geniuses.

Tanna Frederick is a name that many across America don’t recognize, but I promise you, it’s a name you will become acquainted with. Get your autographs from the actress right now, before they become priceless. Almost like a lightning bolt, I was stunned to see the best actress in my lifetime come flying off the screen and into my heart. Not since Bette Davis or Barbara Stanwyck has any actress dominated a film that was an ensemble piece. Everyone knows I’m a very tough critic when it comes to actors today. Many care more about what they look like on the screen than what they convey to the audience. Most characters in movies are so one dimensional that you know how the movie’s going to end.

She is absolutely incredible to look at. The red haired ravenous beauty makes every man pay attention when she’s on screen. But women will love her too. That’s a knack you simply don’t see in Hollywood today. You can’t seem to find an actress who can transcend the sexes. She transcends the sexes, generations and is the must-get for any movie studio looking to revive women’s pictures. Jaglom, like George Cukor, has an edge with actresses that many directors don’t have today. He’s actually good with everyone. So is Frederick.

That is the way Frederick was in this film. I have rarely told people that when they see a movie, they will be absolutely shocked by the ending. Jaglom is a master of mystery and intrigue and wow, it’s the moment well worth waiting for. The only problem at the end of the film was that I immediately wanted another scene. I felt like I wanted to find out what happens to her next. I know what happens with Frederick. She gave me the news that a sequel to this film is in the works. I have one dream before I die: to work with Frederick in a scene and to be directed by the greatest movie maker since Cecile B. DeMille, Henry Jaglom. I’ll have to settle for seeing the sequel to “Hollywood Dreams” I suppose. I’ll do so with excitement and anticipation.

Being able to see Tanna Frederick act is like baking a cake. Just when it’s about to come out of the oven, you want to wait and make sure it’s the right time. The anticipation is just palpable. When interviewing Frederick, you realize the Iowa born native has a lot of life experience and dreams. But she manages to perform on screen as if she were born in the role she portrays.

The game of Hollywood is hers to play. Ms. Frederick will become one of the biggest icons on the silver screen, much like her legend and heroine Bette Davis. I never thought I’d live to say, Bette has been cloned. So The Times can say she’s Bette on crack. I will say she’s Bette incarnate.

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Seattle-based Starbucks announced Thursday it will shutter nine stores in Southwest Florida, including two in Bonita Springs, one at Coconut Point, one at Gulf Coast Town Center, three in Fort Myers and two in Naples. There are about 25 stores throughout Lee and Collier counties, including those inside SuperTarget stores.

The Starbucks at Coconut Point Mall in Estero has become a hangout for Cate Stiffler, who was surprised to hear of its impending doom.

Cate visits the coffeehouse twice a week with her mother.

“All the people are nice, they make really good drinks,” she said. “All the food is really good.”

Maurice Barry wondered where he might get a good cup of coffee.

“With gas the way it is, I might just make my own,” said Barry, 28, of Bonita Springs.

Robert Bidrine, who works as a sales associate at Blackhawk Cafe, a coffee shop at the Bell Tower Shops, said he was glad to hear of the store closures.

“It will give smaller mom-and-pop stores a chance and it will get a different crowd in here,” he said.

Bidrine said he hoped the closings would drive more young people into his establishment, which has managed to scoop up a few of Starbucks’ faithful customers.

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“That shows it’s held to a higher standard,” Greenberg said, because two groups judge the product as meeting kosher standards.

Foods that are kosher adhere to the Jewish dietary laws.

For Rabbi Greenberg, his family, and members of Chabad of Bonita Springs & Estero, there is no question that they eat strictly what is kosher.

But finding kosher foods in Southwest Florida is a challenge, said Luba Greenberg, who cooks for the rabbi and their four young children.

Kosher meats and dairy products are the hardest to find, she said. Kosher on Wheels saves family and friends a trip to Florida’s east coast for foods.

The long trailer, filled with shelves and refrigerators and freezers full of specialty goods and staples, serves a portion of the Jewish religious community with strict beliefs.

But the owner of the traveling business, Shalom Dadon, said people with health food interests often choose to eat kosher foods too.

“They consider kosher foods healthier,” he said.

For example, the chickens processed for the kosher store on wheels are raised free range. That means they are not fed any manufactured food with hormones or chemicals.

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Children’s librarian Judith Flint was getting ready for the monthly book discussion group for 8- and 9-year-olds on “Love That Dog” when police showed up.

They weren’t kidding around: Five state police detectives wanted to seize Kimball Public Library’s public access computers as they frantically searched for a 12-year-old girl, acting on a tip that she sometimes used the terminals.

Flint demanded a search warrant, touching off a confrontation that pitted the privacy rights of library patrons against the rights of police on official business.

“It’s one of the most difficult situations a library can face,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of intellectual freedom issues for the American Library Association.

Investigators did obtain a warrant about eight hours later, but the June 26 standoff in the 105-year-old, red brick library on Main Street frustrated police and had fellow librarians cheering Flint.

But the investigation of Brooke Bennett’s disappearance wasn’t a Patriot Act case.

“We had to balance out the fact that we had information that we thought was true that Brooke Bennett used those computers to communicate on her MySpace account,” said Col. James Baker, director of the Vermont State Police. “We had to balance that out with protecting the civil liberties of everybody else, and this was not an easy decision to make.”

Brooke, from Braintree, vanished the day before the June 26 confrontation in the children’s section of the tiny library. Investigators went to the library chasing a lead that she had used the computers there to arrange a rendezvous.

Brooke was found dead July 2. An uncle, convicted sex offender Michael Jacques, has since been charged with kidnapping her. Authorities say Jacques had gotten into her MySpace account and altered postings to make investigators believe she had run off with someone she met online.

Flint was firm in her confrontation with the police.

Cybersecurity expert Fred H. Cate, a law professor at Indiana University, said the librarians acted appropriately.

A new Vermont law that requires libraries to demand court orders in such situations took effect July 1, but it wasn’t in place that June day. The library’s policy was to require one.

The librarians did agree to shut down the computers so no one could tamper with them, which had been a concern to police.

Once in police hands, how broadly could police dig into the computer hard drives without violating the privacy of other library patrons?

Baker wouldn’t discuss what information was gleaned from the computers or what state police did with information about other people, except to say the scope of the warrant was restricted to the missing girl investigation.

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