Sunday and the week is fine

Now that I have cut my drinking in half, I must find a way of ordering a soft drink or juice, or avoid the drinking places in town all together. Then I have to find a way of doing something else on the way back from town. Hard to read, so perhaps I can catch up on my computer work or watch a movie on the way back. Sometimes it just may be enough to hear my music on my MP3 player. 

"Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of

history to wait for the train of the future to run over him."

In town I need information from Noelani Hernandez, Honolulu Salsa, Al Franz Studio, Dream To Dance Sudios and Arthur Murray studios to inform the probable reader/dancers of this blog. And we are not talking flyers. Those are dime a dozen and we get 10000 copies every day. For some people they may be good information but not for blog readers.

Our blog readers can spot advertising and turn us off immediately if not sooner. They expect us to be social and that means information. We need more hits. Why? Simply, because we need to know if we are not just beating our gums.

"42nd Street" By Geoff Lowe

Dancing?
From The Dancing News, 2009

People dance, as they have always danced to celebrate good news and have fun. They have danced to honor a guest, pay court to someone powerful or simply to demonstrate their social standing. They danced to exhibit the best and most beautiful of their community. They danced to express their individuality and for physical contact with the opposite sex.

As a spectacle, dance can be arousing whether by a European style Waltz or by a wild Latin Cha Cha Cha. Performed alone, dance is both a physical and emotional form of release. You can imagine two senior dancers after a good Cha Cha Cha, huffing and puffing. “Wasn’t that fun?” Dance has been used in all these ways for thousands of years. It has always been an enjoyable thing to do.

"Happiness is ..." By Ray Coniff

Slop Dancer: Old term used by the Rootzi Tootzis for the Social or “Universal” dancer. One who includes in his dancing not only the standards from other disciplines but also some exhibition, non-standard and Mickey Mouse patterns as long as they are easily led.

So it becomes apparent that the term is applied only to men. In some extreme cases the term used is "Junk Dancer." The man is just not dancing "correctly." In some disciplines the dancers are advised to keep away from dancing with these people. You can pick up some bad habits.

These are the Rootzi Tootzies. These men and women in the Universal group will have to find places where they can dance their style with all the freedom of the world. Many are beginning to understand their position and accept the kind of dancing they want to do. As long as the ladies can follow and most of the ladies are just the berries, we can all have a lot of fun. I see it everyday.

7 Ways to Sneak in Family Fitness

We’ve all heard about the alarming rise in obesity in this country, but more widespread is the epidemic of couch-potatoitis that affects even those who aren’t overweight. Americans have become increasingly sedentary, spending their free time on things that involve no physical activity: video games, movies and TV, the Internet.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommends 30 minutes of moderate activity a day for adults and 60 for kids. But you don’t have to put your family members on a strict fitness regimen to boost their exercise quotient. Here are seven fun ways to get everyone up and moving.

Step it up.
Start a campaign to see which family member can take the most steps per day. The recommended number for adults is 10,000, but kids should do twice that amount. Buy everyone a pedometer (you can get them for under $10) and a small notepad to record where they walk and how many steps it took. Compare notes at dinner. You can hold contests or make a guessing game out of it: How many steps does it take to get from the kitchen to the laundry room and back?
Play games.
The next time you have a family game night, leave Monopoly on the shelf and grab Twister instead. Games don’t have to be sit-down affairs. Go for a round of Wii boxing or play a machine-dance game.
Be a citizen scientist.
Ever go out and record the colors of courting pigeons in your area? Or count the number of squirrels in your neighborhood? Through citizen science programs, your family members can become untrained “researchers” for a number of ongoing science studies, many of which involve outdoor activity. Visit the Science for Citizens website to see which programs are looking for volunteers.
Do the moonwalk.
Strolling around the neighborhood during the day is nothing special. Do it at night, and it’s an adventure. After dinner, grab a flashlight and hit the pavement for 30 minutes of walking, talking and stargazing. Be sure to return at least an hour before bedtime or nobody will be able to fall asleep!
Get handy.
Find a big project that everyone can participate in. Build a tree house, cut and haul firewood, paint a room, restore a piece of furniture. All that activity -- sawing, hammering, scraping, sanding -- is good exercise. Just don’t call it work.
Play tourist.
See your hometown or nearby city like a visitor would: Take a guided walking tour, visit the zoo, play in the park or go on a hike. Being a tourist always involves walking and physical activity, but it doesn’t have to include travel.

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Brain health tip - eat protein for your brain

Brain health is more important than ever these days, especially with the increase in dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and autism.

Every Sunday and Wednesday this month, KHQA will bring you tips on keeping your brain in tip top shape.

This KHQA Safe Family Health tip comes from Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and best-selling author of several books on brain health.

He says eating protein is critical for optimal brain health. And a lack of adequate protein can lead to problems with your mood, energy and metabolism.

Dr. Amen says it's important to eat protein at breakfast, because it increases attention and focus, which you need for work and school.

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Da Loser

At one time Club Dancer was doing pretty good, not now. Of course I haven't had too much time for it and then we get plenty of routine flyers but no real information directly for the reader/dancers of this blog.

"What can we take on trust in this uncertain life? Happiness,

greatness, pride - nothing is secure, nothing keeps."

There are plenty of readers with cameras but they just will not share with the rest of the readers. They should do as they please. But there are some that are willing but something is holding them back. Ideal photos are still six to eight, meaning a crowd of good people, Social.

Then there is the information gambit. The view from your corner of the dance floor is different than the viewpoint from my corner of the dance floor. That is referred to as "viewpoint. Nothing difficult about that. All the blogs need Social Media and Viewpoint is one of the key factors.

"Tequila" By Francisco Montaro Ensemble

We just have to keep looking for the right people, man or woman, same principles apply, for dancing and the promotion of dancing among all of us. People that are interested in running the social dancers up, not down. And we just eliminate the rootzi tootzis.

Meanwhile, Platinum Horseshoe and Moanalua Corridor are going on ahead, with the right people and the good photos. Town Dancer remains outta sight. So that leaves the newcommers, Beyond Oahu and Baile Mestizo to worry about and build them up.

"I Only Have Eyes For You" By the Flamingos

Daze of Whine and Noises

Don’t fall for that simplistic “spice of life” stuff, what we want is the whole spice rack of life — People are more important than things — If you don’t do anything in life, Love someone and let someone love you — Forgive yourself, your friends and your enemies. You’re all human — To err is human but at least make new mistakes — It’s amazing how many people your age are older than you — Live by what you trust, not by what you fear — Gossip, the knife of the party  — Artificial Intelligence would be a big improvement for some people.

A Lovely Potato and Asparagus Tart

Recently, uber-talented blog friend Cristina from Cristina From Buenos Aires to Paris posted an Asparagus and Orange Cream Tart. It looked like it would be light and delicious with an unusual combination of an orange-flavored cream and asparagus....very appealing. I was going to make it this weekend with the lovely asparagus in the market right now. And then I got sidetracked with another tart I watched Jamie Oliver make the other day. It had me salivating. Now to the eye, one would think the two tarts were identical. But Cristina used puff pastry and the orange creme is light in texture and contained crème fraiche.  Jamie's was crispy phyllo dough and plain old mashed potatoes, so comforting.....and perhaps appealing more to men?  You have to admit, there is just something about this combo: potatoes mashed with whipping cream, eggs and cheese....phyllo pastry....and fresh asparagus. What's not to like? I mean really. 

So I made it yesterday. What a perfect side for grilled meats or fish. Actually, I ate it for dinner, forget the protein. I hope you've worked with phyllo. If not, there are quite a few videos online that explain everything. It's really quite simple. And the soft filling of this tart balances so well with the crispiness of the phyllo.

The only changes I would make to this recipe would be to use a bit more asparagus on top AND perhaps add some sautéed scallions to the  mashed potatoes.

But I promise, Cristina, I will be making your lovely tart next weekend!  :) It will be absolutely perfect for some ladies I have coming for lunch.

Potato and Asparagus Tart
Recipe from Jamie at Home HERE.

Ingredients:
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Sea salt 
1 pound asparagus spears, woody ends removed, blanched
8 ounces phyllo pastry 
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup freshly grated Lancashire cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Cheddar
3 large organic or free-range eggs 
1 cup (8-ounces) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Put your potatoes into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile blanch your asparagus in a separate pan of salted boiling water for 4 minutes, and drain in a colander. 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Get an ovenproof dish - I used a rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Layer the sheets of filo pastry in the dish, brushing them with melted butter as you go and letting about 1-inch hang over the edge. You want to get the pastry about 5 layers thick. Put a clean, damp kitchen towel over the top and put aside.

When the potatoes are done, mash them with the cheeses. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and cream and stir into your cheesy mashed potato. Grate in the nutmeg, season well with pepper and mix together. Spread the mashed potato (it will be looser than you expect) over the phyllo pastry, then bring up the sides of the phyllo and scrunch them together to form a rim. Take your blanched asparagus and line them up across the filling, making sure you cover it all. Brush all over with the remaining melted butter and pop into the preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve just as you would a quiche for a quick lunch or supper, with a salad.

Pepsi Plans Additional Price Increases

PepsiCo Inc. said it plans more price increases on its products this summer, but not enough to offset rising commodity costs amid a still-fragile consumer recovery.

The renewed price push comes after PepsiCo reported North American sales volume of its snacks and beverages rose 2% in the first quarter from a year earlier, despite a continued downturn at its smaller Quaker foods unit.

"We're trying to thread the needle and see how much pricing we can take,'' Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive, told analysts in a conference call Thursday.

PepsiCo said its "price mix" for North American beverages rose about two percentage points in the first three months of 2011 – about half from higher sticker prices and the rest from a shifting mix of products, package sizes and retail channels.

But management acknowledged it won't be able to fully pass higher input costs such as plastic for bottles or corn for chips through to consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere. It estimates the company's global commodity costs will increase by $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion this year – or as much as 9% of its annual $18 billion commodity cost base.

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Keep active to keep your mind healthy

Did you know that at least one in five adults in Northern Ireland may suffer from some form of mental health disorder in any year, and that one in four people in Northern Ireland are likely to experience depression?

These statistics prompted Sport Northern Ireland to launch Active People: Healthy Minds, a factsheet endorsed by the Public Health Agency (PHA), designed to promote the mental health benefits of being active.

Being physically active is a key element of living a longer, healthier and happier life. Staying active can help you keep your body and mind healthy and provide you with valuable opportunities for socialising with friends and meeting new people.

While regular participation in sport and physical activity help reduce your risk of physical diseases such as obesity, coronary heart disease and stroke, being active can also promote good mental health by:
• Improving your mood
• Enhancing your sense of well-being
• Reducing anxiety
• Combating negative emotions
• Improving self-esteem, body image and confidence and
• Protecting against depression

Sport Northern Ireland’s lottery funded initiative ‘Active Communities’ is designed to give people sporting and physical activity opportunities, with over 100 coaches and leaders working in communities, across a wide range of activities.

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