The Good Life

Fairchild Challenge Awards Ceremony Coming May 14-15
 
 
by Michael W. Sasser
Consulting Editor
 
 
Grass
By Joe Grossman

Nobody cares about a blade of grass,
It simply gets treated without any class.
It’s just one blade of grass people say,
How about you be a blade for a day?
In a field getting stepped on all night,
People simply do not treat grass right.
So from now on show some class,
And remember it’s more than a dull blade of grass.

 
 
Thanks to an innovative program of the Fairchild Tropical Garden, more South Florida students just might contemplate grass and other components of our natural environment, heeding the advice of young poet Joe Grossman.

Grossman, a 9th grader at SEK Prep of Boca Raton was “shocked” at winning first place in the Fairchild Challenge Option of Botanical Art and Poetry Competition, remarked his teacher Melissa Carney.

 “He put 100 percent effort and enthusiasm behind this project, feeling that he could a poem, even though he had never composed one before,” she said. “I thought his poem was great. It’s about being grass. It’s original, creative, and people seemed to have liked it. He’s got such a great sense of humor.”

SEK Prep is one of many schools through out the tri-county area that participates in The Fairchild Challenge, an innovative environmental education program developed by Fairchild Tropical Gardens for South Florida youth aims to heighten students’ environmental awareness, scholarship, and stewardship of the natural environment.

Participating in last year’s Ethnobotany Scavenger Hunt, another one of the Fairchild Challenge options, Carney became entranced with the program. SEK Prep joined late in 2002-3 the year, but the school’s students pulled it off: winning 4th place out of all the participating schools.

“We were really impressed with ourselves,” said Carney. She has since signed the school up again, and has worked hand in hand with the teachers of English, Art and Global Studies to create a holistic approach to teaching.
There are over 5000 middle and high school students—more than 100 schools are registered for the 2003-2004 program, hailing from Jupiter to Homestead, resulting in thousands in students working on various Challenge options, and all of whom all scheduled to attend the Fairchild Challenge Awards Ceremony on May 14-15. Each participant will receive a family guest pass to the Garden and a Fairchild challenge 2004 t-shirt; designing the t-shirts was a Challenge Option for both middle and high schools.

The Fairchild Challenge offers students and teachers to learn in a unique way. There are varied options for middle and high school students to shine as they express their knowledge and creativity, using fine arts, graphic design, theme gardening and interpretation, community outreach, recycling, environmental research, creative writing, debate, ethnobotany, the performing arts and other disciplines to learn about the environment around them. Some of the categories of Challenges are: Shakespeare in the Tropics; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; Botanical Art with Poetry, Environmental Cartoon; Environmental Debate Competition, as well as Challenge T-Shirt, brochure, and poster designs.

David Whitman, Fairchild Education Outreach Coordinator, has enlisted expert panelists to evaluate the performances and thousands of student entries, which will have already passed through rigorous screenings by teachers and student peers. Besides scientists and educators at Fairchild, more than 50 judges are already on board, including Los Angeles-based writer Gabriel Spera, recipient of last year’s National Poetry Series prize for his book The Standing Wave; Peg Richardson, botanical artist and former Director of the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs; and Helen Kohen, Miami art archivist and former art critic for the Miami Herald. 

From December through May, the panels of experts will have evaluated finalists selected by each school. Schools with the highest Challenge scores for the year will be awarded $6000 collectively in cash prizes ranging from $500 and $1000 for the winning schools’ environmental-education programs. Students who excel in the program, and the teachers who inspired them, will receive individual prizes, including $100 gift certificates for the top-ranked students.

Support for The Fairchild Challenge comes in part from the members and friends of Fairchild Tropical Garden, Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management, South Florida Water Management District, BankAtlantic Foundation, Miami-Dade College, State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council, Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, Florida International University’s Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology and many volunteers.

With The Fairchild Challenge, one of South Florida’s most estimable and scenic venues reaches deep into the community to foster creativity and an appreciation for the environment. Promoting these values in young people is nothing short of a bold and noble effort.

For more information on The Fairchild Challenge, call 305-667-1651.
-- Your input is welcome at The Good Life. For the author’s take on all things Miami, visit freshguides.com. Please send all correspondences, comments and announcements to SassFL@aol.com.  

Culturally Speaking


Local Venues Promote Theatrical Image
 
 
by Ron Levitt
Contributihng Writer

    
Almost everyone knows Off-Broadway. Some even are aware of Off-Off-Broadway. I have a theatre friend who refers to anything worthwhile that is playing in what she calls the hinterlands as Off-Off-Off-Broadway. In some sense, that seems to cover every theatre no matter where it is located, and that includes South Florida, which, to its credit, has some 60 theatre companies at last count. So, by her definition, every theatre could be called Off-Off-Off Broadway.

No matter what you call it, with a handful of openings this past week, you can report that the “hinterlands” of South Florida are alive and doing well. Just take a peek!

Caldwell Theatre, Boca Raton
In its 29th year, Caldwell continues to entertain its loyal audience with A. R. Gurney’s ever-current tour de force about well-to-do families, focusing on the rooms in which families’ lives are centered—including their loves, honesty, sharing, teaching and caring as well as infidelities, lies, deceit and selfishness. Directed by Bruce Lecure, with heart and mind, and acted by an ensemble of sheer talent, this production of The Dining Room meets great expectations. Geoffrey Wade, Pat Nesbitt, Dennis Creaghan, Jacqueline Knapp, Ronald H. Seibert and Carry Anne Spear comprise the exceptional company as ever-changing characters in a play of inter-related scenes. This is a smooth, professional production worthy of Broadway itself. The second-act family scenes between Seibert and Wade and Seibert and Spear are pure on-stage magic. This show runs through May 23 and is worthy of the trip to Boca.
Coconut Grove, Miami
Using star power—the veteran Lucie Arnaz and co-star Peter Michael Goetz—with near-perfect direction by John Tillinger, this play (A Picasso) keeps the audience on a collision course with dramatic results. The play is set in Nazi-held Paris, where a mysterious woman working for the Gestapo interrogates Pablo Picasso about the authenticity of three paintings, each assumed to be by the great painter. Art, sex, politics and power collide in this suspense-filled production which tells a realistic tale in the throes of World War II. The show has a two-week run, ending on May 2. The Jeffrey Hatcher play is first rate and this production uses its actors to every advantage. They sparkle. My only criticism was the final moment—wasn’t quite sure the play should have ended at that point—or perhaps I wanted more of the quick tongue-lashing between the two characters.

Two in the Gables
Some may think GableStage’s Joe Adler and New Theatre’s Rafael de Acha must be in collusion on subject matter. They both opened plays dealing with racism and prejudice this past week—but the two productions’ only similarity is their brilliance and thoughtfulness. At GableStage, Athol Fulgard’s Master Harold  …and the Boys is a story of 1950s apartheid in South Africa, while at New Theatre, J.T. Rogers’ White People looks upon prejudice in a more familiar location. What makes both plays unique, yet similar, is their sense of reality and believability. GableStage has a run through May 9 while White People goes through May 16. Both deserve your attention.

Florida Stage, Manalapan
Here’s another provocative work from playwright Thomas Gibbons. Permanent Collection, which runs through April 25 at Florida Stage, again involves art as the focal point in a community over race, history, art and culture. Willliam Parin directs this first-rate veteran cast—John Archie, Elizabeth Dimon, Dawn Renee Jones, Tracy Conyer Lee, Dan Leonard and David Mann.

26th Street Theatre, Wilton Manors
Broward Stage Door Theatre in Wilton Manors once again knows its audience and goes forward with style in this production of the Off-Broadway musical, A Stoop on Orchard Street. Critics in New York continue to give the musical raves, and it has a bouncy score and exuberant cast to entertain you while recalling another era. It will be around through June 20 but we urge you to get your tickets now.

Here is Plenty More
And, if these shows aren’t enough for you to fill out your theatre card, try Fully Committed at the Encore Room of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Waiting for Godot at the Sol Theatre, Flyin West at M Ensemble, Best Little Whorehouse at Stage Door in Coral Springs, Bubbe Meises at the Atlantis Playhouse, Trembling Cats at Mad Cat in Miami, No Exit at Palm Beach Dramaworks—or you can always fly to New York!

Ron Levitt, an entertainment/travel writer, served as Assistant Secretary of State, overseeing cultural affairs. The former United Press Correspondent is President of the South Florida International Press Club. Reach this column at ron@levittgroup.com.

PHOTO IDS
 
1.  Dennis Creagan and Pat Nesbvit in a comic moment from The Dining Room at Caldwell in Boca Raton

Shape-Up

Exercise Your Mind
 
  by Cheryl A. Patella
Health & Fitness Columnist

We all know by now that our bodies need exercise to stay healthy. The same applies to the mind. Here is a classic example:

In a meeting last week, I needed to calculate some figures. Having no calculator on hand, I did it the old-fashioned way. I noticed that my brain was slow to calculate simple figures. And then I recalled my father telling me, “You have to exercise your mind to keep it sharp.” You don’t realize the truth to that statement until you start heading in that direction. There is a tremendous amount of research and information to support that fact.

By doing cardiovascular strengthening (aerobics), you strengthen your blood flow and oxygenation to the organs, including the brain, increasing your thought reaction response. Cardiovascular strenghtening also aides in managing stress, which will definitely overload your brain!

The Mind-Body Connection (WEBMD.com)
Medical science has found that one function of the brain is to produce substances that can improve your health. Your brain can create endorphins, which are natural painkillers; gamma globulin for fortifying your immune system; and interferon for combating infections, viruses, and even cancer. The substances that your brain produces depend in part on your thoughts, feelings, and expectations. Negative thoughts will interfere with, just as positive thoughts will strengthen, the process.

Here are some exercises designed to exercise your mind—small tasks that will push you out of your comfort zone: get up 1 hour earlier, turn off all media (TV, radio, etc.) for one week, read something completely different, eat something completely different, try a new medium with which to make art (sculpture). Until you’ve tried the mind-exercise experience, it’s difficult to grasp. You will really think by being challenged.

Recently I read about a man, Lawrence Imhof, who took a pro-active approach to his quality of life. “My mother had Alzheimer’s disease and I witnessed her mental decline over the years. I am determined to prevent my own.” He wrote: “How can you enhance your learning capacity and memory? Some simple lifestyle changes can help. Exercise, a healthy diet, limiting alcohol consumption and avoiding smoking, and stress reduction. Mental exercise is another important key to maintaining a keen memory and increasing learning capacity. 

Igor Gefter, M.D., a psychiatrist at Somerset Medical Center, stated, “Memory loss should not be considered an inevitable part of growing older. In fact, mental activity and stimulation can delay dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease.”Be sure to take good care of your mind, as well as your body. You are in control of the quality of your life.  God bless.

If you have a question or comment, feel free to contact me at The Biltmore Fitness Center, 305 445-1926, or, email: cpatella@biltmorehotel.com.
 
 
Basic Guidelines for a Healthier Lifestyle:
 
* Get 20-30 minutes of cardio training five days a week              
* Eat 5-6 low fat meals daily of fresh foods
* Get 6-8 hours of sleep daily
* Strength train 3-4 times a week (20 minutes)
* Stretch daily (2-4 minutes)
* Drink 10-14 glasses of water daily

Splendor in the Glass

National Wine Week at Smith & Wolensky:
Not to be Missed
 
by Charles Radlauer, M.D., J.D.
Wine Columnist

In its nineteenth year, National Wine Week is a twice a year sampling of fine wines at reasonable, no, downright give-away prices. Offered only at lunch at South Beach’s Smith & Wolensky Restaurant for one week in March and another in September, this little known tasting treasure features a generous pouring of approximately twenty wines by the glass to accompany your luncheon selections—all for the paltry price of ten dollars per person added to the price of the meal. The wine selection changes daily, so the die-hard wine aficionado can attend all five weekdays and not repeat. I suggest you attend early in the week as Friday is usually packed. After all, after sampling twenty different wines, who wants to go back to work. And, by the way, reservations are a must.

The wines run the gamut from champagnes to sweet dessert wines, mostly American In fact, in 2003, Smith & Wolensky introduced its “Great American Wine List,” a collection of over 650 wines produced only in the US.

We began our afternoon with 1998 “J,” a delightfully crisp bubbly produced by Jordan. With appetizers ranging from lobster salad to crabcakes and lobster bisque, we sampled an array of whites from Montevina Pinot Grigio and Grigch Hills Fume Blanc to full-bodied Chardonnays; Sterling, Artesia, Jordan, Buena Vista and my favorite, 2001 Conundrum. To accompany Smith & Wolensky’s excellent meat entrees, we preferred the reds; Pinot noir from Artesia, Acacia, and Buena Vista and Cabernets from BV, Sterling, Fetzer, and Hogue Genesis. The pours were generous and the tastings excellent. Dessert was paired with a light and fruity Moscato Bianco from La Familia (Mondavi).

What a wonderful way to spend and afternoon at one of the most picturesque settings in South Florida at the southern tip of South Beach, dining on sumptuous food and sipping some of the fine wines the US has to offer; truly worthy of our toast to Splendor in the Glass.

Please send your questions; or information on upcoming wine events to WineMatters@aol.com

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