di Roberto La Pira

“Salvate gli stock di pesce in via di esaurimento” è questa l’appello rivolto  da Marine Conservation Society (MCS) alle catene di supermercati inglesi . Occorre evitare il merluzzo del Mare del Nord, il pesce spada, la passera di mare pescata nella Manica occidentale e incrementare le quote di triglie ,vongole ,frutti di mare , pollack e pesce di allevamento.

L’associazione dice che otto catene di supermercati hanno incrementato la quota di pesce sostenibile in vendita rispetto ad un analoga indagine condotta nel 2007 (vedi grafico). Altre sette catene (Aldi, Booths, Budgens, Farmfoods, Lidl, Netto, and Spar)  non hanno risposto al questionario inviato.  In testa alla classifica delle catene virtuose troviamo The co-perative con l’80% di pesce sostenibile, seguita da Sainsbury’s, Mark & Spencer,Waitrose e Morrison.

Secondo alcuni addetti ai lavori inglesi nelle acque europee si registra un overfishing  per i nove decimi degli stock. In Italia Greenpeace porta avanti da tempo una campagna per il consumo di pesce sostenibile .
Fonte: http://robertolapira.nova100.ilsole24ore.com/

Robert Redford stars in the Sydney Pollack directed film Jeremiah Johnson (1972), based loosely on the novel Mountain Man and other material about the last of the mountain men in the 1800’s. The true facts of Johnson’s life had to be greatly altered as it was reported he killed 247 Crow Indians and then ate their livers, according to legend. Somehow I don’t think that Redford would want to portray that. As far as a time frame is concerned for Redford films it was between Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Way We Were (1973). Other than Will “The Walton’s” Geer there were no other significant name major actors.

You’ll not find the name of John Rubinstein, son of the famous concert pianist Arthur Rubinstein, very often in the credits. A quick look in the Soundtrack Collector database revealed only one other film China Beach (1988), where a CD release is available. Tim McIntire, son of John “Wagon Train” McIntire, was primarily an actor and only had this film to his credit as far as a composer was concerned. Yet the two relative newcomers did a credible job for Warner Brothers and director Sydney Pollack.

If at all possible, and in this case it was, FSM gives you all of the recorded material available including unreleased tracks, alternate tracks, demo material for Sydney Pollack, and the original LP recording. While there is certainly a lot of very similar material it is all-available for the collector to study and sort through. The performing orchestra is a mid-size one (43 maximum) but on many of the cues it is smaller featuring piano, violin, Indian flutes, banjo, and harp. There is certainly that “Americana” sound mixed with folk and hoedown, making you realize while you’re listening how much influence Copland had on composers. Rubinstein and McIntire didn’t come up with any new groundbreaking material but created exactly the sound that Pollack was looking for, a sound that is quite easy on the ears, a bit schmaltzy from time to time, and never over the top with fortissimo chords. McIntire, who sings the songs, is very laid back in his country western style. A pleasant voice, easy to listen to but the same as I’ve heard many times before. I found the musical passages of the CD to be quite soothing, also easy to listen to, especially the Indian flute passages. The liner notes from Redman and Kaplan along with the interview of Rubinstein that Bond did provide interesting useful information. A fan of western music, Robert Redford, or the film itself will find this a nice addition to their collection. The release is limited to 3000 copies.

Film Score Monthly # is Vol. 12 #15

Produced by Lukas Kendall

Mastering By Doug Schwartz

Track listing

1. Overture/Spirits Landings/“Jeremiah Johnson” (Main Title) (07:42)

2. Hatchet Jack’s Letter/Bear Claw/You Got Some Work to Do (01:50)

3. Jeremiah Johnson/Top Knot (02:26)

4. Wedding Chant/“The Way That You Wander” (01:44)

5. Swan (02:37)

6. The Cabin/It’ll Have to Do (02:30)

7. Ride to the Buffalo (02:16)

8. Who Won?/Intermission (01:45)

9. Entr’Acte/The Burial Ground/Ride Home/The Wake (03:57)

10. Funeral Fire (01:01)

11. Indian Death Chant/”He’s Never Been Known to Be Wrong” (“An Indian Says”)/Jeremiah Johnson (01:58)

12. Violence Montage (00:43)

13. To Qualens/What’s on the Spit? (02:02)

14. Green and Muddy/“The Way That You Wander”/“Jeremiah Johnson” (End Title) (03:16)

Total Time: 36:18

Additional Score

15. Spirits Landing (instrumental) (01:55)

16. Paints His Shirt Red/Hatchet Jack/M11/M12/Yes/Close Shave (01:35)

17. He’s Never Been Known to Be Wrong (instrumental) (01:56)

Total Time: 5:30

Album Tracks

Including Dialogue from the Motion Picture

18. Hatchet Jack/Bear Claw/Full-Time Night Woman (02:00)

19. The Wedding/“The Way That You Wander” (02:04)

20. Maybe April/“The Way That You Wander”/End Title (03:50)

Total Time: 7:59

Orchestral Demo

21. Spirits Landing/“Jeremiah Johnson” (Main Title) (05:32)

Work Tape

22. The Cabin (04:22)

23. Flute and Violin 1 (01:12)

24. “Jeremiah Johnson” (01:20)

25. “The Heart of a Lady” (02:44)

26. Guitar Improvisation (00:14)

27. Violin and Piano (01:13)

28. “Jeremiah Johnson” (End Title) (01:31)

Total Time: 12:52

Song Recordings

29. “The Way That You Wander” (01:13)

30. “The Heart of a Lady” (humming (01:04)

31. “Jeremiah Johnson” (End Title) (01:14)

Total Time: 3:36

Total Duration: 01:10:46

posted by GeoT

Pebble Beach California, Click above for full sized image

By Scott Herhold

Eleven days ago, two Pebble Beach men reported an extraordinary art theft that has become more extraordinary as the news has dribbled out. The pair told Monterey County

Two Pebble Beach residents say this painting by Miro was stolen... ( Courtesy of Angelo Amadio )

sheriff’s deputies that thieves had broken into their expensive rental home and taken more than $60 million of art, including works by Jackson Pollock, Rembrandt, Matisse and Miro.

If the owners’ estimates were correct, the theft may be second in value only to the most famous 1990 heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, where thieves posing as policeman tied up two guards and escaped with works by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Degas. That theft, which has never been solved, has been pegged at $300 million.

Stolen drawing described as 'Dutch Woman' by Vincent Van Gogh

But an odd reaction has come from the art world. In my reporting, I’ve detected skepticism about aspects of the crime, particularly about the lack of insurance and the finding of a ransom note a few days after sheriff’s deputies combed through the house. “No one in their right mind brings a collection like that to a private home without security,” said Thomas McShane, an ex-FBI agent who has written a book about art theft and contends that the Pebble Beach report raises red flags.
“You have to have those works in a secure facility. You’re jeopardizing the integrity of the art by leaving them around unsecured.”

Two Pebble Beach residents say this drawing by Renoir was stolen

The men who reported the theft, Angelo Benjamin Amadio, 31, and retired oncologist Dr. Ralph Kennaugh, 62, both recently arrived in California from Boston and describe themselves as “business partners.” They told deputies that thieves apparently climbed through an unlocked window at their $5 million rental home on Sunridge Road, a stucco-and-stone villa with a view of the ocean.

Then, a week ago, came a bombshell. The men announced that a ransom note — which included a death threat — had been found in the home, apparently missed in the initial search. The sheriff’s department put out a release saying the disclosure of this evidence to the media might have compromised the “integrity of the investigation.” A round of finger-pointing ensued.

Cont’d: Here.

PLYMOUTH SOUND 9 SEPTEMBER

On the plus side today was lovely and sunny; on the minus side a hefty swell and north wind meant we had to lurk in the shelter of Plymouth sound.

We launched at Cawsand and trolled a variety of sandeels and plugs round the corner to Rame head, catching a few pathetically small pollack. We soon got bored of bottom fishing off Rame as the sea was devoid of hungry fish.

Sunny Rame head

So we about turned and tried trolling along the southern edge of the breakwater-surely nobody fishes here. We soon concluded that indeed nobody fished there because the largest pollack was about four inches long.

Plymouth breakwater

Lunch beckoned and we had hefty appetites and anyway neede to gorge out as that’s what depressed fishermen do when they don’t catch any fish. But wait! what are those glistening flappy things on your feathers, Austen? A couple of mackerel. Crikey.

Anyway we hauled up on Bovisand beach but didn’t have a lot to eat ‘cos we had forgottten to pack it. I even had to share my Spar  king sized Bakewell Tart (yes….gone off Somerfield fruit cake) with Austen but at least I got the glace cherry.

Giant Bakewell tart with 1972 trainspotting manual for size comparison

With our calories reloaded we decided to paddle right round the edge of the sound so at least we would have a decent kayak trip if there weren’t alot of fish…….and then I  hooked a bass-albeit a bit teeny.

Don't care if it's small-it's a bass

And as we approached Mountbatten breakwater we both hauled in a garfish-don’t think it was the same one!

Austen's slithery garfish

We had a great hot sunny paddle sheltered from the wind along the front of Plymouth Ho, ogled at a few expensive yachts, and then managed to find ourselves strugging against the tide, as we had been all day, back to Cawsand.

Crumby fishing, top paddle,top weather.

Pollock in his studio

Looking at a drip painting by artist Jackson Pollock, it may be difficult to see any sort of explainable pattern, but a recent study done found that Pollock’s paintings are actually fractals. This notion seems shocking to be able to find any sort of provable pattern to art pieces that were ironically trying to break away from what was deemed conventional art, and yet still mathematics were able to show how his art is aesthetically appealing to the human senses, and what makes a Pollock painting a Pollock and not like any other drip paintings.  Pollock is quoted as stating, “My concerns are with the rhythms of nature”. This becomes quite intriguing after learning that Pollock’s paintings are fractals. Fractals are patterns that are repeated at smaller scales representing irregular patterns—many are found in nature.   Pollock was using the ‘rhythms’, or rather patterns, of nature to influence his work, so it turns out that Pollock’s works are not as random as they may appear to be.  But Pollock is just one example of the multitude of patterns that are found in the world that mathematics is able to explain.

Number One 1948

 Aesthetically pleasing art forms can almost always be proven how and why mathematically, whether it is a painting, a sonata, or even the physical attraction to more symmetrical faces. When things can be proven mathematically, many get a deep sense of satisfaction that there is an order to the way the world works, some underlying order that exists, and that it may not be a chaotic random cluster.

Galaxy

Hey Everyone, check out Art’s Website. He takes great photos.

ART POLLACK PHOTOGRAPHY
231 NW 87th Terrace
Coral Springs, Florida 33071

954.752.5267
cell 954.684.9245
fax 954.796.7267

ArtPollack@bellsouth.net

Statement from his website: Today, Art is a proud grandparent to seven grandchildren. He has an emotional lust for photography. “It captures a moment you never get to see again,” he says. His expertise is in shooting sports action, candid’s and local community events such as golf tournaments, charity walks and Chamber of Commerce events.

Quick evening raid to Boscastle and I didn’t really expect to catch much as the sea was quite lumpy ( and I hadn’t caught any fish for ages anyway, so didn’t want to raise my hopes foolhardily).

Minimalism was the order of the day: a single rod armed with a Dexter wedge so I could sling it out behind and get fishing in less than three (approx) seconds.

Wallop! I hauled aboard a 3lb bass, a 5lb and two 3lb pollack ( plus a couple of littly bass and unbelievably small pollack, which went back) within an hour. Oh….and a mackerel.

Yes, those are my feet for scale (and flavour)

So Boscastle is not only the top scenic destination in the south-west, and one of the top marine life areas, it also does fast fishing.

I just finished the wasak book “Gerilya” by Norman Wilwayco after setting aside The National Kurt Vonnagut Bluebeard (as the old book’s cover would show) for a day to savor the fast-paced near to my heart story of a petty bourgeois trying hard to be an intellectual in the arena of armed struggle and revolution in the Philippines.

Anyway, I got interested with Kurt Vonnegut after scanning one of his book “Breakfast of Champions” and enjoyed the way his words weave with his ideas that captures the craziness of his moment and society.  His tone encapsulates the off-beat ramblings of viewing and interpreting the ways the individual interacts with society and its dynamic interaction creating new thoughts and paradigms to be tested through time.

Anyway, “Bluebeard” represent another of Kurt Vonnegut’s take on the chaos that shapes our world. Its main character,  Rabo Karabekian, the 71 year old painter who just wants to enjoy what the world still has  in store for him, was bullied by a young widow to write his autobiography that brought him back to places and events he has been while grappling with the complexities, imagined or real, caused by the present set-up he is in with the bullying widow, who turned out to be a celebrated author.

I am not finished with the book but it intrigued me to check on abstract expressionism and if there is a painting material called sateen dura-luxe which I am not even sure if it is even real.

(Jackson Pollack’s abstract expressionism)

I still plan to sell the book after reading it but with its continuing deterioration brought by natural and not-so natural causes,  my plan might all come to naught.

Heute fand die Dahme-Trophy statt. Und nachdem Papa mir schon davon vorgeschwärmt hatte, wollte ich mir die Veranstaltung selbst einmal anschauen. Groupie Daniela war bei der 125-Jahr-Feier von Kellenhusen für das DRK beim großen Dorf-Umzug eingebunden und konnte nicht mit. Da Schwager-in-spe, Andi, zu den Veranstaltungsleitern in Dahme gehört, hatten wir vorher verabredet, auch hinter die Kulissen schauen zu können. Das brauchten wir aber gar nicht.

Gegen 15 Uhr fuhr ich los. Geparkt wurde etwas abseits, denn der halbe Ort war gesperrt. Start und Ziel waren am Deich, sodass viele Menschen sich das Spektakel auf der Zielgeraden ansehen konnten. Leider fing es an zu regnen und die Zuschauerzahl nahm erheblich ab.

Direkt neben mir startete der Rettungshubschrauber, der nur eben den Arzt für die Dauer der Veranstaltung vorbeigebracht hatte. Ganz schön laut und windig so ein Vorgang.

Das Jedermann-Rennen lief aber weiter. Neben Halb-Profis stiegen immer wieder auch Profis mit ein, um den einen oder anderen im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes „anzuschieben“. Mannoman, die sind ganz schön schnell unterwegs.

Zwischendurch holten Papa und ich uns eine Bratwurst und trafen dort ganz unkompliziert auf einige Profifahrer und ihre Familien. Das nenne ich mal Fankontakt.

Es fand noch ein Kinderrennen statt, wobei die Lütten von den Profis unterstützt wurden. Hier setzte sich das Duell Bartko gegen Pollack in der nächsten Generation fort. Auch die Kleinen schenkten sich nichts und ließen „die Großen“ hinter sich. Die trugen es mit Fassung und bereiteten sich auf ihre Rennen vor.

Nach dem Jedermann-Rennen kauften wir Lose und gewannen direkt eine Überraschungstüte mit Kleinigkeiten und eine Fahrrad-Trinkflasche. Danach fuhren wir kurz nach Hause, um trocken auf`s Neue gespannt die Abschlussrennen mit Bartko, Pollack, Risi und Co. zu verfolgen. Nebenbei fanden weiter die Ausscheidungsrennen für den Abend statt.

Hinter dem Fahrerlager stand ein zur Schweizer Nationalflagge umgeschmückter Ferrari, der einiges für die Verabschiedung von Bruno Risi erahnen ließ. Auch ein R8 gehörte zum Fuhrpark der Promoter, wurde aber nicht ins Programm eingebaut.

Nachdem alle Entscheidungen gefallen waren, wurde Bruno Risi vom aktiven Radsport in Dahme verabschiedet. Dafür musste er zunächst sein Rad „an den Nagel hängen“ und durch ein Fahrrad-Spalier seiner Kollegen gehen. Dann fuhr er auf der Haube des Ferrari die Strecke ab. Nicht schlecht, die Show.

Gegen 22 Uhr sollten Klaus&Klaus auftreten. Noch schnell ein Foto mit dem „großen Klaus“ gemacht und ab zur Bühne. Dort fanden schon die Siegerehrungen statt.

Danach war noch Zeit für ein Foto mit Bruno Risi. Sowohl er selbst als auch seine Frau sind echt sympathisch. @Bruno: Das Foto geht nach Nesslau in der Nordschweiz.

Das Sangesduo kam etwas später als vermutet an, sodass wir schon eine „Entführung“ befürchteten. Immer noch pünktlich brachten die BOBs vom Sicherheitsdienst sie in „Boxer-Manier mit Geleitschutz“ zur Bühne. Man kann es auch übertreiben.

Andi und ich überlegten noch, ob wir einen „Flash-BOB“ verursachen, wenn wir uns Klaus nähern würden und alle BOBs sich auf uns stürzten. Den praktischen Beweis blieben wir aber schuldig.

Die Stimmung war prächtig und eine Polonäse nach der anderen durchzog die Zuschauer. Gegen 23 Uhr machte ich mich auf den Heimweg, während Andi noch dienstlich zum Feuerwerk bleiben musste.

Eine wirklich gelungene Veranstaltung, die ich nur empfehlen kann. Im nächsten Jahr bin ich sicher wieder da.

Einige Bilder findet Ihr hier.

Good Morning, Good Evning, Good Night!

Today is just like yesterday really… Boring!
However, me and my familiy is soon going on vacation, and I look forward to it. Lots of fishing!
I am  hoping to catch a huge one, maybe a 5 kilos pollack or a even bigger cod. But the fish I usually get is mackerel though. And usually under 1 kilo…

God Bless You,

Joakim Fossan

…and sadly it’s not a big one.

So I’m keeping this one short and sweet. After the first round of UFA signings and half the teams in the league suffering from cap issues, what we’re going to see over the next few days (probably starting Monday) are numerous cap shedding trades. Look for picks to come San Jose’s way as guys like Cheech are unloaded. Also look for some low-salary guys to come aboard as part of the effort to fill out our roster, the first of which will likely by Scott Nichols, the Nashville center famous for his cheap shots and continuous taking of penalties (more stupid than game changing).

See the article from widely-respected Shark’s analyst Dave Pollack. If it happens, it will be a solid replacement for ‘Oh My Goc’ and allow us a stable role-player for about $300k less, while adding physical support to be delivered by someone other than Murray. But do the Sharks need this? He isn’t a big goal scorer, and his conduct has been less than exceptional (see the video).

All of the upcoming cap shedding is rumored to be the first step of the previously announced ‘shake-up’ trade (think Heatley). Regardless, it will be nice to have someone on the ice who can piss enough people off to distract the opposition and allow our big scorers a little more room. Who knows, maybe Joe will be able to take on less than three guys every time he touches the puck. Anyway I will be sure to post anything else I see in a similar fashion to the updates in my last entry, although you should expect the league to be relatively quiet tomorrow.

Approximately 500 players arrived at the Rio today with USD 10,000 in their pocket and the dream of winning untold millions and fame as

WSOP 09

2009’s World Champion. But their dreams were shattered at the cashier’s cage, when they were told that the World Series of Poker Main Event had sold out.

Day 1d of the Main Event had reached capacity with every available table being used in the Amazon, Brasilia and Miranda rooms. There were even 13 tables set up all the way back towards the casino in the area by Buzio’s Seafood restaurant.

At the beginning of Level 1 a semi-angry mob assembled outside the 7 Star & Diamond registration office. A line of nearly 100 people snaked around a hallway at the general registration office. Notable pros, amateurs and every type of player in between started to gather. It seemed that Mickey Appleman, Minh Ly and Capt. Tom Franklin would be shut out of the biggest tournament of the year.

Tension in the hallway grew as one player said, “I have USD 10,000 that I won in satellite chips that are now completely useless. Is the WSOP going to give me a refund?”

Josh Sorenson, an amateur, said, “I don’t understand why there is no communication between the players and WSOP staff. We’re not being told anything, apart from the message that tournament is closed.” He continued, “Sometimes we need a gray area in life. Nothing is ever simply black and white.”

As players gathered and griped, somehow Mike Sexton found his way into the middle of the group. Several members of the shutout group asked Sexton if he would talk to WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack or WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel. Having already played on Day 1a, Sexton was a reluctant spokesperson, but he held true to his “Ambassador of Poker” title and agreed to speak for the crowd.

At issue was the fact that players believed that 3,000 entrants had been advertised for Day 1d to play.  Sexton invited Franklin to accompany him to meet with Effel. The three found a quiet spot near the feature table to discuss the matter. With a large crowd of disgruntled players building by the rail, the three moved into a back hallway for privacy.

After about 30 minutes Sexton and Franklin emerged and told the growing group that Pollack had agreed to meet them. All concerned players who were shutout were to go to the Pavillion in the Rio, and Pollack had a prepared statement.

About 100, mostly angry, players gathered to see if their Main Event dreams would come true. Pollack and the senior staff of the WSOP all gathered for the explanation.

Pollack opened his statement, “We are sorry, I am sorry. The last thing we wanted to do is deny entry to any player for the Main Event. But we are unable to accommodate any more people.”

“We pledge this won’t happen again and will be the first topic we discuss for next year. This is the biggest challenge we have faced in four years,” he continued.

The crowd was clearly displeased with Pollack’s statements. One requested if they could start at midnight and play all night to join Day 2a. Another asked why they couldn’t be accommodated and play ten-handed at some tables or allow alternates.

Pollack said, “We have not had alternates for the 56 previous events and the first three days of the Main Event and we’re not going to start now. We’ve had sellouts already this series.”

The hostile crowd grew louder as each player wanted Pollack to hear their complaints. Melissa Hayden grew impatient with the crowd and urged them to quiet down and speak gentlemanly to Pollack.

Pollack dismissed the rumor that two very high profile players were allowed entry after registration had been closed. He furthered his point saying,”The decision has been made. Operationally, we cannot accommodate any more players.”

Pollack answered questions for several minutes and the crowd seemed unwilling to accept anything he had to say. Pollack stepped away from the podium and exited the room. One very angry Australian player shouted “Shameful!” as Pollack left.

The players who were officially told they would not be able to play lingered upset. None of them appeared to be happy with the explanation. The previously mentioned Aussie even suggested that they could sue the WSOP.

If your truly beloved is celebrating her birthday and you are at a loss what to do or where to take her, let me give you some advice as I think  have found the winning formula: Do what you would do on your birthday and take her along with you. Then everyone’s happy…..well, you are.

It’s helpful if the weather’s nice and if you can take some like minded friends along it’s even better. And if they too are celebrating a birthday the recipe for  guaranteed wall-to-wall entertainment is complete.

Boscastle was sunny and warm. All we needed to do was catch some fish.We did……

Jeremy plus a couple of Pollacky friends

Fortunately conditions were pretty flat or the heavy thermos and bag of thermal clothes around my feet might have destabilised the otherwise very stable kayak.

We needed a fryable fish as we had vowed to have supper on a remote beach but only bring along salad so we HAD to catch the protein content. So a bass made a serious error of judgment when it tried to eat my toby.

Note huge difference in temperature between front and back seat

The foolhardy bass was in the frying pan within five minutes of being caught and boy did it taste good.

Chief cook (not bottle washer)

The beach was as stunning and warm as we had hoped and Becky partook in a bit of birthday malarky. The air ambulance was not required.

Jeremy will be needing neck physio

Strangely the sizeable guillemot and razorbill colony on Lye Rock was completely deserted. I doubt if the young have fledged yet- more likely an egg eating predator has made a mess of it. The colonies on  Short and Long Island are still busy but we didn’t see any adults flying past with sandeels in their beaks.

On a brighter note we saw at least six puffins off Short island including four in the air simultaneously. Excellent.

Perfect conditions- Jane and Jeremy

Play this video while reading this blog post – it might be my favorite Sonic Youth song – before the show tonight (at the Vic in Chicago) I made a list of the ten songs I most wanted to hear them play tonight, and they played none of them, and I still loved the show, and I wonder how many other bands that might be true for.  So often at a concert – one without a set program – there’s always that one song you’re waiting to hear.  So while “Disappearer” and “Teenage Riot” and “Stones” and “Tuff Gnarl” were not on the setlight, it was filled with gems from Daydream Nation, Sister, and even their debut, Sonic Youth.  Point being, what other bands formed in 1981 are not only still touring, but also creating relevant, innovative music and performing it alongside of their first steps together.  That shows tremendous faith in themselves as artists and the music they create, and it just a part of my excitement about them.  Here’s another: the amazing list of artists who have create their album covers.  I’ve visited the Art Institute of Chicago a few times in recent weeks, and seen works by many of the artists who have collaborated with the band: Raymond Pettibon, Mike Kelly, Gerhard Richter, and Jeff Wall.  That intersection of image and sound, showcasing forward-thinking creativity – cetainly worthy of a paragraph of blog drooling, along with a pile of cd’s and a pair of tickets to see them again a month from now in Milwaukee. 

So at what point does the creation of art turn from being a personal expression to being something for an audience, having to break the rules in order to express a vision of the world.  Coltrane did it by re-inventing the sounds of the tenor and soprano saxophones; Grateful Dead did it by swallowing blues, bluegrass, folk, jazz, and rock music, digesting them and spitting them out in ways that continued to evolve over the course of a nearly 30 year career; Sonic Youth did it by re-tuning their instruments, experimenting with their electronics (indeed there are custom Fender Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore Jazzmaster guitars coming out next month).  But Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, James Joyce and others did it with their words.  Monet, Pollack, Warhol, and others did it with their art.  So does one need to know their art form before breaking the rules?  How well?  Is a wholesale re-inventing of the rules part of the key to creating something lasting and relevant?  This blog will continue to ask that very question – but for now, I’m out of batteries – one rule that can’t be broken.

Early morning paddle to Boscastle this morning for spot of fishing and wildlife viewing.

Caught about 8 pollack (yawn) and a couple of mackerel (slight yawn) on a trolled toby, but major highlight of the trip was sight of one of the elusive pufins that nest on Short Island. I’ve never seen more than three there so complex mathematics would suggest two pairs maximum.

low profile PUFFIN

Time to explain, briefly, the recent glut of carb-free recipes here at Salad Club: I try to follow the GI diet wherever possible which means no refined starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar and, very sadly, beer. As you may have guessed, however, I very rarely deprive myself of the things I love and there is no need to see a low-carb diet as a sacrifice. At the end of a meal I feel full rather than bloated and my taste buds are stimulated not numbed by blandness. However, hangovers are often my downfall (I live far too close to Franco Manca) and I sometimes wobble home and devour a bowl of pasta at 3am but who doesn’t? I hate all the preachy, low-carb cookbooks with their suicidally dull weekly menus and patronizing portion ‘pyramids’ – the joyous and creative process of making a meal should never be dictated, only gently guided where necessary. I hope some of the low carb recipes I post here inspire people to see a meal without potatoes or bread as a feast not a morsel. If not, please feel free to throw in something beige.

Fantastic fishcakes with tartar sauce

Tonight I made simple and delicious fishcakes without the aid of breadcrumbs or potatoes: chop 500g of Pollack (a sustainable and economical alternative to cod), half an onion and a shallot and put it all in a mixing bowl with an egg. Whizz everything into a rough paste with a hand blender and then stir in 2 egg whites, a big pinch of salt and pepper, a finely sliced red chilli and a squeeze of lime juice. Heat some groundnut oil in a frying pan and, when the oil is quite hot, take a heaped tablespoon of the fish mixture and chuck it in the pan – it should sizzle. Flatten the cake into a patty with the back of the spoon or a spatula. After about 5 minutes (the base of the cake should be golden brown) flip it over and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve on a bed of lightly dressed leaves with this very quick tartar sauce: 2/3 finely chopped cornichons, 2 tablespoons of mayo, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, a pinch of paprika and the juice of half a lemon all mixed together. Lovely.

Rosie