Williston Observer

March 31, 2011

YOUTH NEWS

STORY TIME WITH GOV. SHUMLIN

Celebrate National Library Week on Tuesday, April 12 at 11 a.m., when Gov. Peter Shumlin reads stories for children. All ages welcome.

SATURDAY MUSIC WITH RAPHAEL

Sing, dance, and clap your hands with Raphael and his guitar, April 2, 11 a.m. For children up to age 5. No pre-registration.

SCIENCE MAGIC

On Wednesday, April 6 at 3 p.m., amaze your friends and family with science tricks using simple household materials. Presented by Karen Cutler. Grades 3 and up. Pre-register at 878-4918.

PAJAMA TIME WITH ABBY KLEIN

On Monday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m., bring kids in their pajamas with their favorite stuffed animal for stories, a craft, and a bedtime snack.  Presented by Building Bright Futures of Williston and Dorothy Alling Memorial Library.  Call Kate at 876-7147 to pre-register.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS

Thursday, April 7, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Grades 7 to 12 Teen Advisory Council, pizza, discussion, and library projects for teens. First Thursday of each month, new members welcome.

RAPTOR ENCOUNTER

This first-hand encounter with live owls, hawks, and falcons focuses on the natural history, ecology, and adaptations of these efficient predators. Touchable artifacts and hands-on materials round out this special experience. Presented by Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Sponsored by Friends of the Dorothy Alling Library. Saturday, April 16, 1 p.m.

NEW PICTURE BOOKS

The library has acquired some fabulous new picture books. Come in and browse the New Picture Book Display. The following titles are just a few of the “must reads.”

“Little White Rabbit” by Kevin Henkes

“Rain School” by James Rumford

“Zoo Borns” by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland

“Yoko’s Show-and-Tell” by Rosemary Wells

“Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox” by Susan Blackaby

“Dust Devil” by Anne Isaacs

“Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit” by Il Sung Na

“Ant and the Grasshopper” by Luli Gray

“Happy 100^th Day!” by Susan Milord

“Bedtime for Bear” by Brett Helquist

“The Full Belly Bowl” by Jim Aylesworth

“Look! A Book!” by Bob Staake

ADULT PROGRAMS

BESS O’BRIEN: STORYTELLING THROUGH FILM

On Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m., Bess O’Brien will share how she tells stories through documentary filmmaking. She will discuss the art of the interview and how editing 75 hours of footage down to 90 minutes of film shapes how a story is told. O’Brien will give examples from her earlier films – “Here Today” and “Shout It Out” – and show clips from her latest documentary, “Ask Us Who We Are”.

“NORTH WILLISTON: DOWN DEPOT HILL”

Meet author Richard Allen on Saturday, April 9, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., for a slideshow and book signing.

SHAPE AND SHARE LIFE STORIES

Recille Hamrell will lead real life experiences crafted into oral narratives on Monday, April 11 and April 25, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

SCRABBLE

Wednesday, April 20, 1 p.m.

STORY CRAFTERS: SAM HEMINGWAY

Sam Hemingway, reporter for the Burlington Free Press, will share the unique challenges of news writing. Topics will include how he draws stories from people through interviews, observation and research. Wednesday, April 20, 6:30 p.m.

“MAKING A WAY OUT OF NO WAY”

Dr. Wolfgang Mieder presents his new book about Martin Luther King, Jr. on Wednesday, April 27, 1 p.m.

WHY I LEFT THE AMISH: AN AUTHOR TALK WITH SALOMA MILER FURLONG

Saloma Miler Furlong will talk about her new memoir, an eloquent and revealing portrait of life within, and without, this frequently misunderstood community. Saturday, April 30, 1 p.m.

March 31, 2011

Observer photos by Scott Yates (scottpyatesphotography.blogspot.com)

The American Roots Music benefit show for Access Community Education took place at Champlain Valley Union High School on March 25. Robert Resnik, host of VPR’s “All the Traditions,” hosted the show.

March 31, 2011

Observer photos by Steve Mease (www.stevemease.com)

The top-seeded Champlain Valley Union High School Scholars’ Bowl earned their fifth straight berth in the Vermont-NEA championship match on March 26. The group lost to Hanover High School in the final.

Psst. This is Good Stuff

3& ½ popcorns

By Michael S. Goldberger

Special to The Citizen

It’s too bad Dr. Timothy Leary isn’t around to lend us his perspective on director Neil Burger’s “Limitless,” about a writer who experiments with the ultimate mind-expanding drug and the inevitable side effects that make for the death-defying adventure of his life. However, in the doc’s absence, and having also lived through the 1960s, I will try my best.

Splendidly adapted from Alan Glynn’s novel, “The Dark Fields,” by Leslie Dixon, the story first introduces us to Bradley Cooper’s Eddie Morra, the guy once thought most likely to succeed, but who hasn’t. In fact, the young scribe is pretty much on the skids: no money, given the gate by his gal, and not even one page written of that redemptive novel.

Perhaps he wasn’t destined to be among that elite group of folks who, by getting hold of the brass ring, inspire us to think we could do the same. But don’t be too fast to write him off, for Horatio Alger does indeed ride to at least a temporary rescue. It comes in the form of a little magic pill. An old saw, back in the fairy tale days they called it a potion.

Same thing. But whereas, according to Grace Slick’s advisory in The Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” one pill makes you larger and one makes you small. In this case, the translucent orb Eddie receives from a sleazy but high-priced drug dealer makes you smarter, and then some. Like, you now use all of your brain, and not just 20 percent of it. Credit director Burger and his FX folks with making real the concept. For it stands to reason that without a similar dosage of the stuff, we couldn’t begin to imagine the exponential brainpower that represents. Guilty thrills admitted, it all leads to one heck of a roller coaster ride into the realm of heightened intelligence. But don’t try this at home.

Certainly the most imaginative and philosophically erudite fictionalization on the topic since William Hurt submerged himself in the experimentations of “Altered States” (1980), the fantasy is exhilarating. And it’s heartening, at long last, to employ that most overused adjective, awesome, without it proving a monotonous exaggeration.

This should shine Bradley Cooper’s star, if not earn him an Oscar nomination. His transitions, starting with the move from failed writer to Wall Street pundit, represent a quantum leap that he handles with winning aplomb. His work opposite Robert De Niro, who smartly portrays financial mogul Carl Van Loon, certifies his thespic ascendancy.

Like a sports team inspired by its star player’s lead, several supporting actors pick up on the energy. Abbie Cornish is suitably credible as Lindy, the on again, off again love interest; Andrew Howard is frighteningly stellar as Gennady, the Russian loan shark who wants into Eddie’s stash; and Johnny Whitworth is an appropriately creepy pusher.

But lest this vicarious journey to full actualization goes to our heads, please note we are dealing with drugs. And as such, we as well as our protagonist must be prepared for the downside, the side effects, the quickly pronounced heeding after the commercial informs how great some Rx performs. Remember, call an M.D. if experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Without giving too much away, I’ll only tell you that Eddie finishes his novel in record time before coming face-to-face with two major forms of repercussion. First, there’s the withdrawal. Think your first bona fide hangover multiplied by infinity. And then there’s the sort of characters you’ll have to sully yourself with in order to stay high and mighty.

Voila, filmmaker Burger succeeds in combining a highly theoretical concept with trenchantly engaging action and seat-edged suspense. Add a subtext about American greed and insider trading, then venture how all these ingredients might affect an already tenuous love affair, and the only thing more you could ask for is free popcorn and soda.

At its purest, elemental level, the film iterates a classic, cautionary tale about substance abuse reminiscent of the metaphoric intelligence imparted in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Of course, there’s a modern twist in this film; a well conceived and visionary treatise on human potential that’s sure to titillate the synapses.

Call me a crazy optimist. I think we might even be able to fly, without having to grow wings. However, for those who couldn’t care less for hypotheses about what our gray matter might be capable of, note there’s much violence and venal derring-do to please the more viscerally inclined. As a result, both camps will agree “Limitless” is really far out.

“Limitless,” rated PG-13, is a Relativity Media release directed by Neil Burger and stars Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. Running time: 105 minutes

Fond of food

March 31, 2011

By Kim Dannies

“Wow, that was good!” is music to every cook’s ears. So, what’s the secret to making everyday edibles simply incredible? I recently asked myself this question as I watched my buddy, Kiwi Dick, an excellent omelet maker, maneuver in the kitchen. He produced seven perfect omelets with finesse, yet he wasn’t confident that he was coaxing the maximum flavor out of his ingredients.

“Color equals flavor” is a mantra worth remembering. For sauté, heating the pan until really hot, and then adding the oil is an essential step. When the oil is hot, then it’s OK for the ingredients to hit the pan. In the case of onions, the base for almost every savory dish, most cooks need to sauté them quite a bit longer. To achieve maximum intensity of flavor, the onions must release their natural sugars so they can caramelize into gems of glossy brown-black. The same also goes for mushrooms. Incremental pinches of kosher salt throughout the sauté will draw out the water and build seductive layers of flavor.
The hot pan must be scraped continuously. Deglazing the onions with a slug of sherry, beer, or stock after 12 to 15 minutes is where the magic happens.

When onions are allowed to fully caramelize – at around 20 minutes of cooking time– nirvana is within reach (if you are using garlic, don’t add it until the final minute of cooking or it will burn and become bitter). Scraping of the pan throughout is essential: those shiny, fat-soaked, carbonized treats at the bottom are the “fond.” These are the rock stars of flavor that morph a dish from average to amazing.

The culinary cognoscenti agree that the most flavorful cuts of meat are the cheapest: brisket, pork shoulder, and chuck. Slow, low-heat braising with a bit of decent wine and some root vegetable will yield gravy and a treasure trove of fried black bits tasty enough to start a family fight. So, if it’s charred, crunchy, fried, congealed, flecked or globbed, eat it! There’s a whole lot of love going on in the fond.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston with her husband, Jeff; they have three college-aged daughters who come and go. For archived Everyday Gourmet columns go to kimdannies.com.