Oakland man turns 111 -- insists it's no big deal

By Angela Hill - Oakland Tribune

OAKLAND

ALL THE NEWS COVERAGE and birthday parties and fawning attention are great, but when they're just because of the notably numerous times you've been around the sun, it can get a little old.

So says Oakland's Andrew Hatch, who, by the way, has made the trip 111 times as of today. Not that potentially being the oldest man in the state and nearly the oldest person in the nation (that's currently Walter Breuning, 113, of Montana) is a big deal or anything.

"I'm tired of the parties. I feel pretty good for a youngster, and that's about all there is to it," Hatch said with a sly wink earlier this week from the lobby of his

OK, we'll skip over that trivial birthday thing for the moment, Mr. Hatch, but still provide well-deserved fawning and media attention — just for being the cool dude you are.

Yes, Hatch is a cool dude. Just the nicest, sharpest, spunkiest, friendliest, most capable man you'd ever want to know. Age really has nothing to do with all that, other than to provide him with a vast array of stories to pepper any conversation. Like when he used to go hunting for jack rabbits in the "country" of Castro Valley and Hayward, back before all the freeways

"That got me right here," he said, touching his chest.

He traveled for years as a merchant marine, working on cargo ships all over the world. He taught himself Spanish when he was in Mexico City. He survived an apartment fire in 1971 in West Oakland, though he lost a couple of fingers dangling from a burning window. He worked as a blacksmith, an auto mechanic and a taxi driver, and even drove Jimmy Carter to the Oakland airport one time.

Hatch's only daughter, Delane Sims, used to ride along with her dad in the cab on occasion and was there when the pre-presidential Carter hopped in.

"He asked my dad's advice, and my dad told him to take his message to the people," Sims said. "Carter and his assistant gave me a dollar.

"Mr. Carter's still around of course, but who knew my dad would outlive most of the presidents from the past century?"

Born on the bayou

OK, so that's a good lead-in back to the birthday. (Sorry, Mr. Hatch, but we have to do it.) Hatch was born Oct. 7, 1898, in Louisiana, but his family soon moved to Houston. He had two sisters and five brothers — all gone now. His grandmother lived in Oakland, so he'd take the train to come visit, finally moving here for good in 1933. He had a son early on, who died many years ago. Then his daughter, Delane, came along very late in life, the apple of his eye.

"He is the best daddy in the world," Sims said.

He's lived in three centuries. Lived through earthquakes, wars, the Great Depression, social movements and technological transformations.

"He's seen so much history," Sims said. "All the civil rights events. But he reaches past racism. Never lived his life carrying that baggage."

Going to town

He has some hearing trouble but otherwise is healthy. He can still get around just fine on his own but likes the speed of his motorized cart to "go to town" for errands, zipping down to the drugstore to buy coffee, soap to do his own laundry and a pack of his favorite Juicy Fruit gum. He's on top of current events and politics, with an opinion as strong as his grip. He voted for Obama and is pretty pleased with his performance so far.

"I think he's doing pretty good," Hatch said. "He's doing 100 in the shade and one on ice," he added, using one of his favorite sayings.

Hatch is fiercely independent. He adores his daughter, seven grandchildren and a "whole bunch" of great-grandchildren, "when you count extended family," he said, including little 5-month-old Samara, who he calls "my pretty gal." She came to visit Monday with her mom, Sherrita Cole, Sims' daughter.

Hatch was asked his secret to longevity. "Tell Samara how she can live to 111," Sims coaxed, and Hatch kidded back with some sound advice: "Live on your own, and don't take no wooden nickels!"

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1,725-pound pumpkin takes the prize in Ohio

Canton, Ohio (AP)

A teacher from Ohio has won top honors in a pumpkin-growing contest with a 1,725-pound behemoth that could land worldwide bragging rights.

Christy Harp of Jackson Township near Canton took first place at the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers annual weigh-off Saturday in Canfield. She won $2,500 and could claim the world title.

Contest organizers say the entry topped the 1,689-pound record-holder grown in 2007 by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, R.I.

The seeds from Harp's winning pumpkin will be dried and given to anyone who asks.

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Monarchs return to make butterfly lovers' hearts flutter

By AUSTIN WALSH

Orange and black in October are typically associated with Halloween or a playoff winning streak by the Giants. But this weekend, in Santa Cruz, they will represent the traditional colors of local love for insects.

The monarch butterfly, one of the area's most adored flying friends, is returning to Santa Cruz for the season. And to celebrate their remigration, Natural Bridges State Beach will host its 23rd annual Welcome Back Monarchs Day on Sunday. People are invited to take part in the free event from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The beach will welcome thousands of visitors this weekend to participate in guided tours, lectures and children's activities, officials say. Special attractions will include information tables, arts, crafts and games for children, a play to demonstrate a butterfly's life cycle, and a butterfly-themed parade. The Mostly Mediocre Musical Monarch Mariposas band, consisting of state park officials and volunteers, will perform classic songs that have been reinterpreted to be about butterflies. The event marks the beginning of the season for the public to visit Natural Bridges to see the butterflies. The park will offer guided tours during the weekends through February.

"The butterflies are here, the weather is perfect, it's a perfect day to come out and I really encourage people to come and join us at the festival," said Martha Nitzberg, a State Parks interpreter.

The Monarch Grove at Natural Bridges State Beach has been declared a

The monarchs come back to Natural Bridges from as far away as the Rocky Mountains every year. Thanks to the seasonal weather combined with the beach's eucalyptus grove, which protects the butterflies from wind, and a milkweed garden that provides food and mating space, the butterflies come back to the beach before they migrate north in February. From spring until summer, the monarchs live in valley areas west of the Rockies where milkweed, the only plant monarch caterpillars eat, is plentiful.

The insects enjoy the eucalyptus grove's location off of the ocean because the climate is slightly warmer than higher elevation, and they can feed from the tree's nectar during the winter. The tree's structure also provides opportunities for the monarchs to hibernate in their famous clusters.

There will be lessons taught at the festival this weekend on how people can cultivate their own butterfly-friendly gardens.

"Monarchs, like some people, like the sun and don't like the wind," said Nitzberg, as a tip to those interested in attracting butterflies to their backyard.

A raffle will take place at the event, offering prizes such as a tea time in the butterfly grove. There will also be food available for sale at the event including hot dogs, chili, farfalle noodle or butterfly pasta salad, and ice cream. Proceeds generated by sales will go to the park's education fund.

"There's something that's so graceful and compelling about monarchs," Nitzberg said. "They have a lot of different meanings to different people."

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Bonny Doon teacher receives $1,200 in classroom supplies

By Liz Kersjes

BONNY DOON -- Kindergarten teacher Judy Kele started work thinking it was going to be just another Tuesday.

But it wasn't all coloring and snack time for the longtime Bonny Doon Elementary School teacher -- local OfficeMax employees surprised Kele with $1,200 in classroom supplies.

"Teachers don't get a lot of recognition," said Superintendent and Principal Stephanie Siddens. "It's nice to have that public acknowledgement for the work she does."

Kele's loot included a printer, a digital camera, an office chair, a label maker, several reams of printer paper, crayons and a pencil sharpener.

The gift is part of a partnership between OfficeMax and Adopt-A-Classroom, a nonprofit organization that connects corporate sponsors with teachers and schools in need.

Each year, OfficeMax stores around the country surprise a local school teacher with a box of classroom supplies. Schools considered "needy" nominate a teacher, and the winner in each community is chosen by the OfficeMax community affairs department, which also funds the gifts.

"It's good for the students; it's good for everybody," said Cliff Hall, store manager of the Santa Cruz OfficeMax.

Kele first started at Bonny Doon Elementary in 1986 as a volunteer, but soon after there was an opening for a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher.

"I had never taught fourth and fifth grade," she said. "So I thought, Well, I'll try it.' "

She's been teaching at the school since.

"I love it," she said. "If I were a young teacher, I'd want to teach kindergarten again for another 20 years."

Kele's surprise gift was well-earned, said Siddens, who nominated her months ago.

"She's the first person here in the morning and the last one to leave," Siddens said of Kele. "She absolutely loves her kids, and the kids love her.

"She's just an amazing person and teacher."

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Mongolian Sumo Wrestler Harumafuji Wins Japan Rikishi Championship

He beat Takamisakari in the semifinals and beat Iwakiyama in the finals.

Byambadorj earned 500,000 yen for his yusho.

In addition, Mongolian grand sumo champion Asashoryu D.Dagvadorj was beaten by Bushuuyama in the second round, and yokozuna Hakuho or M.Davaajargal was beaten by Tokitenkuu in the first round.

Also, Mongolian sumo wrestler Hakuba took the first place at the Juryu tournament.

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Mongolian Sumo Wrestler Grabs Gold in US Open Championship

World sumo champion and Mongolian wizard Byambajav Ulambayar won in the +115kg and overall category at the ninth U.S open sumo championships 2009.

And Erdenebileg Alagdaag received gold medal in the -115kg category and took the second place in the overall category at the event.
Also, Bayanbat Davaadalai from Mongolia finished third place in the +115kg category at the tournament.

The US open championship was held in California, USA on September 26, 2009.
The US Sumo Open has been one of the premiere international sumo competitions in the world.

Over 250 athletes from more than 25 countries competed in US Sumo Opens.

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Gift sponsors needed: Dance instructor and foster mom wants to create a merry Christmas for kids

By Jory John

APTOS -- Cheri Rutherford is on a Christmas mission. She's concerned that many foster children in Santa Cruz County will wake up Dec. 25 without any gifts. And, with less than three months to go, Rutherford's doing what she can to make sure that doesn't happen.

Rutherford, a dance instructor who has been a foster parent to more than 30 children in two decades, is partnering with Above the Line, a nonprofit organization in Aptos dedicated to providing housing, education, placement and other services to at-risk youth.

Rutherford said that she came up with a gift sponsorship idea in November 2008, but by then it was too late to get the donors in place. That's why she's starting earlier this year. Rutherford said that she wants the community -- both individuals and businesses -- to step forward and sponsor foster children or entire foster families for the holidays, which is typically a difficult time for those dealing with loss.

Starting new traditions

"It seems to be really hard for the foster children, because they're not with their own families and a lot of them have never celebrated the holidays," Rutherford said.

Rutherford said that most of the foster children she's taken in, many of whom have been neglected or abused, have no idea what's supposed to happen at the holidays.

Rutherford took in her first foster children at age 21, she said. When Child Protective Services deemed her neighbors unfit parents, Rutherford was approached about providing care until the children were allowed to go home. Rutherford said that every effort is made to keep foster children in their own neighborhood, at their own school, with their own friends.

"I wanted to help," she said. "I was gung-ho for it." The children stayed for three years, living alongside Rutherford's biological daughter, she said. It was unexpected, but that decision determined Rutherford's lifelong path.

Suzanne Stone, executive director for Above the Line, has known Rutherford for years. Stone has been with the agency since 1990, except for a five-year hiatus where she adopted her own daughter from Ghana.

"Cherie is a full-time foster mother," she said. "That's her life. She devotes herself to the children in her care. She takes them dancing. She tries to find out what their passion is, and she does everything she can to really help them feel unique and special. She's just a ball of energy."

Stone said that, like Rutherford, most of the foster parents that she's worked with, over the years, find that they love it.

"I would say that they just have a place in their hearts where they want to make a difference," she said. "Foster parents become key people in the lives of these children, people who are consistent and reliable."

There are a few different reasons why children are placed in foster care, Stone said. Some are there because they've been removed from the home, and their biological parents can go through a process to have them returned, she said. For other children, she said, the reunion just isn't possible.

"The parents might be homeless, they might be in jail, or they might be deceased," she said.

Becoming a foster parent

Stone said that she's always looking for more foster parents, like Rutherford, who have the skills and passion for it. Foster parents also need to be willing to go through trainings, take classes and provide background checks. Stone said that Above the Line takes time with each foster placement, making sure it's a good match.

"A child always blames themselves if it doesn't work out," she said.

Stone said that this is why parents like Rutherford are vital to her organization, going beyond the call of duty. She was thrilled when Rutherford approached her with her gift-sponsorship idea. Rutherford and Stone, along with the Above the Line board, are also planning a holiday party for the foster families.

"And from years of working in this field, kids are so surprised that people that don't know them want to give them gifts," Stone said.

Rutherford is compiling a wish list that each foster child can fill out. They will be able to specify their clothes or shoe size, their favorite colors and three things they want for Christmas.

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Micro-dining mania: the big boom in small plates

The hottest new restaurant opening in town last week was Polpo, a Venetian "bacaro" in Beak Street, serving tasty Italian specialities to Soho's fashion-conscious foodies.

This week it might be the basement at Hix, unofficially called Mark's, which launched at the weekend in Brewer Street.

Along with Pinchito Tapas at Bloomsbury's myhotel, Boho Mexica, just opened in trendy Commercial Street, and Barrica on Goodge Street, these restaurants have two things in common.

They are launching in scary economic times and they will serve up their delicacies on small plates.

It's a fashion that makes sound economic sense. At Polpo, tiny snacks like sprats served on crostini start at £1-£2.10, while smallish platefuls of proper food (plump meatballs; slow roast duck with black olives and tomatoes, cuttlefish in its own ink) cost £4-£6.

At Boho Mexica, little dishes of what the Mexicans call "antojitos" will set you back around £3-£5.

Not a bad deal to try out unusual flavours such as zucchini-flower empanadas or Mayan-style braised pork.

Mark Hix has created a menu of British food in miniature for the informal downstairs part of his new venture, where you'll be able to eat quail-egg shooters, plates of farmhouse cured meats and wild duck on toast, washed down with wines by the glass.

"The draw of our 'bar snax' is that they suit people's lifestyles," says Hix.

"If they are dropping in for a quick meeting or lunch and don't have time for an à la carte meal, they can just have a few small things. It means they don't have to spend a long time over lunch or dinner."

Some of the most successful launches of recent months have been grazing joints.

Hugely popular venues include Bocca di Lupo, where its Italian dishes are served in "small" or "large" portions, and Terroirs, serving a terrific range of French small plates in King William IV Street.

The Mexican tapas craze was started by Thomasina Miers with Wahaca, due to open its third branch next month in Canary Wharf.

And the ever-burgeoning Brindisa tapas bars are full of women in raptures over the carpaccio of courgette with blue cheese, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes and Cava balsamic (£4.25).

Of course small, complimentary plates with a drink have evolved in different cultures over the centuries. They are an extension of a tapas or meze; what the French call a "petits plats" menu.

No one expects lunch to be free in London, but this form of eating does make global cuisine fun and accessible.

In many ways it's the best of both worlds: you get to experiment with a little taste of something new in a more traditional restaurant setting.

Take Ba Shan, the sister or brother to Bar Shu in Soho, which offers an interesting regional Chinese take on small plates. Ditto Cha Cha Moon, and for Lebanese there's Comptoir Libanais, where you can pick and choose from tasty salads, wraps, stews and pickles, all individually priced.

For lovers of eastern flavours, the second branch of Jom Makan will bring Malaysian street food - roti canai, nasi lemak and satay skewers - to Shepherd's Bush when it opens in Westfield later this month.

We may only just be realising the potential for grazing in London.

But in the States there's a major small plates movement, with recipe books, blogs and a veritable competition between bar owners to offer the most "exotic microfoods".

In fact Jacob Kennedy, chef patron of Bocca di Lupo, says he was inspired to design a menu of small plates by a meal (15 tiny courses) that he ate at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco five years ago.

The psychology of dinner plate size is fascinating. People "eat" with their eyes first - if a plate, no matter what size, isn't full, the portion will be regarded as too small.

So clever restaurateurs can get away with tiny portions so long as the dish is generously covered. Women like small plates precisely because of their trick psychology.

We look like fragile creatures who don't know the meaning of greed - while getting to try out everybody else's starter.

We tell ourselves a girl-portion of spaghettini with lobster, mussels and ginger is hardly fattening. Then don't feel so guilty about ordering that plate of spicy fries.

According to New York magazine, you can track the rise and fall of the economy by it, just like you can gauge prosperity by the length of women's skirts, or the popularity of red lipstick.

An 18th-century dinner plate was typically between seven and a half and nine inches in diameter; by the early 20th century ten-and-a-half-inch plates had become standard.

Not so long ago it was common to find 12-inch "buffet" plates serving as dinner plates. "Those huge plates of the 1990s were sometimes huge soup plates," recalls Evening Standard food critic Fay Maschler.

"They were particularly lowering I thought. You seemed to be invited to lie down and drown in them."

In the prosperous 1990s we also wanted tall food - piled high with enough for two or even three to share. Leftovers were a signal that you were flush. Not any more.

But small plates are also a fun, sociable way of eating - an antidote to these tough times. Diners can choose exactly how much they want to eat - and in what order.

"One of the things I like about the fashion for small plates is that it puts more power into the hands of the customer," says Maschler.

"She or he can dictate the melody of the meal. No longer are you smothered and cowed by food. Also, when not forced into the £24 main course you have more control over the bill and more fun composing it."

So small plates are nothing short of a culinary revolution, then, and one that looks set to stay. At least until those giant soup bowls are dusted down again.

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In Daegu, an opera festival for all

e uninitiated. The 2009 Daegu International Opera Festival aims to highlight the accessibility of the medium and the venue, providing world-class shows, as well as engaging activities for all ages.

The Daegu Opera House itself is both sleek and welcoming. The four-story lobby is made entirely of glass and steel, creating a feeling of openness. The theater seats 1,500 and accommodates musical and visual arts genres. Signs are printed in English and Korean, and a helpful staff of English-speaking volunteers, called "Operaphiles" is available on call.

Outside, the Opera Zone area allows participants to take pictures while wearing opera costumes and special makeup. The Back Stage Tour, offered after the show, gives a behind the scenes view of the performance. There are also free concerts organized before and after shows and a clever program called Aria Post, which allows concert-goers to write messages on Opera Festival postcards and post them anywhere in the world.

The festival opened last weekend with a stunning production of Puccini's Turandot, a joint collaboration between the Daegu International Opera Festival Organizing Committee and the Daegu City Opera, also featuring the Daegu City Symphony Orchestra, Daegu City Choir and Daegu City Modern Dance Troupe.

"It was an awesome production," said Caitlyn Murriner, 23, an opera singer and English instructor from Hurricane, West Virginia. "Turandot is a staple in any opera company repertoire, but the artistic director (Kim Sung-bin) managed to make this production unique and fun to watch," she continued.

"It's exciting to see the city of Daegu making opera of this quality available to everyone."

Murriner looks around at the children listening to the open-air concert and the old women taking pictures dressed as famous opera characters. "In this kind of setting, I would love to invite my friends who know next to nothing about opera. This is the perfect introduction," she said.

For a lighter touch, the comedic opera "L'Elisir d'Amore" ("Elixir of Love") is composed by Gaetano Donizetti and features the well-known aria "Una Furtiva Lagrima." It will play on Thursday, Oct. 8 and Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3 p.m.

From the Karlsruhe National Theater in Germany comes a production of "Der Freischutz" ("The Marksman") by Carl Maria von Weber. Notable works include "Hunter's Chorus." It will be performed on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 17 at 3 p.m.

An original Korean opera, "Won's Mother" is based on a story of a mummy excavated in Andong, a letter from his wife found on his chest, and a pair of Mituri shoes. The opera questions the existence of human beings while presenting an affectionate love story between husband and wife. Shows are on Friday Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m.

The final opera is the much-beloved "Carmen" by Georges Bizet, featuring mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Egorgova and Tenor Boiko Zvetanov. This includes the famous aria "Habanera" and the "Toreador Song". There are performances on Thursday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. After the final performance on Saturday, the Daegu International Opera Festival Awards will bring the festival to a close.

Ticket prices range from 10,000 to 70,000 won. For ticket information, contact the Jiwon Classic at 080-009-7492. Go to www.operafestival.or.kr for more information.

(christianna_lee@yahoo.com)

By Christianna Lee

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Chill out with jazz under the stars

Few genres of music better herald the advent of autumn than the cool, relaxing and introspective tunes of jazz. It is just that time of year when hipsters and would-be beatniks clad in Buddy Holly eyeglasses dust off their turtlenecks and head to their favorite noncorporate owned java house to sip cappuccinos and read Jack Kerouac.

And the Jarasum International Jazz Festival, now in its sixth year, is without a doubt the country's premiere jazz event.

This year the festival will be back at Jarasum from Oct. 15-18 on the remote island in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province.

The line-up for this year's festivities is stacked and with bands like Chico & The Gypsies headlining the bill. That band, of course, is fronted by none other than Chico Bouchikhi, the former co-founder of the legendary French-based modern Flamenco band, the Gypsy Kings.

Over five seasons, the three-day celebration of jazz has seen significant increases in visitors every year since 2004 when the inaugural event attracted a modest 30,000 - still quite a lot considering that year saw heavy downpours and was anything but inviting.

Now, the festival attracts more than 130,000 and this year organizers expect an even bigger turnout.

"Because various spots on the island were going through heavy renovations last year, we had to move some of the performances to venues inside the city center," organizers said. "But this year construction on those projects is finished so we were able to establish more stages on the island."

A total of eight have been set up, each with its own distinct color and musical characteristics. Three have been designated as the festival's main concert venues.

Jazz Island, the main stage will feature headlining acts both local and international.

Party Gym will feature more upbeat dance-infused soul and funk while the Jazz Cube will focus on artists that hail from Europe under the concept of "One or Two" where featured acts perform either solo or in a duet.

For those with the entire family tagging along or with RVs and caravans, the Jarasum campsite is an option that's hard to ignore.

The site was recently used as a filming locale on the upcoming Lee Byung-hun television action serial "Iris" and has been a popular destination for campers throughout the years.

The campsite boasts 40 mobile homes and 10 caravans available for advance booking as well as a lot with the capacity to host 285 mobile homes and caravans.

Though the festival has been gaining popularity with each edition, it has not been without its critics.

Past fest-goers have pointed out the lack of food amenities as one of the festival's biggest blights. To resolve this complaint, organizers have secured the services of the nation's fifth-biggest conglomerate Lotte to provide more food booths to tend to the hungry needs of festival-goers.

Indeed a legitimate complaint but surely, this has been a testament to the turnout the event has garnered over the past five years.

And with its popularity continuing to rise, the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism has even selected the event as the "best festival in the Gyeonggi Province" for three years running since 2007.

In addition to providing fans an opportunity to congregate with fellow jazz aficionados, the festival also injects a boost to the regional economy which many say remains stagnant until the start of the festival.

Passes to the Jarasum International Jazz Festival cost 25,000 won ($21.12) for a single-day pass, a two-day pass is priced at 40,000 won and a full three-day pass will set you back a cool 50,000 won.

For reservations, visit www.ticketlink.co.kr or call (02) 1588-7890.

For more information on the festival and its program, visit www.jarasumjazz.com or call (031) 581-2813~4.

(kws@heraldm.com)

By Song Woong-ki

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Asteroid named after Anne Frank rescuer

By Jessica Elgot

An asteroid has been named after the Dutch woman who hid Anne Frank’s family in Amsterdam and preserved her diary during the war.

The International Astronomical Union has named the asteroid Miep Gies, who is the last surviving member of the group who helped the Frank family and their friends hide in a secret apartment for two years.

Mrs Gies retrieved Anne Frank’s diary before the apartment was looted by the Nazis and saved it in her desk drawer for Anne's return.

After Mrs Gies learnt of Anne’s death in Bergen-Belsen, she gave the diary to the sole survivor of the family, Anne’s father Otto. It became an international bestseller.

Mrs Gies, who is now 100 years-old, has received honours for bravery in Israel, Holland and Germany, including the highest German honour, the Federal Cross of Merit First Class.

Her asteroid is between Mars and Jupiter, about seven kilometers wide and was discovered in 1972.

But Mrs Gies is not the first member of the group to be given an extraterrestial namesake. Anne Frank has also had an asteroid named after her.

The asteroid Anne Frank was discovered in March 1942 by Karl Reinmuth and in 1995, on the fiftieth anniversary of armistice, the asteriod was named after Anne.

Her asteroid is smaller than Mrs Gies', it is only three kilometers in diameter.

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The good times flow at Oktoberfest

By Bryan Harrell

YOKOHAMA - Summer may be the season for beer events, but it’s certainly worth waiting until autumn for one of the best—the Yokohama Oktoberfest. Held for a full 10 days at the Akarenga Soko complex on Yokohama Bay, the annual party features live German music, a variety of food items and a whole lotta beer, mostly from Germany.

But what really sets it apart is the festive atmosphere, which runs from lively in the afternoon to borderline wild later on, as beer-fueled celebrants begin snake-dancing in long lines through the seating area inside the main tent.

While the original Oktoberfest in Munich usually runs from late September to early October, in Yokohama the time frame is more flexible. This year’s event will take place from October 9-18, two weekends with a week in between, giving people more chances to attend. The Akarenga Soko complex, a collection of old brick warehouses, is a ten-minute walk from Bashamichi station on the Minatomirai line. Admission is a nominal 200 yen, with beer and food sold separately.

Visitors seem to attend the Yokohama Oktoberfest in groups, and some of them can become quite spirited as the afternoon runs into the evening. In addition to the aforementioned lines of snake-dancers, you’re likely to meet people who are quite into German beer culture. One group of regulars, which numbers over 20, wears large German hats and drinks weizen, a type of wheat beer, exclusively from large mugs. I don’t think they have a name, so I just refer to them as the “Weizenheimers.”

Several brands of German brews are available in pilsner, weizen and dark-beer varieties. Also on offer is an assortment of Japanese craft beer from nearby breweries, selling for somewhat less than their German counterparts. The cheapest quaffs are from the four major Japanese breweries, and a few of their special varieties are also available.

“It’s really more of a cultural event,” explains Hisashi Imazato, president of Zato Trading Company, a major supplier of beer for the event since 2006. “And since there is beer, people are easily drawn to festivities. There is also music, so it really is a kind of matsuri.”

Imazato was originally an interior designer who worked on exhibits for the Tokyo Motor Show. A few trips to Germany aroused a strong interest in German food and beer, to the point that he opened a small German-style place in Kamiyacho 15 years ago. He began importing beer, first Spaten and then Franziskaner, followed by several brands from small local breweries. His company, Zato Trading, now imports some 20 varieties of German beer, and over six brands of German wine. They also operate nine German-style pub-restaurants throughout central Tokyo, including the Franziskaner Bar & Grill and Franz Club locations.

Imazato and his company participate in several Oktoberfest events held throughout Japan during the warmer months of the year. These include Fukuoka (early May), Tokyo Hibiya (late May), Sendai (mid-June), Niigata (early August), and Shizuoka (early September). The Yokohama event, however, draws by far the most people—and is certainly the most festive.

The Yokohama Oktoberfest opens at 5 p.m. on Friday and runs through Sunday, Oct 18. Admission: 200 yen, plus 1,000 yen deposit for your glass. Hours: Mon-Fri noon-9 p.m., Sat-Sun and Oct 12 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Nearest stn: Bashamichi (Minatomirai line).

Note: if you plan to do a lot of drinking, it is also advisable to bring some bottles of mineral water (sparkling is nice) to keep yourself hydrated between beers.

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Master brews clean green Waikato tea

By Andrea Fox

Unsmiling, intense, Master Yu swirls steaming water to pre-heat the delicate white green tea pot and miniature china beakers with the absorbed concentration a master of wine, would swirl shiraz to judge its colour.

Respectfully addressed as "Master" by the staff at Waikato's oolong green tea farm company Zealong, where he has come from Taiwan to further school in tasting and presentation, Ming-Hsun Yu is dressed in green theatre scrubs and presides over an ornate Chinese heavy stone tea platform that would be at home in an art gallery or museum.

The scrubs are because Master Yu has come to this traditionally designed teahouse at Zealong's plantation at Rototuna, north of Hamilton, from the nearby sterile environment of the tea processing plant.

The comparison with a master of wine is valid, says Kiwi Mark Levick, co-founder of leading New Zealand organic certification agency BioGro who is supervising the full conversion of this plantation to organic status.

Master Yu is Zealong's tea processing manager and for 18 years has been involved in producing the world's finest oolong teas for Chinese markets. Grown in Taiwan, south China, Vietnam and now on 50ha in the heart of the Waikato, premium oolong tea can sell for up to $11,000 per kg.

Master Yu is here to train staff as Zealong, founded in Hamilton 13 years ago by the Taiwanese immigrant family Chen, counts down to the November world launch of its premium tea, with its branding connotations of purity as a clean, green, New Zealand-grown safe food.

Estimated revenue from the first 2009 export crop to high-end Chinese markets is $16 million, with annual harvest revenue expected to be around $56 million in five years when plants at a second plantation at nearby Gordonton mature.

The Chen family have invested more than $10 million in the venture. They were inspired when new immigrant Tzu Chen, who was developing a housing subdivision in Rototuna in the 90s, saw how camellia trees flourished in the Waikato's rich pasturelands. Tea comes from a species of camellia.

In 1996 Tzu Chen and son Vincent propagated 130 premium quality seedlings from Taiwan, and purchased 3ha nearby as a nursery.

Zealong deputy general manager Gigi Crawford said the venture had created employment for 100 New Zealand contractors and consultants, and 32 tea pickers and plantation workers. The company paid $800,000 in wages last year, 85 per cent of which went into the Waikato economy, she said.

By 2014 the picturesque plantations, which will have three 20-day harvests a year, will need 130 workers.

Zealong plans to invest another $18 million in a tourist attraction at the Gordonton plantation next year.

It will include a tea-house for visitors, cafe, conference centre, tea processing factory and eventually, a hotel, set around a lake and gardens.

This project is awaiting local authority approvals. But for Zealong the most challenging aspect of the venture has been getting skilled workers for the highly labour-intensive picking and processing stages, Crawford said.

"We need the specialised skills of overseas, experienced tea pickers and workers to transfer the technical know-how to our local workers, particularly in the first five years. "It is also important the Asian markets know New Zealand-grown Zealong tea is made the traditional way."

The brand was due to be launched in June, but Zealong has only in recent days, supported by politicians and business agencies, won approval from immigration officials for 15 specialist Taiwanese pickers to enter the country for the November harvest. Next year, the company must apply again.

Crawford said using machinery to pick tea leaves would turn the first $1000/kg Zealong crops into a $10/kg product. "To maintain the quality of this tea and to respect the unique environment it is grown in we cannot do this. We talk to the plants all the time - to use a machine on them is just not right."

* Tea tips

Oolong tea consumption in Taiwan in 2008 - 1200g per person. China 600g per person.

Chinese market expected to double within 10 years.

Fine oolong plays important role in Chinese health, business and social structures.

80 per cent of Zealong to be exported - balance domestic through specialist tea shops.

Zealong tea farming produces no effluent, uses no chemical sprays.

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Humpback whales make West Coast comeback

CBC News

A threatened species of whale that was nearly hunted to extinction seems to be making a comeback off Canada's West Coast, according to observers.

The North Pacific population of humpback whales has doubled in the past two decades, hitting close to 20,000 in the North Pacific, an international study released last year concluded, and local whale watchers say they can vouch for the results.

Stubbs Island naturalist Jackie Hildering has seen the recovery of humpbacks first-hand while working in the Broughton Archipelago off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.

Hildering said while sightings of the threatened whale used to be rare, this year she's identified almost 50 individual whales including juveniles.

"It's been this amazing gift to see them come back," she said.

Endangered no more?

Jay Barlow, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in La Jolla, Calif., said "the bottom line is really good news."

But while the whales have avoided being hunted to extinction, they may now face some modern-day threats to their survival, including climate change, which could affect the waters where they feed and breed, said Barlow.

"If their habitat changes, are they going to be flexible enough to deal with that? …We don't know at this point," said Barlow. "The same places where whales have been going to in the past, that have been good for feeding in the past, may not be good places for the future."

Humpbacks are officially considered threatened in Canada, and endangered in the United States — but the comeback has U.S. authorities considering removing the whale from their endangered species list.

Hildering worries that could affect the research funding to study the whales and create management plans.

"When there's fundamental questions like, how do humpbacks find their food, how do they find Hawaii — we don't even know where all of them go in the winter — when there's such fundamental gaps of knowledge, for even an animal this big, I do have concerns about there being less management of them," said Hildering.

The U.S. review is expected to be complete next year.

Hunting ban challenged

Humpback whales have been protected by the International Whaling Commission since 1965 in the North Pacific and 1955 in the North Atlantic, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

But Japan dispatched its whaling fleet in 2007 to the southern Pacific in the first major hunt of humpback whales since the 1960s, but the hunt generated widespread criticism and was eventually called off at the request of the U.S.

Despite the hunting bans, the Canadian government says humpbacks are still at risk because of over-fishing of their prey — including tiny crustaceans and small fish. The whales also can become entangled in the fishing nets of commercial trawlers and drown.

And while the numbers are now growing steadily, the population is still just one-fifth of the pre-whaling size, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

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Black-footed ferret back on prairie turf

CBC News

An excited group of naturalists and wildlife scientists is in Saskatchewan's Grasslands National Park, releasing black-footed ferrets back into the wild.

The Friday event was the culmination of several years of work to breed black-footed ferrets in various zoos and condition the animals to survive in the wild.

Grasslands National Park, in Saskatchewan's southwest, was selected as the site for introducing 34 animals back to their natural habitat. A recovery plan for the species includes releasing more animals to the park in 2010.

The black-footed ferret is the only species of ferret indigenous to North America.

Populations fell to near-extinction levels until a small colony was discovered in Wyoming in 1981. Those animals were used to begin the recovery program.

"This is the prime time to be putting them back into the wild," Scott Larson, an assistant field supervisor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told CBC News on Friday. "Every fall [we] have a batch of kits that we raise in captivity that are made available to go back to reintroduction sites."

Larson is part of a team of American and Canadian scientists working on the species' recovery. He noted that various zoos have contributed to the effort, including the Toronto Zoo and the Calgary Zoo.

"With partners, like the Toronto Zoo, we've been able to raise over 6,000 ferret kits in captivity," Larson said. Some of those animals go to sites already established for reintroduction in the United States and Mexico. Others are used to ensure the breeding stock is healthy.

The plan on Friday was to release two of the animals in the afternoon in one location. The rest would be released around dusk at eight other locations in the park.

The ferrets will be set free near known colonies of prairie dogs, the ferrets' source of food.

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How Honey Curbs the MRSA Superbug

Ker Than for National Geographic News

A dark, bitter kind of honey can cripple infection-causing bacteria, including the highly virulent strain known as MRSA, and now researchers think they know how the honey fights the superbug.

Manuka honey is made when honeybees primarily consume the nectar of the manuka bush, a flowering plant native to Australia and New Zealand.

Researchers already knew that manuka honey has antibacterial properties, but why and how it works has been a mystery.

"Manuka honey has an extra [unidentified] component that isn't found in other honey, which gives it an extra kick," said study team member Rowena Jenkins of the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff.

"It may even be several components working together."

Honey Thief

In a new experiment, Jenkins and colleagues grew MRSA in the lab with and without manuka honey for four hours.

MRSA, or meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of staph infection that isn't affected by many common antibiotics.

The team also grew batches of MRSA with and without sugar syrup, to check whether the honey's high sugar content was solely responsible for fighting the bacteria.

In general, many bacteria can't grow in high-sugar environments, since the sugars tie up water that the bacteria need to survive. (Get more germ-filled facts with our infectious diseases quiz.)

Jenkins and colleagues found that the MRSA bacteria treated with manuka honey more often lacked a particular protein necessary for synthesizing fatty acids, which are required for building cell walls and internal structures.

The crippled bacteria "don't have the necessary proteins to complete their life cycles," Jenkins said, so they are unable to reproduce and eventually die.

Since the sugar syrup didn't have the same results, the researchers think some other, unidentified component must be disabling the bacteria.

Not Exactly on Store Shelves

Finding out more about manuka's mystery ingredient could lead to new treatments for drug-resistant bacteria strains, the study authors say.

Still, the researchers caution against treating wounds with commercially sold manuka honey.

Unlike medical-grade honey, store-bought honey is not sterilized and could contain microbes and spores that might make an infection worse, Jenkins said.

Findings presented September 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for General Microbiology in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Mediterranean diet reduces depression, study suggests

Jetting to the sunny climes of the Mediterranean couldn't hurt if you feel a bout of depression settling in.

But a new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry finds that if your aim is to minimize your risk of depression in the first place, you might stay right where you are and make your plate look like it's been to the Mediterranean. You should scale back on the meats and dairy fats, eat some nuts, and increase your consumption of fish, vegetables and legumes doused in olive oil.

Oh, and pour yourself a glass of wine. Not half a bottle; one glass, maybe two.

The Mediterranean diet has been linked to reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. it was only a matter of time before researchers would begin to wonder whether a Mediterranean diet could also reduce the risk of depression -- which, like all of the above diseases, is linked to higher levels of inflammation throughout the body. They found tantalizing suggestions of such a link: Compared with Northern Europe, the countries surrounded by the Mediterranean report lower rates of mental illness and suicide.

The study linking adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet with reduced depression risk is the first to test that link prospectively. It followed a group of subjects over several years, tracked their eating patterns and recorded how many reported several symptoms or a diagnosis of depression. This one tracked 10,094 graduates of the University of Navarra in Spain for roughly 4 1/2 years and found that the more closely subjects stuck to the principal elements of a Mediterranean diet, the lower their likelihood of developing depression.

So what is it -- the sunshine, the hillside towns that keep even octogenarians walking daily on errands? The tradition of far niente? The wine, the fish, the nuts, the legumes, the olive oil? While acknowledging that lifestyle factors or genetics may contribute to the lowered risk of depression, the researchers focused largely on the dietary components, and sought to single out one or two more powerful than the others in warding off depression.

In the end, they noted, "the role of the overall dietary pattern may be more important than the effect of single components." They even suggested that depression may yield in the face of a "synergistic combination" of polyunsaturated fats from olive oil and nuts, antioxidants from fruits and flavenoids, B vitamins and natural folates from vegetables and wine.

-- Melissa Healy

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Woman devotes life to helping community

By Karina Rusk

SANTA CRUZ, CA (KGO) -- There is a group helping the needy in Santa Cruz County that is not worried about cutbacks in government funding because they do not get any to begin with. The organization began with the volunteer efforts of one extraordinary woman.

For Annette Marcum, the economic recession means slowing down is not an option. The food pantry in Ben Lomond is busier than ever.

"Oh my God, this [the need] is the worst I have ever seen it in my 27 years," she says.

The organization Marcum founded now serves up to 1,800 people every month in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

"She is the most caring and loving person I have ever met in my life," says food recipient Elisha McKeown.

The deep appreciation is not just for the food. Bags of groceries are indeed given out every week. There are also hundreds of new backpacks and supplies for children returning to school and toys at Christmas for families who would otherwise do without.

Still, it is not the stuff so much as the spirit in which it is given.

"When you treat them with dignity when they come, that's the most important thing," says Marcum. "They go away feeling a whole lot better about themselves and they can take better care of their families and that's what makes the difference."

Marcum started volunteering at the age of 15, but it was in 1982 when disaster struck her community that service to others became a passion and profession. It was a devastating storm that flooded Love Creek and left a deadly path of destruction.

Marcum starting taking people into her home and organizing disaster relief. The result was a community-based organization called Valley Churches United Missions; a name that is somewhat misleading.

"We are not a church. We are this group of people coming together to perform humanitarian acts," she says.

Those humanitarian acts take place on a daily basis and during times of crisis like the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. Valley Churches United was helping victims long before federal relief every arrived.

"FEMA helped us a lot, but if it weren't for Annette, we would have still sat there numb not having a clue what to do in that situation with everything that we had just lost," says 1989 earthquake victim Jeanne Bell.

Through heartache and triumph, Marcum has logged more than 46,000 volunteer hours.

"Phenomenal. There are no other words for it. She is an amazing woman," says 1982 storm victim Ross Harriman.

Part of the amazing story of Valley Churches United is that less than 5 percent of the budget goes to overhead. There is only one paid staff member and the operation runs on generous donations and dedicated volunteers.

"She helped us, we keep helping and it goes 'round and 'round and that's what communities like this are all about," says a recipient.

It is that community support and all of the volunteers she inspired that give Marcum reason to think the circle of giving will continue long after she is gone.

"That's the whole thing. That's the legacy that I leave is what you see here and I am certain it will be, that this live on forever," says Marcum. "It's not Annette Marcum, it's Valley Churches United."

ABC7 salutes Marcum and all of the volunteers at Valley Churches United Missions.

If you would like to help or donate, visit www.vcum.org

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Three Americans Share Nobel Prize for Medicine

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Americans Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak won the 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discovering a key mechanism in the genetic operations of cells, an insight that has inspired new lines of research into cancer.

It was the first time two women have been among the winners of the medicine prize.
The trio solved the mystery of how chromosomes, the rod-like structures that carry DNA, protect themselves from degrading when cells divide.

The Nobel citation said the laureates found the solution in the ends of the chromosomes -- features called telomeres that are often compared to the plastic tips at the end of shoe laces that keep those laces from unraveling.

Blackburn and Greider discovered the enzyme that builds telomeres -- telomerase -- and the mechanism by which it adds DNA to the tips of chromosomes to replace genetic material that has eroded away.

The prize-winners' work, done in the late 1970s and 1980s, set the stage for research suggesting that cancer cells use telomerase to sustain their uncontrolled growth. Scientists are studying whether drugs that block the enzyme can fight the disease. In addition, scientists believe that the DNA erosion the enzyme repairs might play a role in some illnesses.

''The discoveries by Blackburn, Greider and Szostak have added a new dimension to our understanding of the cell, shed light on disease mechanisms, and stimulated the development of potential new therapies,'' the prize committee said in its citation.

Ten women have won the prestigious medicine award since the first Nobel Prizes were handed out in 1901, but it was the first time that two women were honored in the same year.

Nobel judges say women are underrepresented in Nobel statistics because the award-winning research often dates back several decades to a time when science was dominated by men. Still, critics say the judges aren't looking hard enough for deserving women candidates.

''We don't give Nobel Prizes because of gender,'' medicine prize committee member Goran Hansson told The Associated Press. ''We give it for scientific discoveries. As more women participate in research and make scientific discoveries, more women will win Nobel Prizes.''

Blackburn, who holds U.S. and Australian citizenship, is a professor of biology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Greider is a professor in the department of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Greider, 48, said she was telephoned just before 5 a.m. her time with the news that she had won.

''It's really very thrilling, it's something you can't expect,'' she told The Associated Press by telephone.

People might make predictions of who might win, but one never expects it, she said, adding that ''It's like the Monty Python sketch, 'Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!'''

Greider described the research as beginning with experiments aimed at understanding how cells work, not with the idea for certain implications for medicine.

''Funding for that kind of curiosity-driven science is really important,'' she said, adding that disease-oriented research isn't the only way to reach the answer, but ''both together are synergistic,'' she said.

Blackburn, 60, said she was awakened at 2 a.m.

''Prizes are always a nice thing,'' she told The AP. ''It doesn't change the research per se, of course, but it's lovely to have the recognition and share it with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak.

London-born Szostak, 56, has been at Harvard Medical School since 1979 and is currently professor of genetics. He is also affiliated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

''There's always some small chance that something like this might happen, so when the phone rang, I thought maybe this is it, so, sure enough,'' Szostak told the AP.

He said winning the prize was made sweeter because it also included Blackburn and Greider.

''When we started the work, of course, we were really just interested in the very basic question about DNA replication, how the ends of chromosomes are maintained,'' he said. ''At the time we had no idea there would be all these later implications.''

He said that since then it had become apparent that ''this process of maintaining the ends of DNA molecules is very important and plays an important role in cancer and in aging, which are really still being fully worked out.''

Hansson said there is a lot of work yet to do to develop therapies for blood, skin and lung disease based on the winners' breakthroughs.

He said telomerase is very active in many cancer cells, ''and if you turn it off or destroy the cells which have this high activity, you could be able to treat cancer,'' he said.

The award includes a 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) purse split three ways among the winners, a diploma and an invitation to the prize ceremonies in Stockholm on Dec. 10.

The researchers have already won a series of medical honors for their research. In 2006, they shared the Lasker prize for basic medical research, often called ''America's Nobel.''

Some inherited diseases are now known to be caused by telomerase defects, including certain forms of congenital aplastic anemia, in which insufficient cell divisions in the stem cells of the bone marrow lead to severe anemia. Certain inherited diseases of the skin and the lungs are also caused by telomerase defects.

The Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, literature and the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced later this week, while the economics award will be presented on Oct. 12.

Prize founder Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite, left few instructions on how to select winners, but medicine winners are typically awarded for a specific breakthrough rather than a body of research.

Nobel established the prizes in his will in 1895. The first awards were handed out six years later.

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Associated Press Writers Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore, Mary Hudetz in Phoenix, Mark Pratt in Boston and Malin Rising in Stockholm contributed to this report.

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Woman finds fulfillment helping others with job searches

By John Sammon

Felton -- Barbara Burkhart is one of those rare people who make a difference in other people's lives. The Felton resident previously ran a nonprofit women's shelter, a safe-house where women and their children could take refuge from husbands perceived to be dangerous.

"We would take a woman into a shelter if the husband was a threat," Burkhart said. "We offered counseling and possibly a restraining order against the abuser."

Partial funding for the program ran out in 2002, forcing Burkhart out of work for the first time in 18 years. A senior citizen collecting unemployment, she knew she got the most enjoyment helping others. So, it's a little bit ironic she would find a new calling as a volunteer helping others attain what she had lost -- a job.

"I discovered a program through the California Economic Development Department called Profile," she said. "I began teaching courses there that help people seeking employment."

Burkhart said the organization gives people the tools to find a job starting with how to write an effective resume.

"The technique of writing a winning resume has changed greatly over the past 20 years," she said.

Burkhart said the old way of simply laundry listing every job you've ever had starting with the most recent at the top, will no longer suffice for employers looking for specific skills.

"The key is to explain your accomplishments and show what you have achieved to a prospective employer," she explained.

Students' resumes are critiqued in class. In addition, students are taught interview skills.

"People used to go into an interview and meet with the employer, and they were not asked in-depth questions like they are today," Burkhart said. "Today, the process is much more formal."

Burkhart commutes three days a week from Felton to the EDD office in Capitola to teach. In addition, she acts as a part-time event coordinator for a firm called Values Technology, a company that helps businesses identify values and objectives. She finds time to serve as president of New Music Works, a program in Santa Cruz that performs new chamber works. She has also volunteered for UC Santa Cruz Affiliates providing scholarships for deserving students.

In addition, she participates on a coordinating committee for the annual Santa Cruz County Job Fair, to be held this year from 4-7 p.m. at the Cocoanut Grove at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

A retired widow with grandchildren, Burkhart is busier today as a volunteer than she was when she had a full-time job. She said helping is the greatest joy.

"I suppose I'm a professional volunteer," she said. "Just this past month, nine people who we helped found jobs. When you can see people succeed, it makes your own life richer."

More information on the Job Fair may be reached at access2employment.org.

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