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Probably nutrition and exercises are the most important things that enable our body and immune system to stay strong and healthy.
There are various ways to keep yourself healthy and fit and you don’t have to suffer from training endlessly in the gym or limit your eating habits. All you need to do is, first of all, understand what food is healthy and important for your health, and what is not.
Nutrition and exercise is important in developing a strong body and
immune system. Consuming the proper portions
of food will build a strong immune system, and body. Eating properly
will also promote a better mental well being, and over all good
health. There are guidelines you can learn, and nutrition labels you
can observe so that you may understand and use nutrition wisely.

Exercise is also very important for your body structure and vital
organs. Exercise done properly and consistent can help you control
weight, and also promote over all good health. There are two types of
exercises that benefit the adult learner. Aerobic exercise helps
improve cardio vascular and cardio respiratory functions. Aerobic
exercise is also a good way to loose fat, and keep a lean body.
Strength exercise helps build muscle and lose body fat. Strength
exercise also helps improve strength, balance, and flexibility in
joints. There are plenty of hints and ideas to sticking to a nutrition
and fitness plan. The first step to starting is to make that gradual
change. Set your goals and boundaries to a plan that fits your
lifestyle and age. It is ok not being able to change your diet and
fitness goals all at once. You make a difference by making small
changes now, and then notice the big changes to your body and health
in the future.

Nutrition and Exercise for Adult Learners

Nutrition and Exercise can be a valuable instrument in an adult
learner’s life. Proper nutrition helps build a strong immune system
(which can help fight diseases), mental well being, and over all
general good health. Exercise can help control weight, relieve stress,
build strength/flexibility, and increase awareness. Nutrition can be
maintained easily through what you eat, how you eat, and when you eat.
Exercise can be started slowly and increased gradually to help
maintain strength, flexibility, and decrease stress.

The key to understanding and using nutrition wisely is to first
realize you will need to make a lifestyle change. Once you know a
lifestyle change is needed you can begin to understand more about how
to eat nutritiously. The foods you eat can be broken down into
different categories. Each category has a proper portion that should
be consumed daily. “The different categories and servings sizes are as
follows: fats, oils, and sweets use sparingly; milk, yogurt, and
cheese limited to 2-3 servings; meat, poultry, dry beans, eggs, and
nuts limited to 2-3 servings; vegetable group 3-5 servings; fruit
groups 2-4 servings; and bread and rice 6-12 servings.”

Carbohydrates are one of the most important sections of food, but can
be easily overindulged. Your muscles and brain are primarily fueled
off of carbohydrates. You should include a daily portion of
carbohydrate in your diet to ensure that you maintain good muscle,
good liver function, and to improve performance and delay fatigue.
Carbohydrates are broken down into two groups simple and complex, both
groups metabolize into glucose. Simple carbohydrates are sweet and
contain one or two sugar molecules. Examples of simple carbohydrates
are glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Complex carbohydrates are long
chains of sugar best known as starch (ex: brown rice, corn, and
shredded wheat). “To keep carbohydrate intake at a healthy level you
should consume between 6-11 servings of complex carbohydrates a day.”

When starting a nutrition program it is also important to understand
fat. Fat helps keep the metabolism working for muscle activity,
protects vital organs, and insulates. On a daily basis only 30% of
your daily calories should be fat. The two types of fats are
cholesterol and triglycerides. Cholesterol is typical found in foods
coming from an animal, such as egg yolks, seafood, meats, and dairy.
Many people talk of saturated, polyunsaturated, or monounsaturated
fats. These three are actually called triglycerides. On the Georgia
State University’s Department of Kinesiology and Health website they
explain these fats like this:

Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature and come
primarily from animal products like meat, poultry, butter, and whole
milk. Also, some oils like coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils are
high in saturated fats. Dietary saturated fats have the greatest
impact on total blood cholesterol. Saturated fat should not exceed 10%
of total fat intake. Polyunsaturated fats are usually liquid at room
temperature and are found in vegetable oils such a safflower,
sunflower, corn, and soybean oils. Monounsaturated fats are also
liquid at room temperature and are found in vegetable oils, such as
olive and canola oils.

As can be seen by this small paragraph there is a lot to learn when
dealing with fat. “The reason it is so important to understand fat is
because the over consumption of fat is believed to be one of the
leading causes of obesity, heart disease, and different types of
cancer.” (Univ. of Ga. Website)

Protein can also get very complex. The reason is because proteins are
composed of amino acids and there are twenty different kinds of amino
acids. Out of these amino acids there are non-essential and essential
ones. Non essential amino acids can be made by the body, whereas
essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and can only be
consumed through food. The essential amino acids are isoleucine,
lysine, methionine, phenylanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. To
pack all of the essential amino acids into your diet (this can help
with growth and repair of body tissue), you must eat things that are
made up of complete proteins. An example of complete proteins are
found in eggs, milk, meat, poultry, and fish. The recommended dose of
protein per average individual is .8grams per kilogram of body weight
a day, for bodybuilders and athletes this number increases to
1.8grams.

The most important element to healthy nutrition is the very thing that
makes up 50-75% of the human body. This element also helps with
temperature regulation, cellular processes, and body composition. This
precious element is water. Water in the body is lost everyday through
urination, respiration, and sweat. Without water the human body can
suffer from dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat cramps,
and death. It must be replenished everyday. “Each person needs 64
ounces of water each day; this number increases if exercise or
hot/humid environments factor in.”

Nutrition labels are on every food product. When reading a nutrition
label limit the number of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and
sodium you consume. Make sure you consume a lot of vitamin C, vitamin
A, calcium, iron, and dietary fibers. “If you pick foods with labels
that have these qualities you will be on your way to eating
healthier.”

Next to nutrition, exercise is very important. Exercise helps the body
as well as the brain. Exercising has many great benefits. The greatest
one is reducing the risk of premature death. Exercising helps reduce
high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and the chance of dying from
heart disease. For the adult learner exercise can greatly reduce
depression, anxiety, stress, and improve psychological well-being. Not
to forget it maintains healthy muscles, bones, joints, body weight,
and fat.

Exercise is divided into two types: aerobic exercise and strength
training. Each one has its own benefits for the adult learner. Aerobic
exercise mainly works on the improvement of cardiovascular/cardio
respiratory functions (heart and lungs). This gives maximum cardiac
output (blood pumped every minute), maximum stroke volume (blood
pumped each beat), and reduced stress on the heart. All leading up to
the maximum oxygen consumption for the adult learner, which in turn
helps the brain work better. Aerobics also lowers high blood pressure,
reduces body fat and increases HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Strength training greatly reduces stress and reduces body fat. It also
improves flexibility in the joints. In the adult learner it greatly
improves strength, balance, and functional ability.

Exercising has many myths, but only a few benefits to the adult
learner. As stated earlier, exercise is a way to burn calories.
Exercise helps work every part of your body and helps the body to work
more efficient. When exercising, there is a “no pain, no gain”
concept. Sometimes it may get hard, but the adult learner has to push
on and get through the pain to reap the benefits. “The trick is to
slowly progress instead of jumping right in. For the adult learner it
is never to late to exercise because just like learning, it’s never
stops.”

It is important to stick to a nutrition and fitness plan, especially
while being under the stress of being an adult learner. The following
are some ideas on how an adult learning can make gradual changes
toward a better fitness and nutrition program.

Changes in a nutritional lifestyle have to be made over a gradual
period of time to work effectively. One can start by changing the
portion size of what they are eating.
“Another guide is to pretend your plate is a clock and the time is 3
p.m. The section between 12 and 3 bordered by the big and little hands
should be filled with meat or dairy servings. When your meat or dairy
portion goes over that section, then you are eating too much of it.
The rest of your plate should be filled with grains and vegetables.”

Eating fat free foods are a good way to move toward your nutrition
goals but be careful when doing so because manufacturers tend to
replace the fat with more sugar and other substances that may be just
as harmful as excessive fat. A good hint in substitution of fats, are
to replace cup of oil with one cup unsweetened applesauce when
following a cake recipe or using a non stick skillet sprayed with
cooking spray such as PAM and fat free broth instead of one cup of
high fat cooking oil when pan frying meat. You would be surprised at
how good recipes taste even though you omitted some or all of the fat
in the recipe.

When dining out a good tip would be to ask for the salad dressing on
the side or ask that an omelet be cooked with one egg and two egg
whites instead of three whole eggs. Another thing to remember is not
to be afraid to ask questions when ordering your food at a restaurant.
Most restaurants will cater to you diet needs.

Another thing is that it is not good to starve yourself before going
to bed. Remember a snack will fuel your body for the 7 to 8 hour fast
it goes through when you are at rest.

If you find it difficult to stick to an exercise program, remember
that you can break activity down into different time frames. If you
want to get in thirty minutes of activity but do not have thirty
minutes to spare, try to walk briskly for ten minutes then plan on
parking as far way in the parking lot when you go to the market or
shopping mall to get in other activity. Walking up the stairs instead
of the elevator at your workplace is another helpful way to get in
some activity to your day.

It doesn′t matter if you do not change your diet and fitness goals all
at once, what matters is that over time, you can change little things
that will add up in the future, and therefore you will see better
results in the log run.

The article was produced by the member of masterpapers.com.
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Amaryllis of Hawaii loves to cook and prepare parties and entertain for others. It can be dinner for two or a party for fifty. She can handle. Her adventures in the kitchen began at about age twelve. She was asked to peel an onion once at a friend’s house. She didn’t know how, but she learned fast.

Over the years she has been very receptive to learning about the culinary arts. She loves the joy of cooking and the beautiful presentation of food. Amaryllis enjoys reading cookbooks & browsing through magazines for recipes & ideas. She saves them in her dream books of future possibilities. It’s so important to visualize and believe in the possibilities. If you can imagine and believe something possible, you can achieve it.

So dream it up, whatever you wish, and find images or recipes to make it happen. Look at them often to surround yourself with stimulating ideas and beauty in your subconscious mind. When people tell Amaryllis they don’t know how to cook, she thinks, my God, all you have to know is the basics of cooking to make wonderful meals creatively and easily. What we eat defines so much about us. Our culture and lifestyle are expressed by the way we prepare our food. People are so busy taking care of business that many seem to lose the joy of cooking, opting for fast foods when homemade is so much better. There are so many ways to learn, we can all become chefs at home.

www.amaryllisofhawaii.com

My name is Marilyn Jansen.

I live on the island of Maui pursuing life as a writer and budding artist.
I worked as a registered nurse for 14 years until I began to follow my true dream of expressing myself creatively through drawing, painting, writing, designing books, creating jewelry, and fashion designs and developing a line of food products to go with my cookbook. It is so fulfilling to pursue a dream with a passion!

I love to do Hawaiian Quilting, & Hand-painting on t-shirts. I plan to create DVDs of a craft series to go with small books. I have painted on tees for over 25 years and have taught teens and adults how to paint. They love it! It’s fun and healing for the body, mind, soul & spirit. When creativity flows we feel alive, energized by the excitement overflowing from us. We also experience relaxation because we let ourselves go! It is my goal to get young people interested in gardening & cooking & sewing so they can develop passions of their own. Life is great when we slow down,enjoy the simple things and find beauty in everyday life.

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As far as Chinese New Year’s entertainment goes, New Tang Dynasty Television’s Chinese New Year Spectacular is a relatively new kid on the block, having made its debut only three years ago. It can’t be described as a variety show, and it’s not really a Broadway musical, but it is different to anything else out there.

Before I attended the Spectacular’s Canadian debut in Vancouver last month, I had some idea of what to expect, because my Chinese friends were raving about it, plus I had read some promotional materials put out by NTDTV. What they’re attempting to do with this traveling show is revive the true Chinese culture which was destroyed by Chairman Mao and his communist successors.

Good old Mao razed temples, burned ancient manuscripts, tortured and killed intellectuals, monks, and anyone else he didn’t like. To add insult to injury, he made everyone wear black pyjamas. During his reign, counting famines and everything else, Mao directly or indirectly managed to slaughter more people than the two world wars put together.

Nowadays, the communist party of China uses the Chinese New Year, the biggest celebration of the year for the Chinese, as a way to glorify itself and promote the communist philosophy of fight and class struggle. But Chinese Central TV’s four-hour Spring Festival Gala of acrobatics, conjuring acts and comedy skits pales in comparison the Spectacular’s elegant portrayal of the best of China’s ancient culture.

In other words, it is traditional Chinese culture without the communist rhetoric, which must be a refreshing change for the Chinese—many of whom are no longer aware of what their true culture is, especially those born after the Great Cultural Revolution.

It was refreshing for me, too, but not for that reason. On the morning of the Spectacular, I woke up depressed—an unusual state for me. I didn’t even feel like going at all, but I talked myself into it. As I became absorbed in the unusual music, the myriad of colours, the graceful movements of the dancers, I started feeling uplifted. There was a purity about the show, something immaculate and flawless, that made a deep impression on me.

If I have a complaint at all, it would be that there was only one number played by erhuist Xi Xiaochun. The piece she played was so haunting and beautiful that the audience was riveted for every second of it. The erhu is an ancient two-stringed instrument that can produce an amazingly wide range of notes. Apparently, Chinese music aligns with nature in that it is based on the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

The theme of the Spectacular is “Myths and Legends,” and some of the acts draw on ancient legends from the time of Buddha, Dao and Confucius—those wise beings from way back in China’s 5,000-year history who taught compassion, virtue and selflessness. China’s semi-divine culture comes through in the performances, leaving one with a wonderful feeling of… righteousness.

So, go to the Spectacular, and treat yourself to a unique experience. If you’re unable attend the live show, just contact NTDTV and they’ll send you a video.

Janet Quinn is a full-time homemaker and part-time writer with a passion for all things Chinese. For more info about the NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular in your area, please visit:
shows.ntdtv.com shows.ntdtv.com

ntdtv.com ntdtv.com

Planning to buy a new digital camera? There are so many cameras in the market with so many different features. It is not always easy to decide what are the features really needed. I would say Wi-Fi connection is one of the important features that your new digital camera should have.

In traditional Digital cameras we are using USB cables to connect with computer or printer. But in Wi-Fi enabled cameras you can connect them with out any physical connection. While sitting at the airport, take photos and mail them to your friend or save them to your online album. Regardless how much storage left in the camera, you can keep on taking photos and save them in your album. If having party at home, keep on shooting and transfer the photos directly to your computer or send them to your printer for printing. Also you can view photos that are stored in your online album.

To connect your camera with computer, both your camera and Computer should be connected to wireless network. Ideally you can setup your home wireless network. When your Wi-Fi camera is within the reach of your home wireless network, it can be connected with the network using its Wi-Fi card. In similar way your computer also can be connected with the wireless network using the PCI card in it. So, when both camera and computer are connected with the wireless network, they can talk to each other wirelessly and ready to transfer photos from camera to Computer.

If you want to print photos, connection needed is almost same as it is with your Computer. In this case your printer should be connected wirelessly. To do so, either you should have printer which having in-build wireless adapter or else you can use an external wireless USB adapter for your printer, That will help to connect your printer with wireless router. And you can send your photos to printer from your camera which is already connected with the wireless router.

Another advantage of having wireless connection is you can directly mail photos or send photos to your online album. Here also camera should be in the range of some wireless Internet connection. That can be wireless connection in public place like airport or some coffee shop, or that can be Internet connection available from your Home wireless network.

Again when your camera is connected to Internet by Wi-Fi, you can view photos from your online photo album.

So, I guess now you will agree that Wi-Fi connection should be one of the major criteria when you are planning to buy your next digital camera.

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Lots of people flock to Las Vegas each year to take part in the constant celebration that is life on the Las Vegas strip. The environment is very luxurious, exciting and challenging, and this is appealing to a lot of people. However, not everyone lives in Las Vegas or near Las Vegas. For lots of reasons, even though they may have wanted to go at one point or another, many people have never even been to Las Vegas. Many times people will not once in their life get to experience Las Vegas in all its glory. But the internet provides us with a close second. Now, online you can find Las Vegas poker and Las Vegas games to play right from the comfort of your very home.

If you have ever wanted to play poker in a true Las Vegas setting, if you have an internet connection, you can use your computer to play Las Vegas poker twenty four hours a day, seven days a week! Play Las Vegas poker against other people just like you. Poker is a very fun, challenging and stimulating sport, and now from home you can experience this game just like it would feel in Las Vegas. This type of Las Vegas poker is just a lot more feasible for people to get to and doesn’t require any type of traveling for you or your family.

Las Vegas poker offers the same competitive winnings that the casinos themselves offer, and, again, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home. Nothing could be easier. Have you experiences Las Vegas poker online yet?

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When digital cameras were first introduced they were used mostly as digital replacement to film cameras. Users would shoot photos, print them and archive them in photo albums. As users became more sophisticated new ways to use digital photos were found. Here are a few.

The most basic thing you can do with a digital photo is print it and view it on paper or save it on a computer’s hard disk and view it on the computer screen. There are however some other ways to use and enjoy digital photos – here are a few ideas:

Desktop photo wallpaper: Your computer desktop is a great place to display special photos. Setting a photo that you like as your desktop wallpaper allows you to view it every time you log on to your computer or have your application windows minimized or consume only part of the screen. You can also use software that allows you to choose a list of photos to rotate through as your desktop wallpaper: it can be done on a time basis (the photo is changed every X minutes, hours or days), or on a random basis (the photo is changed to a randomly chosen one every X minutes, hours or days).

Photos in your screen saver: When your computer is idle it can be programmed to do one of many things: turn off the monitor, go into standby mode or show a photo (either a full screen photo or a smaller photo that floats around the screen). You can program your screen saver to show a photo that you especially like or you can choose a list of photos the screen saver will rotate through (either on a time basis or on a random basis). Setting your photos as your screen saver or desktop wallpaper allows you to view and remember experiences on a continuous basis. Viewing is something that happens in the background, does not consume dedicated time.

Digital photo frames: Digital photo frames are devices that elevate photo frames up to the digital era. Traditional photo frames have a single paper print inside a frame that you hang on the wall, put on your desk or on a shelf. On the other hand digital frames embed an LCD screen that allows you to display different digital photos at different times. There are many types of digital photo frames some can receive the photos wirelessly from your computer while others has internal storage for up to a maximum number of photos. Other features include the ability to read memory cards content directly from your camera. Most digital photo frames can work in few modes: show a single photo until you manually switch to another one, roll through a list of photos or show photos randomly.

Photos in cell phones: New cell phones can do much more than voice calls. They include cameras and allow you to take photos and short video clips. They can also store photos and display them on their small LCD screens. If you have a photo that you like you can download it to your cell phone (usually using special software that is bundled with the cell phone) and set it as your cell phone wallpaper. In this way you carry the photo and its experience with you all the time and can share it with people you meet.

Photos as personal icons: Some software allow you to load any photo you like that will represent you when communicating with other users. MSN messenger is a good example – when you chat with a friend you can set a photo that your friend will see that “represents” who you are and what you feel. You can load photos that tell something about you and about what you’re going through – maybe a photo from your birthday party if you had one in the last week or two – or from your last trip abroad.

Digital photos in blogs and social networks: Social networks and personal blogs are extremely popular. Almost everybody has a page on one or more such networks. You can upload photos to your personal page that represent who you are and what you are going through. It is a good idea to keep those photos fresh – if something happens to you, if you saw something interesting or if you took a photo that you would like to share with others for any reason – upload it to your page and let everybody see and enjoy it.

This list is just a short example of what can be done today with digital photos. This list is far from being inclusive and what it really intends to do is to seed your imagination so that you can come up with more out of the box ideas for using and enjoying digital photos.

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information about photo album printing, photography in general and subjects like the printrates.com/store.php?pro=B0007Y6PNA jvc gr-axm17u camrea on Printrates.com

The Harry Potter phenomenon has become a global obsession the likes of which have not been seen around a series of children’s books since the writings of J.R.R Tolkien first sprang to life. Millions upon millions of each and every one of J.K. Rowling’s books have been sold. The Potter series’ incredible popularity has risen with each new title, and each blockbuster movie version of their printed counterparts. Legions of fans wait like runners with their heels on the mark to rush bookstores around the world for the newest edition to the Harry Potter anthology. The same can easily be said for the release of each Hollywood Blockbuster Potter film.

The latest book to point its magic wand towards the silver screen is the fourth in Rowling’s epic Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”. Directed by Mike Newell, and adapted from Rowling’s book by Steven Kloves, “Goblet of Fire” is scheduled to greet popcorn munchers everywhere on November 18, 2005. This – the fourth Harry Potter book to go to film – will see Harry and his mates older than they have ever been before, with a stirring tagline preceding the film’s release and incorporated into movie posters and trailers, “Difficult times lie ahead, Harry”.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire″ was originally released in book form in 2000, and the movie is likely to follow the book’s plot closely, with minor changes made for the big screen, as has been the case with the three previous Potter films. At a sizeable 636 pages this was no small book to turn into a screenplay, especially one for a predominately younger audience. Especially considering that the book’s plot was the darkest that readers of the series had thus far encountered.

The story sees Harry entering his fourth year of witchcraft and wizardry at Hogwart’s school. As school starts up again Potter is selected as the student representative of Hogwart’s in a fierce competition between rival wizarding schools, called the “Triwizard Tournament″, in which students compete in a series of progressively more difficult challenges. Meanwhile Harry has been having dreams that two men are scheming to commit murders. During the cup tournament bizarre things begin to occur in the stadium, including the appearance of the “Dark Mark”. As well Harry must fight a dragon and do battle with horrible under seas monsters. Even when the competition ends, young Harry Potter is not free from danger as his archenemy Lord Voldemort appears, and death looms imminently close for one of Hogwart’s students.

This book and the soon to be released movie see Harry in an older and wiser role. Gone is his round baby face, instead you see Harry on the cusp of manhood where he begins to realize women in a new light, deal with the death of a close friend and take on battles the likes of which he has never encountered. When the story draws to an end, its battles and sagas won and lost, you can see that Harry is almost verging on adulthood. And one can’t help but wonder if both Harry and his cult following of Potter fans will sense that being a child has a special kind of magic all to itself.

Jessica Cander is a full time freelance writer who loves to stay on top of up-to-the-minute entertainment trends, including new films such as answers.com/topic/harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire-1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Reader Views is talking with acclaimed mystery/thriller author I. Michael Koontz about his book “Under Cloak of Darkness: The Story of John Apparite.” I. Michael will be talking to Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor of Reader Views.

Juanita: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today, I. Michael. Your book “Under Cloak of Darkness” is taking the mystery thriller novel to a new level. Please give an idea of the storyline of your book.

I. Michael: It’s the tale of a young man who joins a ruthless, ultra-secret United States espionage agency run by a legendary man known only as the “Director,” and takes place in Washington D.C. and London in the summer and fall of 1955. Personally, I hate dull books where nothing ever happens, so I tried to keep things moving with assassinations, tricky escapes, battles for secret fuel formulas, deadly poisons, examples of spy gear, and such, though with some more serious philosophical underpinnings regarding the nature of duty and personal sacrifice included as well.

Juanita: Who is John Apparite, and what can you tell us about his personality?

I. Michael: First of all, it’s important to know that he’s just a little guy; only five foot six and 141 pounds—he’s not your typical secret agent from “Central Casting.” He’s always being underestimated because of his size, and that has shaped his personality; he continually feels the need to prove himself worthy to his superiors and to himself—he’s basically addicted to doing his duty. He’s had some hard knocks in his life—both his parents were killed when he was a teen—so at first he’s tried to distance himself emotionally from those around him; his only real human connection for years was his love for the Washington Senators baseball team. It’s therefore a shock to him when, as he gets deeper into his new duties, he discovers that he’s opening up emotionally to others becoming vulnerable in that particular way. The emergence of these feelings later comes back to haunt him.

Juanita: What is a Superagent, and are there real-life Superagents?

I. Michael: (laughs) You know what they always say: if I told you, I’d have to kill you! Actually, I have heard rumors of a secret arm of the CIA that, back in the Cold War, hired assassins to kill specific targets behind enemy lines. And there’s those stories of the CIA trying to assassinate Castro with poisons, and agents torturing people, experimenting on people with drugs in Operation ARTICHOKE back in the fifties. Honestly, I’d be surprised if there weren’t operatives like John Apparite in this crazy world of ours—but I don’t think they would use an archaic-sounding term like “Superagent” in modern times. The trick would be in proving their existence beyond a doubt, which no one will likely ever be able to do since the first priority of such an agency would be to remain absolutely secret—just as it is in my book.

Juanita: Where do John Apparite’s adventures take him?

I. Michael: The first half of the story, which involves the recruitment, training, and initial mission of John Apparite, occurs in Washington, D.C. Events then take him to London—which also happens to be my favorite city in the world. It’s a lot of fun to set a story in such iconic cities as those; plenty of great material to be mined from them.

Juanita: What is the time frame of your story, and how do the events of that time present themselves in “Under Cloak of Darkness”?

I. Michael:“Under Cloak of Darkness” takes place in 1955; setting it at that time was an important decision, and quite deliberate. I wanted to have a lot of choices in regard to current fifties events around which to set the stories; for example, J. Edgar Hoover’s apparent reluctance to ferret-out the Mafia occurred at that time, as did the issue regarding the use of solid rocket fuels for ballistic missiles; both of which come into play in the book. If you’re looking for hints as to what happens to Apparite in the future, check your Cold War timeline—remember that the divided city of Berlin was still rather freely traveled in the fifties, and Sputnik was launched in 1957. That’s all I’ll say for now about that!

Juanita: What can you tell us about the “Director”?

I. Michael: He’s like a lot of us might remember our fathers—smart, strict, and sometimes harsh, but at heart, caring more about us than anything else in the world, though often too stoic and embarrassed to show it. Like Apparite, he’s a guy that’s had a hard life, but who has dedicated himself utterly to the service of the United States—on his own terms, of course, which he can be rather arrogant about, actually. And like Apparite, he tries to avoid thinking of the human cost of what he makes his men do, but also like Apparite, he, in the end, cannot avoid letting his human side show. He’s a very complex man. There’s always more to him than meets the eye.

Juanita: You have an extensive website that truly pulls the reader deeper and deeper into the story of “Under Cloak of Darkness.” Tell us about your very impressive website and why you’ve devoted so much additional information to this story.

I. Michael: The website, www.imkoontz.com, is something I’m rather proud of. Unlike most sites, which are author-centric, I wanted mine to be character-centric “World of John Apparite”-centric, to be specific. I wanted the book actually to be a sub-set of a larger spy mythology which would be expanded upon on the website. So what I did was put 30,000 words of supplemental material on the site, explaining and expanding upon “Darkness” and the Apparite spy mythology. I compiled rather detailed character bios, a book glossary of over one hundred terms, a “Conversation with an unidentified source,” location photos, Cold War espionage facts—even an “Easter Egg” of secret material. Ideally, people would be entertained as well as informed.

Juanita: You are elusive regarding additional information in your book. What are some of the questions readers are asking, and will all inquires eventually be answered?

I. Michael: For one, everyone asks, “What are Apparite and the Director’s real names”? In the book, I used the old Ian Fleming convention of obscuring the true names of some characters; I think it adds to the mystery of the story and mythology. Of course, I know what they are—in fact, I’ve already written the episode where they’re disclosed, along with the origin of the entire tale. But I’m saving that for—well, for a very future book. For now, no one else knows—not even my wife! People also ask me about Apparite’s Russian nemesis, the SMERSH agent Viktor, and whether they meet again, as well as the connection hinted at between Apparite and the Belgian physician, Dr. Hoevenaers. All I’ll say for now is that you haven’t heard the last of any of them. By the way, readers can send me questions via the website or to imichaelkoontz@yahoo.com—I’d love to discuss the book and answer any questions I can. I’d like this to be an interactive experience—that’s half the fun.

Juanita: What has inspired you to write “Under Cloak of Darkness”?

I. Michael: In 2001, I had a non-fiction book published on the WWII experiences of seventeen veterans from my town, and it struck me that these men—just regular, normal guys from the Midwest—had to go half-way across the globe and kill people! One day they were sitting in a cafeteria in their hometown, and three months later they might be in Belgium shooting fellow humans in the face at point-blank range. It got me to thinking: How does someone do that? What effect would that have on them? Would it make them care more, or care less about the value of human life? And I realized that there were two basic reasons why they did these things: they did them because it was their duty, and they did them to not let the other guys down. And that’s where the more philosophical aspects of “Darkness” got their genesis. John Apparite turns out to be basically a decent, nice guy—so how is it that he can do such horrible things? How does it affect him?

Juanita: You must be a huge fan of spy adventure and action adventures. What have been your influences in creating your story?

I. Michael: I think all of us that write spy tales were influenced by Ian Fleming’s Bond books; they’re fast-moving, entertaining little morsels that contain enough spy-business to stay interesting from a technical viewpoint. But oddly, the books that influenced me the most in a direct sense were Patrick O’Brian’s great Aubrey and Maturin novels, which I read in 2002 and 2003 before starting “Darkness.” I was inspired by the historical denseness of those works, and the depth and richness of the relationship between the naval man Jack Aubrey and the physician Stephen Maturin. I thought it would be fun to replicate the same sort of thing in the fifties, using a secret agent and his supervisor, and with as much historical and technical detail as I could muster. I don’t know if I can write twenty of them the way O’Brian did…but I’m game to try.

Juanita: There really seems to be a sub-culture surrounding spy thriller stories. Why do you think people enjoy them so much?

I. Michael: One obvious reason is our general fascination with technology. A large part of the appeal of the James Bond films are the gadgets “Q” devises for him, and even spy tales based more on reality, like mine, have their share of devices: microdot readers, poison cane-guns, and the like. Plus, the genre itself is a naturally suspenseful one, since by their very nature, spies operate covertly, often using deception and violence in their work. And the stories themselves are unusually intimate, often involving a single protagonist—like John Apparite—with whom the reader can identify. This emotionally involves the reader in the story, causing them to perhaps wonder things like, “What would I do if in John Apparite’s place? Would I be able to do such horrible things in the name of my duty? Would I make the same tough choices he did?” Spy thrillers operate on many different levels, so there’s usually a little something for everyone.

Juanita: How long was this book in the making, and what type of research did you do to prepare for “Under Cloak of Darkness”?

I. Michael: I started it in April of 2004 and finished about eight months later. I had a head-start on my period research by having read dozens and dozens of books on American history and pop-culture from the 1940’s to the present over the years, and then I filled in the gaps by specifically looking at areas of particular importance to a guy like John Apparite. Things like martial arts, weapons, poisons, rocket fuels, plus a lot of the historical references came out of that research. My library is now full of creepy books on hand-to-hand combat, Cold War espionage, the CIA—and my list of website “Favorites” probably has me on an FBI “watch-list”! But nearly all of the historical and technical tid-bits in the book have some factual basis: for example, if I comment that Grace Kelly was on the April 1955 Life cover, then she actually was on the April 1955 Life cover, and so on. I was as careful as possible to document as many of those sorts of things as possible—there’s probably a thousand of them in the book—but oddly, doing it was one of the things I most enjoyed about the project. I get a kick out of imagining some guy looking up a baseball score I mentioned and finding out that, for instance, the Senators did beat the Red Sox 4-3 that particular day! All the London material is quite accurate, too—I personally went there to research that great city. But I think it paid off: the Booklist reviewer said, in effect, that there was so much detail, it almost made one believe Apparite and the Director’s program were real. I took that as a very great compliment.

Juanita: The synopsis of your book reads more like a movie storyline. How do you think Apparite and his adventures would translate to the big screen?

I. Michael: One of my greatest passions is for the Movies, and when I wrote the book, I was often thinking cinematically. I think this is most obvious in the climactic confrontation in the Reading Room of the British Museum, which would make for a nice little film “set-piece.” The book’s dialogue, I think, is also like a film’s, as is the rather continuous action, one episode leading into another. I deliberately tried to keep the story moving quickly, much as a movie would. And some of the locations and scenes seem tailor-made for film; like the British Museum, or St. Paul’s, or the car chase through London. Personally, I think it would make a heck of a movie—though I’m biased, of course!

Juanita: Who is the reading audience for “Under Cloak of Darkness”?

I. Michael: At first, I imagined it would appeal to older men who loved and remembered the fifties, and younger men who liked action and adventure, but oddly, the story seems to have a real appeal to women, too. I think that’s because of John Apparite—he’s rather an underdog; rather shy and insecure. I think women like to root for him. Despite the fact that he kills people, he’s really a likable kind of guy! As I like to say, he’s the smallest, deadliest, nicest spy in the world.

Juanita: Does this story end with this book, or can we expect more about the adventures of John Apparite?

I. Michael: I loved this character and his story so much that I’ve already completed books two and three, and am presently outlining and detailing book four. Expect at least eight in the series, assuming that Apparite doesn’t find himself prematurely on the receiving end of a bullet, knife, or poison cane-gun.

Juanita: Can you give us some teasers about what readers can expect for the next book?

I. Michael: A Matter of Revenge begins in New York City in April of 1956, with Apparite recovering from his last mission. He is soon sent on a mission to eliminate KGB agents killing East German defectors, sending him to London, the Alsace region of France, and then Berlin, which was the epicenter of the Cold War at the time. He meets up with some familiar names along the way—Dr. Hoevenaers, the Director, and, just maybe, the SMERSH assassin Viktor—but it’s a new arrival that has the most influence on him this time around. He meets a woman, Christiane Grunbach, who works for the East Berlin bureau of the KGB, and starts a relationship with her. For the first time in his life, Apparite falls in love, but he learns that, for a Superagent, love can be a painful obstacle to doing his duty. It’s a story that melds the past with the present, revealing much not only about John Apparite, but also the Director, Dr. Hoevenaers, and even Apparite’s father as well. It’ll answer a lot of questions—but not all of them, naturally!

Juanita: I know you’ve mentioned it earlier in the interview, but tell your readers once again how they may find out more about you and the John Apparite adventures.

I. Michael: The ideal place to go would be my website, www.imkoontz.com. After the book comes out, and as the mythology of John Apparite and the Superagent program grows, I’ll be posting new information on it to further illuminate his tale—it’s not going to be static, like some sites are. And I’ll be contributing to my blog along the way as well, talking about my two biggest passions, which are the Movies and, naturally, the world of John Apparite. Check it out.

Juanita: Thank you so much for talking with us today I. Michael. Your fast paced thriller “Under Cloak of Darkness” is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats, and wanting to know more about the secret life of Superagent Apparite. Do you have any last thoughts for your readers?

I. Michael: Yes—I’d like to thank everyone who’s read the book so far, and to urge those who do read and enjoy it to tell their friends about it, and stop by the website. Ask me a question, contribute a little blurb on some aspect of the book you liked or were curious about—whether it’s about John Apparite, the Cold War, spy tradecraft, or the Washington Senators—and I’ll post it on the site or on my blog for others to see and discuss. As I said earlier, I’d like this to be an interactive experience—the more the merrier! And my thanks to Juanita and Reader Views for helping me get the word out.

Juanita Watson is the Assistant Editor for Reader Views.
readerviews.com readerviews.com

A Contrived Code

Critically Reviewing Ron Howard’s “The Da Vinci Code”

Igniting the wrath of many a theologian, monks and cryptographers, the Da Vinci Code doubtlessly sparks fiery debates between a slender line pitching freedom of expression versus religious sensitivity. Post-Mel Gibson’s Passions, Salman’s Satanic Verses, Taslima Nasreen, Theo Van Gogh and the Danish cartoon fiasco the debate leaves a sour an aftertaste. Yet the stench of pushing the envelope is again welcomed with alarming glee.

Political pandering by Jacques Chirac for dishing out roles didn’t bode well with Ron Howard (the architect of opuses as Backdraft, Apollo 13, Cocoon, Far and Away and Ransom) and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (both worked on A Beautiful Mind). Akiva’s script fuels a baptism of fire. Hollywood seems ever-ready to salt the wounds of controversy and engineer scripts to artistically prostitute anything that feeds the public frenzy and cashes in good profitability and publicity stunts.

Away from the pulpit of polemics, propaganda and protests of plagiarism, the Da Vinci Code seems like a racy rehash of well-worn out themes explored in movies such as “Art Heist, The Last Temptation of Christ, Passion of the Christ, Unlocking Davinci’s Code, Davinci Code Decoded” and countless of their ilk. Thematic lack of originality seldom climbs such pedestal heights!

This nouvelle age blitzkrieg begins with a Louvre gallery’s dead curator scarred by unfathomable symbols etched unto his anatomy like tattoos. From tattoo to Tautou, as in Audrey
( “LesPoupées russes, Dirty Pretty Things and Le Fabuleux destin d′Amélie Poulain”) a coquetishly curious cryptographer, Sophie Neveu, who teams up with a Harvardian symbologist, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks).

Tasting the fruits of forbidden knowledge, this “Adam and Eve” ensemble peels layered temptation unveiling the truth behind the Holy Grail. Stalking shadows of clues latent in the works of Da Vinci, ingeniously disguised by the painter. Da Vinci’s profane heresy is absurdly over-punctuated in this film.

Langdon wrongly asserts that Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” seeks to infer androgyny supported through Egyptian anagrams. No renowned Egyptologist has ever confirmed this. Littering the movie with excruciatingly lose threads.

The Da Vinci Code alleges that Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ tied the knot engendering a “royal bloodline,” denoting the genuine Holy Grail. Leigh Teabing, played by Sir Ian Mckellen (“Lord of the Rings trilogy, X-Men, Six Degrees of Separation”) is a duplicitous historian alleging that Da Vinci inserted Mary Magdalene into his painting “The Last Supper” and represented the Grail bloodline by dichotomizing Jesus and Mary with a V-contour manifesting the Grail as a womb.

This negates critical analysis held by credible Renaissance art historians who identify the woman in the painting as a young-looking messenger John. The V-contour is a Renaissance technique deployed for artistic poise conveying the notion of “dynamic masses”.

The presumption that Mary and Jesus wedded due to social Jewish decorum du moment supplants empirical evidence that celibacy was a norm amongst the devout. A testimony to this was the celibacy of Prophets Jeremiah, Elijah and John the Baptist.

Predictably, the Opus Dei seek to circumscribe Neveu and Langdon’s inquisitive proclivities. Such exaggerated reprisals are very OTT and the physical confrontational between Silas (Paul Bettany) and Neveu lacks convincing acumen. The Opus Dei, also thirsting for sips of the Priory’s secret do their utmost to keep Langdon and Neveu at bay. Yet their stratagem is too predictable and ill-crafted. Ramping up the plot with such devout inconsistency rebukes serious historical chronicling.

As the countdown heightens to fever-pitch, the question demurs- can the dexterous duo of Langdon and Neveu decipher the inscrutable code? Do they bring to light the Priory’s jealously guarded secret of a heretical bloodline kept hush for generations? Unless Langdon and Neveau connect the conundrum historical accuracy maybe compromised for all times to come.

The cinematography by Salvatore Totino wheezes abruptly and the movie saturates itself by seeking to condense too many themes at once. This film sheepishly masquerades as “fiction” yet pretentiously unmasks itself as “fact”. Tom Hank’s abhorrent geekdom-worthy chemical hair mop, a fake Westminster Abbey (they filmed at Lincoln’s Cathedral), Howard’s omission of Dan Brown’s important foreward and wrongfully misrepresenting the Opus Dei by depicting them as murderers further fuels the film’s mediocrity.

Ideas in the Da Vinci Code are scientifically malnourished, academically anorexic and scholarly famished. Tasteless vitriol spews by popular cinema, ever lax in its’ exercise of critical faculty.

Those serious about de-coding Da Vinci must not only consult a celebrated author or an Oscar-accoladed director but also be versed in Egyptolgy, the Renaissance movement, art history and original Biblical source material.

Innovative films do realign misinterpreted historical truths. Helping rekindle the candle of our understanding. Alan Parker’s “Evita” brought to surface Eva Peron’s shady past. Stephen Gaghan’s “Syriana” demonstrated the sources of patronage and petro-politics. Fernando Meirelles’ “Constant Gardener” unearthed the pharmaceutical industry’s misdemeanors. Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic” cast a discerning gaze on CIA complots. David Franzoni’s “King Arthur” enlightened viewers on theories about the Knights Templar.

These movies altered perceptions, based not on questionable sources, but verifiable truths. Of course these films are part and parcel of the nebulously subjective Hollywood machine, though they did not over-state the facts.

The Da Vinci Code by blending Bible with Box Office and poorly rehashing discredited theories ill-satisfies those seeking in-depth plot and character development. Re-capitulating formulae wrought with factual inaccuracy replete with tired themes. Rather than trekking an alternate route, Ron Howard treads where Scorsese and Gibson already trail-blazed. Albeit with less dexterity and accuracy.

Post-modernity yet again leaves us at the precipice of waning theological persuasions. There is nothing wrong with such Descartian soul-searching. Though as hurried younger generations hunger for the truth, let them not be driven by the latest fad or movie en vogue but rather cross-reference alternate sources. Our culture and identity-cravers dyslexically starve themselves for new answers to old questions through revisionist theorem.

We must eschew this herd-like mentality, and be the torch-bearers in a winsome original reality-pursuit. Through such distillation reason itself shall dictate if the Da Vinci Code is contrived or conclusive, stoically helping us filter out true chaff from the grain.

(©) This piece was written in its entirety by Ozer Khalid. The author is a globetrotting movie-buff and can be reached on ozerkhalid@yahoo.com

Ozer Khalid is a seasoned traveller, having lived, worked and studied on 4 different continents. Completing his degree in International Relations from London he has professionally delved into investment banking, online marketing and International Events Management. The author currently travels between London, Paris and Brussels.

“Home, home on the range,
Where never is heard

A discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day!”

Oh, wouldn’t a world without discouraging words be wonderful! Unfortunately, most parents and bosses tend to feel instead that criticism and pointing out what is wrong will make others want to do what is right. The truth is that people cannot improve unless they feel good enough about themselves to believe they are capable of improvement. An encouraging parent uses methods, words and actions that indicate a respect for the child and a faith in his abilities instead of negative comments.

Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, often cites a study completed by graduate students who followed a group of normal two-year olds around for a day. These typical kids from typical homes received 432 negative statements and only 32 positive statements daily. The teachers, aides and other children were constantly saying things like “don’t touch that”, “no, it is done this way”, and “no, you are not big enough.” The national Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) found the ratio of praise-to-criticism of school age children is 18 negative to each positive. It is automatic human nature to state things in the negative we have to learn positive words to use in encouraging our children.

Encouragement is the process of focusing on your children’s assets and strengths in order to build their self-confidence and feelings of worth. I like to think of the word ”encourage” as “en”courage, or giving the gift of courage. Inherent in that gift is the idea that it is okay to take risks and perhaps even to fail - the important thing is to go ahead and try it anyway. When we give a child encouragement, we are saying to keep trying, keep up with the progress, and to celebrate the journey, not just the victory.

We need to convey though words and gestures that we appreciate their efforts and improvement, not just their accomplishments. We need to make sure they understand that our love and acceptance is not dependent on their behavior.

Here is a list of 15 encouraging words and phrases that will assist your child to keep trying and increase his self-esteem and confidence.

1. “I like the way you handled that”
2. “Wow, you really thought out the solution to that problem”
3. “I have faith in your ability”
4. “I appreciate what you did”
5. “You are really showing improvement”
6. “I know you will figure out a good way to do it next time”
7. “You don’t have to be perfect. Effort and improvement are important.”
8. “I trust you to be responsible”
9. “It must make you proud of yourself when you accomplish something like that”
10. “You are a valuable part of the team”
11. “It is okay to make a mistake, we all do. What do you think you learned from it?”
12. “How can we turn this into a positive?”
13. “I’m proud of you for trying”
14. “I’ll bet by next year you will be able to handle it, you just need to grow a little”
15. “I know you are disappointed that you didn’t win, but you’ll do better next time.”

© 2004 Judy H. Wright, Parent Educator, author and international speaker.

Please go to www.ArtichokePress.com for a full line of books, workshops and cd’s on parenting, as well as FREE e-zine, Artichoke-finding the heart of the story in the journey of life.

© 2004 Judy H. Wright, Parent Educator, author and international speaker.

Please go to ArtichokePress.com ArtichokePress.com for a full line of books, eBooks, tele-classes,workshops and cd’s on parenting, as well as FREE e-zine, Artichoke-finding the heart of the story in the journey of life.
To schedule Judy to speak with your organization go to ArtichokePress.com ArtichokePress.com