Two tours highlight the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers

(Picture coming, Temple University’s computers and WordPress uploader don’t seem to get along)

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

Printed 6-25-10

MOST OF PHILADELPHIA’S historic sightseeing trails are well-worn, the sights well known. But Philadelphians and tourists alike often overlook two of the city’s most important historic trails – the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers.

This spring, two tours aim to reconnect participants with the rivers and to offer a unique view of familiar historic sites as well as lesser-known landmarks.

Last month, Philadelphia Horticulture Society and Philadelphia Green launched “RiverTalk,” a cell-phone tour of 20 attractions along the central Delaware riverfront.

Participants can walk (it will take about 90 minutes), bike, boat or drive along the route that extends from Allegheny Avenue to just past Snyder Avenue.

Joe Walker, Fishtown native, actor and host of the modern-music online review show “Breakfast at Sulimay’s,” narrates the tour.

“It’s as modern as the day,” Walker said of “RiverTalk.”

“The river for me has an innate charm, and it’s such an asset to the city.”

Walker, 86, remembers swimming with friends in the river when it was “girls day” at the public pool. At a press event for “RiverTalk,” Walker recounted skinny-dipping at the end of Spring Garden Street, a point he and comrades called “B-A-B” or “Bare-ass Beach.”

He hopes the project will help others develop fond memories of the river.

Decades of industry followed by decades of blight have kept many people from the river, said Joan Reilly, senior director of Philadelphia Green. Recent public-private partnerships, a shared vision and the land’s beauty, though, have brought people back.

Reilly hopes “RiverTalk” will help bring even more people to this “world-class riverfront.”

RiverTalk: A 60- to 90-minute audio tour of the Central Delaware riverfront, starting at Penn Treaty Park, 1341 N. Delaware Ave. Bring your own feet, bike, boat or car; audio is available for free at 215-399-0616 and a downloadable brochure is available at rivertalk.org.

Across town, Schuylkill Banks and the Schuylkill River Development Corp. promote the city by sharing the beauty of the lower Schuylkill River and Bartram’s Garden, the nation’s oldest botanical garden.

Schuylkill Banks and SRDC partner with Bartram’s Garden to bring guests on boat tours from the Walnut Street Dock to the gardens.

“It’s a fun experience and a chance to view the city, the skyline and the river from a totally different perspective,” said Daniel Gray, of SRDC. “It’s a great way to get people down to the river in general but also to Bartram’s Garden.”

Once at the garden, guests walk from the river through the 15-acre meadow to the rest of the estate where, for the all-inclusive ticket price, they can tour the Bartram home and garden.

Gray noted that the tour approaches the estate in the same way colonial counterparts approached when the river served as the primary entrance.

Connecting visitors with the estate’s riverfront is a major motivation behind the tours, said Stephanie Phillips, director of development at Bartram’s Garden.

“When you’re in Bartram’s Garden, it’s hard to believe you’re actually in the city,” she said.

From the river, though, guests get a unique view of refineries and the city skyline, providing what Phillips calls an interesting juxtaposition between city and nature.

The river tours to Bartram’s Garden run on select Sundays through October.

Cruise Bartram’s Garden: 2 1/2-hour round-trip boat ride and tour of Bartram’s Garden, departs from the Walnut Street Bridge, 25th and Walnut streets; $25 adults, $20 children 12 and under; cruises scheduled for July 18, Aug. 1, Sept. 5 and 19, Oct. 3 and 17 at 1 p.m. Tickets and info: schuylkillbankstours.tix.com.

If cruising to Bartram’s Garden seems too tame, you can paddle your way there in a kayak. This is for advanced paddlers only (moderate to heavy exertion level). The tour starts at Walnut Street Dock at 11 a.m. and includes a boxed lunch and self-guided tour of the gardens. Expect the tour to last three to four hours.

Hidden River Outfitters, which runs the tours, has a number of other specialty tours, including romantic moonlight ones. The evening begins with a kayak lesson and then an hour on the water, traveling between the Walnut Street Dock and Fairmount Water Works.

Hidden River Outfitters Kayak Tours, Walnut Street Dock, through September. Basic tour, $40; advanced tour to Bartram’s Garden, $75; moonlight tour, $50; kayak and dine, $80. Tickets and schedule at www.schuylkillbanks.org.

Other river rambles

Spirit of Philadelphia: Lunch, dinner, moonlight and theme cruises on the Delaware River, departing from Penn’s Landing. Prices range from approximately $30-$75. Full schedule, ticketing and information available at spiritcruises.com/Philadelphia or 866-455-3866.

Philly Tours-Dinner Cruise: Three-hour dinner, dance and entertainment cruise along the Delaware River departs from Penn’s Landing. 6 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $84; phillytours.us or 888-478-1479.

Ride the Ducks: 70-minute sightseeing tour of historic landmarks and the Delaware River aboard the amphibious duck boats. Departs from Independence Hall. Adults $27, seniors $25, students $23, ages 3-12 $17, children 2 and under free. Ticketing and information at phillyducks.com or 215-351-9989.

More than 50,000 exepcted at ‘Global GLBT summit’

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

Wed, Apr. 28, 2010

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

The 18th annual Equality Forum, Philadelphia’s GLBT super event, whichkicked off yesterday, is expected to draw more than 50,000 participants over the next five days in support of the international gay-rights movement.The Equality Forum, which started in 1993 as PrideFest Philadelphia, has expanded from a weekend event with 15 participating organizations to a weeklong GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) summit featuring more than 50 panels, parties and performances. “It’s the global GLBT summit,” said executive director Malcolm Lazin. “There’s really no larger event.”

Lazin said Philadelphia’s history of activism makes the city a prime location for such a gathering. “I think it’s a logical site because it’s where the original gay and lesbian movements began,” Lazin said, referring to the early protests for gay rights in the mid-1960s at Independence Hall.

These original activists chose Philadelphia in part because it is home to the Liberty Bell, which was a popular symbol for civil rights in the 1960s.

“We are the civil-rights movement du jour, as much as the civil-rights movement of the ’60s and into the ’70s was certainly the African-American movement,” Lazin said.

“Civil-rights movements go nowhere unless they enlist the support of the mainstream,” he added, noting that the goal of Equality Forum 2010 is to do just that.

A highlight will be Sunday’s National Same-Sex Commitment Ceremony, staged to increase awareness of the 1,138 federal marital benefits denied to same-sex couples.

Other high-profile events include the big-ticket ($200) International Equality Dinner on Saturday, which honors lawyers David Boies and Ted Olson, who opposed each other in the 2000 Bush v. Gore election challenge before the Supreme Court but who now are working together to challenge the ban on gay marriage.

“They are straight allies,” Lazin said, “and if they are successful, this is essentially Brown v. Board of Education,” the case that outlawed racial segregation in public schools.

Among other summit highlights are:

* Tomorrow’s sports panel includes, among others, Brian Sims, who played for Bloomsburh University and was the first openly gay NCAA football captain; former Inquirer reporter Gail Shister, who was the first out female sportswriter; and Dee Mosbacher, producer/director of “Training Rules,” about Penn State’s women’s basketball program. (Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St., 8:30-9:45 p.m. tomorrow, free.)

* SundayOUT! – the region’s largest GLBT street festival – moves from Old City to the Piazza in Northern Liberties this year. Vendors will line the streets outside the Piazza. In the Piazza itself will be live and Jumbotron entertainment from noon to 7 p.m., including a fashion show, Philadelphia’s Gay Men’s Chorus Cabaret, dance performances and the Philadelphia Freedom Band.

For more information and a complete list of activities, visit www.equalityforum.com.

Greek yogurt gets a try out

Posted April 15, 2010

In an extremely unscientific taste test, here’s how 24 Daily News employees rated four Greek yogurt brands against each other and one regular yogurt brand. All were the non-fat, plain variety.

Overall, participants preferred the texture of Fage, and a majority favored Fage or Oikos brands. But most also said they would not spend more for Greek yogurt than they would for regular.

Here’s how to make your own yogurt

Want to make your own Greek yogurt? Tom Vasiliades, owner of South Street Souvlaki, describes the process.

Boil whole milk. Vasiliades prepares a gallon at a time for himself and eight gallons a night for the restaurant. When milk rises, remove from heat.

Let it cool to lukewarm. Vasiliades said you should be able to hold your pinkie finger in the milk for 10 seconds – that means it’s lukewarm.

Remove a cup of the cooled milk. Mix this with yogurt culture or yesterday’s yogurt (2-3 commercial spoonfuls per 2 gallons of milk).

In a large bowl, slowly combine this mixture with the remaining lukewarm milk. Put the mixture in a low oven (no higher than 110 degrees) for 6-8 hours.

Serve as is, or, if you want a thicker, creamier texture, strain through cheesecloth for two days in the refrigerator. (Line a colander with cheesecloth and strain into a bowl to catch the liquid.)

Here’s a main dish featuring lamb from Vasiliades.

LAMB WITH YOGURT

3 pounds boneless lamb cut

in bite-size pieces

3/4 cup white wine

1 pound yogurt

4 ounces butter

1/2 cup fresh dill

5 mint leaves

5 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Place lamb in a baking dish, and top with butter cut in pieces. Add a cup of water and white wine, plus the herbs and garlic. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Remove meat from pan and mix the yogurt with the pan juices. Return meat to the pan, cover and bake until golden brown. Serve with potatoes or rice.

PEAR AND WHIPPED GORGONZOLA YOGURT AND PORT GLAZED GRAPE CROSTINI

1 loaf French bread, cut into

12 slices

1/2 cup port

1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grape juice

1/2 cup red grapes, halved

1 large pear, chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice French bread and lay on a sheet pan. Toast until golden brown. In a small saucepan, bring port to a simmer. Add grapes, grape juice, diced pear and sugar to port. Stir and let simmer until reduced by half. Set port mixture aside.

Whisk heavy cream until soft peaks begin to form. Fold crumbled Gorgonzola and Greek yogurt into whipped cream until just combined.

Spread the yogurt-and-cheese mixture over each piece of bread. Spoon the grape and pear reduction onto each crostini. Garnish with chopped basil.

Source: Chobani.

BULGUR WITH ALMONDS, APRICOTS AND GREEK YOGURT

2 cups bulgur

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups water or vegetable broth

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

1/2 cup almonds, slivered

1/4 cup apricots, finely chopped

Boil water and bulgur. Reduce to a simmer. Add salt and butter. Cover and simmer 45-50 minutes until tender. Stir occasionally.

In a sauté pan, toast almonds over medium heat until golden.

Once bulgur is cooked, add the toasted almonds, dill, apricots, and yogurt. Stir to combine. Serve warm as a side dish or cold as a salad.

Source: Chobani.

Greek yogurt rides a wave of popularity

By CHRISTINE FISHER

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

POSTED: April 15, 2010

GREEK YOGURT – once considered “hippie food” – is experiencing a boom in popularity.

“Greek is chic right now,” said Yoplait marketing manager Peggy Stang.

“We showed over 450 percent growth last year alone,” reported Nicki Briggs, a representative of Chobani, a major Greek yogurt producer in the U.S.

Greek yogurt differs from other yogurt in that excess liquid is strained out of it. The process gives Greek yogurt its thick, creamy texture and concentrated health benefits. It’s a staple in Mediterranean diets.

Chobani and competitor Stonyfield began producing Greek yogurt just three years ago. In 2008, major Greek yogurt producer Fage (pronounced Fa-yeh) built its first U.S. plant. Last month yogurt behemoth Yoplait launched a line of Greek yogurt.

Stonyfield representative Sarah Badger credits Greek yogurt’s success with consumers to its health benefits, tart taste, thickness and versatility in cooking.

Authentic Greek yogurt contains twice the protein of regular yogurt because when the excess milk is strained out, solid whey protein remains.

“If you’re looking for a good source of protein, Greek yogurt wins out over regular yogurt,” said Dr. Christopher Bernabei of Philadelphia’s Balance Health Center & Yoga Spa.

Greek yogurt also wins out over regular yogurt when it comes to probiotics. These are live bacteria cultures that improve digestion and boost immunity. All yogurts contain at least two strains of probiotics, but Greek yogurts can contain five or six strains, each with different properties.

“The art of making Greek yogurt is adding the probiotic cultures,” said Chobani’s Briggs.

Some probiotics can help convert lactose into lactic acid, making the product easier to digest for those with lactose intolerance. Less lactose correlates with less sugar.

In Greece, where yogurt is called yiaourti, its health benefits are legendary.

“It’s old folklore that [in Greece] they use it for sunburns,” said Stephen Nothangel, of Philadelphia’s Estia Restaurant.

Tom Vasiliades, owner of South Street Souvlaki, said that in Greece yiaourti is “as popular as Coke.” It is also considerably healthier.

At his restaurant, Vasiliades makes eight gallons of Greek yogurt every night.

“I don’t buy it because I make the best,” he said.

South Street Souvlaki and Estia Restaurant serve Greek yogurt in traditional Tzatziki dipping sauce, on its own or mixed with fruit, as a complement to savory dishes.

“When it comes down to it, a product succeeds or does not succeed based on taste,” Briggs said. “It’s not every day you find something you want to eat that is actually good for you.”

Bryn Mawr teen actress praised by ‘After.Life’ director

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

Posted on Fri, Apr. 9, 2010

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

For 13-year-old Laurel Bryce and her classmates at Bryn Mawr’s Baldwin School, this is “the year for bat mitzvahs” – she’s attended 15 so far and is preparing for her own in November.But for Bryce, it is also the year of her feature film debut in “After.Life,” a horror/thriller starring Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson and Justin Long. It opens in Philadelphia today.

In “After.Life,” Bryce plays the young Anna Taylor, Ricci’s character as a child.

Schoolteacher Anna meets an unexpected demise and finds herself stuck between life and death. Trapped in this limbo, Anna envisions a menacing childhood version of herself – played by Bryce – who forces her to confront her deepest fears and accept her death.

“After.Life” director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo said hundreds of girls auditioned for the role.

“[Casting] was very difficult because Christina has such a unique beauty and unique character in her face,” Wojtowicz-Vosloo said.

“I think [Laurel] has the three ingredients that I was looking for,” the director said: innocence, beauty and acting ability.

While Bryce is just 13, her big break has been years in the making. She appeared in her first commercial at 9 months old and has been acting ever since, in commercials and small theater productions. Two years ago, she was cast in bigger roles in shows at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philly and Hedgerow Theatre in Media.

“I had so many aspirations to do bigger things,” Bryce said of those early acting jobs. “I worked really hard to succeed and get where I am.”

Her drive extends beyond the stage. “I have to balance school and Hebrew school, softball and dance and charity work,” Bryce said.

Wojtowicz-Vosloo contributes Bryce’s success to her maturity and willingness to take on a challenge.

“She is a little bit of an old soul, and she’s very interesting,” Wojtowicz-Vosloo said. “I think what is beautiful about her is that she immediately created a bond with Christina.”

“Laurel was really great to work with – totally professional and super talented!” Ricci enthused in an e-mail.

Bryce, who wants to add comedy and romantic roles to her acting repertoire, has completed two more films – also horror flicks – that are in postproduction.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/90332739.html#ixzz0pfEUD2eS
Play fantasy sports and win cash prizes instantly. Philly.com’s Instant Fantasy Sports Games

Chef d’cancer patients: Jack Shoop lovingly crafts a medical center’s meals

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

Posted on Thu, Mar. 18, 2010

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

JACK SHOOP has owned several top-rated restaurants and is one of just 61 chefs in the United States who’ve been certified as master chefs by the American Culinary Federation. When the opportunity for a major career change arose, however, Shoop let his mom be his guide.

Less than two years ago, Shoop, a Harley-riding Kensington native, traded in his Florida restaurant gigs to become the executive chef for Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Eastern Regional Medical Center in Northeast Philadelphia. Shoop stresses the clinical and spiritual importance of food in the meals he prepares daily for about 800 cancer patients, their families and CTCA employees.

Shoop’s decision to make such a significant career switch was due in large part to his mother’s passing. “Even though my mother didn’t die of cancer, I just felt like she was telling me to do it,” Shoop recalled recently.

Hurricane Katrina played a part, too.

In 2005, the hurricane hit Shoop’s restaurant in Destin, Fla. – the fourth such storm to strike the business. At the same time, his father passed away. The coinciding events prompted Shoop to return to Philadelphia to help his newly widowed mother.

She died unexpectedly a few months later.

Upon returning to Philadelphia, Shoop began working at Viking Cooking School in Bryn Mawr. That led to him doing a cooking demonstration for CTCA leaders as a part of a team-building workshop they attended. CEO John McNeil approached Shoop after the event and asked him to join CTCA.

Working in a hospital, he sometimes finds himself thinking of his mother’s passing, and it’s brought him to tears. “I never cried in my restaurant. Here I’ve cried about a thousand times,” he said. But the opportunity to make a positive difference in the world outweighs any emotional strain from his job.

Shoop sees his work as a way to “redirect passion for the culinary arts to better the lives of cancer patients and their caregivers.”

Certainly the job brings special challenges. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 40 percent of cancer-related deaths are due to malnutrition. Cancer and its treatments can affect a patient’s ability to taste and smell and lead to nausea, trouble absorbing nutrients, anorexia and fatigue.

At Eastern Regional Medical Center, Shoop and a team of oncologists, naturopathic doctors, nutritionists, mind-body specialists and therapists use a whole-person approach to ensure optimal nutrition for their patients. This approach is based on the idea that cancer does not affect one part of the body but rather the body as a whole – as well as all aspects of patients’ lives.

CTCA’s philosophy of all-inclusive care centralized under one roof is the result of another man’s love for his mother: Founder Richard J. Stephenson started CTCA in Illinois after seeing the unsatisfactory care his own mother received when she battled cancer. CTCA also has facilities in Illinois, Oklahoma, Arizona and Washington state.

The objectives of what CTCA calls its “Mother Standard of Care” are to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and to treat patients as they would their own loved ones.

Not surprisingly, Shoop enthusiastically embraced that approach. “Every single person can make a difference,” he said, adding that he extends that philosophy to how he treats his 52-person staff as well.

The compassionate cook

Shoop got his first job working for a Delaware County butcher at age 13. Later, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He trained in classic European styles and had several restaurants in the southern U.S.

When Shoop took over the operation at CTCA in August 2008, he instituted a kitchen management system developed in France, the Brigade System, in which every person in the kitchen has a specific station and task.

Shoop said that with this system, he aims to eliminate chaos and manage through silence.

Shoop’s kitchen was quiet and orderly during one recent visit. Mangoes, avocados and other fresh fruits and vegetables lay on pristine metal countertops that reflected the vibrant colors. Even during the busy lunch prep period, the kitchen was remarkably calm. A pastry chef lined trays with some of the 400 pastries prepared daily. Another cook delicately placed rows of shrimp on a tray.

But there is more to Shoop’s kitchen than order.

“Our purpose is so wonderful and beautiful,” he said of working at a cancer-treatment center. “The people that were complaining in my restaurant – I just gave them another martini.”

At CTCA, he consults with patients to find foods that they can tolerate and enjoy and that will make them more receptive to treatment and recovery. He packs all the meals with nutrients and flavor while reducing unnecessary saturated fats and other potentially harmful components.

His cream of asparagus soup, for instance, has 80 percent less saturated fat than conventional recipes. Parsnips, olive and corn oils, taro root and cornstarch replace flour, butter and cream while maintaining traditional appearance, texture and flavor.

Shoop’s kitchen also uses a few special ingredients that aren’t found on any grocery store shelf.

“Really it’s about two Ls – loving and listening,” Shoop said.

Recipes that waltz with a delicate digestive system

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

Posted on Thu, Mar. 18, 2010

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

Nhu Huynh, a clinical oncology nutritionist who works with Chef Jack Shoop at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America facility in the Northeast, recommends a diet high in lean proteins, fruits and vegetables for everybody.

For cancer patients, Huynh prefers baking, boiling or grilling foods, because digesting fried foods requires extra enzymes that may be deficient in a patient’s system. Nutrient-rich soups and smoothies also are easier on a delicate digestive system.

Herb and spice marinades add flavor and some have cancer-fighting properties, Huynh said.

On the often-asked question of organic versus nonorganic produce, Huynh said it’s most important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. If buying organic means you have to buy less, stick with the regular stuff.

“The verdict is still pending in terms of organic foods” being better for your health, Huynh said.

Cooking for patients at CTCA, Shoop uses organic produce when possible. He noted that even if there are no additional health benefits, patients can taste the difference. That’s one reason CTCA has an organic garden behind the hospital.

Shoop also creates season-specific menus. Huynh explained that seasonal foods are preferable because the longer foods are shelved, the more their nutritional value decreases.Here are some healthy and flavorful recipes from the CTCA kitchens.

SALMON KEBABS

1 pound salmon steaks, cut 1/4-inch thick

2 1/2 ounces dry white bread crumbs

1 1/2 ounces oil

1 egg

Dash salt

Dash pepper

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 scallion, finely chopped

4 to 8 kebab skewers

Cut salmon into 1/4-inch cubes, discarding skin and bones. In a large bowl, beat the oil into the egg and stir in the salt, pepper, parsley and scallion. Add salmon, toss well, cover and let marinate 1 to 2 hours.

Thread salmon cubes on skewers and roll them in bread crumbs. Broil or grill them 4 to 5 inches from the heat until browned on both sides, allowing 4 minutes on each side. Serves 4. Serve with Mango Salsa and Coconut-infused Quinoa.

Note: Salmon is a lean protein and full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease and build muscle.

MANGO SALSA

2 ripe mangoes, diced

1/2 ripe papaya, diced

1/2 canned chipotle pepper, minced

1 ounce fresh orange juice

1 ounce fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until chilled. Makes 2 cups.

Note: Papaya has a digestive enzyme that helps the body extract the most possible nutrients from food. This is especially important for cancer patients.

COCONUT-INFUSED QUINOA

1 cup coconut milk, fresh or canned

Sea salt

1 cup quinoa (red, tan or both)

1 teaspoon corn oil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons dried unsweetened coconut

Combine coconut milk with 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.

Heat corn oil in a separate medium saucepan. Add spices and quinoa. Incorporate diluted seasoned coconut milk and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and steam with lid on for 5 minutes, then lightly fluff with a fork.

Toast the unsweetened coconut in a 325-degree oven. Garnish the quinoa with the toasted coconut. Serves 6.

Note: Quinoa is a protein-rich grain containing about 17 percent protein. Huynh said quinoa is a must, especially if you are cutting out animal proteins. The grain is a great substitute for rice and pasta, or use with soups.

Source: Executive Chef Jack Shoop and Nhu Huynh, clinical oncology nutritionist, Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Eastern Regional Medical Center.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/88338182.html?viewAll=y#ixzz0pfBM0ur7
Play fantasy sports and win cash prizes instantly. Philly.com’s Instant Fantasy Sports Games

In Haiti & Louisiana, family informs Maria Bello’s acting, service

Posted on Fri, Mar. 12, 2010 http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/87438152.html#axzz0o1RBs5D6

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

A week after an earthquake decimated Haiti, Norristown native Maria Bello traveled there to join forces with Artists for Peace and Justice.

“I saw the most devastating things you could imagine,” said Bello, star of “The Yellow Handkerchief.” “Amputations with no anesthesia, children with no pain killers and spinal cord injuries.”

In a recent phone interview, Bello expressed concern for the 75,000 displaced people living under sheets at the camp where she worked, and stressed the importance of getting them tents before hurricane season.

She said that her activism is, in part, due to her active and compassionate family.

“We were taught from an early age that being of service is one of the most important things in the world – that you only have one life to live and you better use it right,” she explained.

Bello also attributed her acting success to her family and upbringing.

“My parents were always supportive of the idea of doing what you love,” she said.

Raised in Norristown, Bello attended Archbishop Carroll and Villanova. Today she lives in Venice, Calif.

Philly is “still such a big part of my life,” she said. “I love my Philly roots.”

For “Handkerchief,” Bello traveled to Louisiana shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

She was inspired by the people’s resilience and noted that Louisiana is “like a foreign country almost – such a rich culture and such a different way of life.”

“It’s really an exciting place to be,” she said.

When producer Arthur Cohn approached Bello with the film, she jumped at the opportunity to work again with William Hurt, a co-star on “A History of Violence.”

The script drew her attention as well.

“It’s such a mature love story,” she said. “It’s so gentle. You don’t see films these days like that.”

Bello said she learns from every role she plays. In “The Yellow Handkerchief,” her character taught her about second chances and trusting again.

“I think as you get older, it’s easy to get jaded about love,” she explained. “You’ve been hurt and you’ve hurt other people. It’s easy to sort of back up instead of jumping in, and I feel like May had the courage to jump.”

Bello did not do any research or backstory for May. Instead, she said, “like in life, you just put one foot in front of the other, and one moment leads to the next.”

In the coming months, Bello will be seen in Adam Sandler’s “Grown Ups,” her first major comedy, and the John Wells drama “The Company Men.”

But in the next few weeks, she plans to return to Haiti.

Spring is at our pad: Bring your winter-weary soul to the Philadelphia International Flower Show

Posted on Fri, Feb. 26, 2010 http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/85456827.html#axzz0o1QFUS3U

By CHRISTINE FISHER
Philadelphia Daily News

fisherc@phillynews.com 215-854-5444

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Daily News

FOR THOSE unable to explore the depths of Cameroon, New Guinea, Brazil or Argentina this winter, the 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show offers a solution. When the Philadelphia Horticulture Society opens the show on Sunday, visitors will enter a world of floral and cultural treasures gathered on plant explorations to these and other distant lands.

This year’s theme, “Passport to the World,” celebrates the adventures and explorations – both modern and historic – that have brought plants of all types to the United States.

Plants gathered from every continent except Antarctica will be displayed in the Explorer’s Garden. Upon entering the convention center, visitors will be greeted by a 28-foot-high hot-air balloon covered in more than 79,000 flowers meant to capture the essence of exploration.

“People are going to feel that spirit of adventure,” Alan Jaffe, PHS spokesman said.

Surrounding the featured exhibit are gardens that allow visitors to make their own explorations to the six corners of the world, Jaffe said.

A hundred thousand flowers surround a Dutch canal. Plants, performers and wildlife offer a glimpse of South African Zulu culture. A waterfall cuts through a garden, complete with an 18-foot-high canopy that replicates Brazil’s Amazon jungle.

A Singapore-inspired garden shares a tribute to orchids, and Stoney Bank Nurseries brings New Zealand’s exotic plants and rich indigenous culture to the show.

The Wilkes Expedition, the first plant exploration backed by the U.S. government, provides a history lesson.

In 1838, the U.S. government gave U.S. Navy Lt. Charles Wilkes six ships and funding to explore the Pacific and South American coasts and South Pacific islands.

Over four years, Wilkes and his team gathered more than 50,000 plant and wildlife specimens.

“We really credit [Wilkes] with our rebirth,” said Holly Shimizu, director of the United States Botanic Garden, in Washington, D.C.

In 1820, the Botanic Garden had been forced to close. After Wilkes returned from his expedition, the Great Hall of the U.S. Patent Office housed his specimens, but it became clear that a greenhouse was needed.

Wilkes got Congress to appropriate $5,000, which in 1850 was enough to resurrect the Botanic Garden, said Shimizu.

A five-foot vessel fern – a direct descendant of one that Wilkes and his team collected – has been sent to Philadelphia from the Botanic Garden.

Displays of today’s popular poinsettia, peony and chrysanthemum, all species brought to the U.S. by explorers and seen for the first time at the first Philadelphia Flower Show in 1829, reinforces the historic context of pioneer plant exploration and its continued importance.

Species collected on modern explorations are a significant part of the show and are made possible by collaborations between Longwood Gardens, the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum, the U.S. Botanic Garden and other horticulture teams from around the globe.

Longwood Gardens is contributing what director Paul Redman calls its exhibit’s “crown jewel” – Victoria water lilies, whose pads are capable of growing to four or five feet in diameter.

These particular water lilies are a hybridization between a water-lily species gathered in the Amazon and another from Argentina that Longwood Gardens engineered in its Kennett Square facilities.

Clever engineering did not end there. Getting the lilies to the show proved to be an additional challenge. Like many contributors, Longwood Gardens is growing the plant out of season and must transport them in still water.

Modern horticultural explorers aren’t daunted by a challenge. Redman describes these men and women as “Indiana Jones types” who often discover plants by chance sighting, in field exploration or in foreign retail markets.

And the explorers still resort to “hoofin’ it,” said flower show designer Sam Lemheney, who joked that they might encounter mosquitoes the size of bats.

The focus of plant exploration has shifted over time.

“Now, more than ever,” Redman said, “it’s about conservation.” He said that Longwood Gardens is committed to documenting plants before they go extinct.

Finding plants that are resistant to environmental change is another goal, according to Morris Arboretum’s Aiello. Lemheney said that finding plants with medicinal qualities is another fertile area of exploration.

Such discoveries transcend cultural boundaries.Aiello said that cultural exchange is one of the most important aspects of modern explorations.

Guests at this year’s flower show will be able to experience a multicultural array of entertainment, from the Brazilian band Minas to Bollywood-style dancing, and international food.

Lemheney hopes that people will be eager to explore.

“You never know what you’re going to discover,” he said.

Philadelphia International Flower Show, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch streets, Sunday-March 7, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday $23, students $18, children 2-16, $13, 215-988-8899.